Happy Book Birthday, A Monster's Meal by Meritxell Marti!

Today's read comes out this week and gives a nod to the upcoming Halloween season. Yes, it's still several months away, but I'm betting this one makes a fun read every time of the year...for monster fans, obviously. I'm curious to see what delicious (or not so delicious) foods are in these pages. I'm expecting they will be packed with imagination. I'm also looking forward to the flaps. I love flaps in books...even if that might be silly.

So, let's dive in and see if there's something that's worth munching on.

A MONSTER'S MEAL

With 10 deviously delicious flaps to lift

by Meritxell Marti

Illustrated by Xavier Salomo

Abrams Books for Young Readers

Picture Book   /   Holiday

40 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING AUGUST 5th!!!

It’s dinnertime at the annual feast for fiends—lift the flap covering each monster’s plate to reveal the deliciously gruesome meal underneath in this grossly funny picture book. Bone Appétit!

You’re invited to the annual feast for fiends! Up on a rocky hill lies The Rotten Core Restaurant, where monsters from all over have gathered around the dinner table to enjoy the best foods the dastardly chef (and his undead maîtres d’) have to offer.

Lift the plate cover to reveal the terrifyingly tasty meal underneath. For the vampire? Chef’s famous scarlet smoothie and thinly sliced bat wings start the meal, and a few princess necks are a main course that’s to die for! For the witch? Snail-slime porridge, and an apple dipped in black widow venom for dessert!

Other monster guests include a werewolf, an ogre, a mummy, a pirate, the monster under the bed, and even the Boogeyman, all with delightfully disgusting dishes cooked perfectly to their tastes. But it might be the final guest—a small human boy—who has the most terrifying tastes of all.

With 10 sturdy flaps readers can flip up to reveal a ridiculously revolting menu underneath, this picture book is sure to have young readers laughing out loud and eager to curate a monstrous menu of their own!

GOODREADS 

MY TIDBITS

Exquisite dining meets monsterly peculiar dishes in disgusting and, yet, alluringly silly ways.

It's the night when the most terrible monsters meet for a feast at a high-scale, spooky restaurant. With all bells and whistles, each one is greeted and brought to the table, where their favorite delights await them. Readers lift each cover to expose the creepy and quirky food inside. But the finale holds the biggest surprise of all.

With a mix of high-class atmosphere and spooky creatures, these pages are sure to grab a few giggles and eye-brow raises. Oh, and plenty of 'yuck's, too. The story is even written in a slightly aloft style to keep airs the entire way through. This creates a slightly higher vocabulary, which will push, especially, the lower end of the intended reading group. But thanks to the rest of the quirky atmosphere and silliness, it works well in expanding those word skills. The text, however, is also on the longer side as each eerie creature is introduced right before their meal is shown. So, I would recommend this one for the slightly older end of the spectrum...or those listeners, who have a little more patience. It also works great for readers, who are sure of their words, to pick up on their own.

It's a fun read and each plate will draw attention. This makes it enjoyable for readers/listeners to pick up and discover on their own. The flaps are large and hold a menu description inside the hood to add that last dash of elegance. Some ingredients will be foreign to some listeners/readers, but that also isn't necessarily a bad thing and opens up to questions and discussions. The flaps are created with the same paper as the usual picture book pages and glued onto the page. So, these will need to be handled with some care.

It's a fun book, especially for the Halloween season, but it also works year around for monster fans, since the holiday isn't mentioned. Also, there's a fun surprise at the end to wrap everything off in just the right way.

The Last Hope by Isabelle Knight

Today's read comes from a lovely author, I've run into over the past year. It's the final book in a series, and nope, I didn't read the rest of the series, yet. But I'm sure it's clear by now that I tend to do that. Time doesn't really let me read an entire series every time a see a good book. Plus, I always look forward to a good ending...(I'm grasping at excuses here).

Anyway, I'm expecting magic, tension, adventure, heart, and all sorts of goodness. So, let's see if this book holds everything I hope it will.

THE LAST HOPE

Enchantria

by Isabelle Knight

Firequill Books

Middle Grade Fantasy

231 pages

ages 8 to 12

The series continues in the final installment of this spellbinding middle-grade series from debut fantasy author Isabelle Knight…

Darkness is coming.

Ravena wields the Shadow Staff. The true traitor has stepped from the shadows. And the Lady of Ravens has a plan ready to shatter everything.

With the fate of the kingdoms resting on her shoulders, Elenora and her friends will have to race against time to find a shattered orb – whose power could either save or destroy the kingdoms – with the help of a spirit trapped within a crystal who may or may not be what she seems.

The fate of the kingdoms hangs in the balance, and to save them, Elenora will have to face what being a hero truly means – or let darkness destroy them all.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Quick-paced adventure and wonderful characters make this an exciting world to get lost in and enjoy.

Elenora is anything but thrilled to find a black envelope delivered to her because it can only mean one thing, but when she opens it, it's not quite what she thought. Not that the meaning behind it is any better. The evil Ravena is back again and appears to have discovered the Shadow Staff. With its power, she can destroy all of Enchantria. While Elenora is tired and not exactly thrilled to play heroine again after her last adventures, she knows she can't ignore the new, dangerous threat. With her friends at her side, she heads out on a new quest, which may or may not save them all.

It was no problem to fall right into this world and enjoy the world. The author sprinkles in just enough nods toward the earlier adventures to let the reader launch right into Elenora's new quest. The characters are immediately likeable and come across with natural flair thanks to the down-to-earth dialogue, thoughts, and reactions. The scenes slide along at a quick pace with just enough details to make the world imaginable. It never drags, but if anything, sometimes pulls through a bit too quick. For readers, who adore action, it's just the right thing. The dialogue drives most of the story along as the characters hold the heart of the plot.

There are many surprises as Elenora does her best to save Enchantria, and luckily, she has friends at her side. But that doesn't mean that each problem is easily solved. Some characters also tap into the gray area to make it hard to know whether they are to be trusted or not. It creates a rich enough background to build a fun world all the way to the last page.

And here she is...

Isabelle Knight is the middle-grade fantasy author of the Enchantria series, which she began writing at age ten and published during her middle school years. A lifelong book and cat lover, she now resides somewhere in a book-filled apartment, surrounded by an unimaginable number of stuffed pandas and enough books to start her own bookstore.
When she’s not writing about creepy shadows, daring heroines, and magical adventures, she’s talking about books, writing, and other writerly ramblings on her blog and/or YouTube channel!