Moin and the Monkey Monster

Moin is back! But more importantly, the monster is baaaaack! (It even has a song about it.) With its quirky characters (most of whom we’ve met before in Moin and the Monster and Moin the Monster Songster), Moin and the Monkey Monster is a hilarious read. Through its pages, we can hear the monster’s terrible voice and even smell squishy, overripe bananas.

What my book clubbers (and I) love about the monster is how wacky and unpredictable it is. There’s frozen laughter when something horrifically funny is about to happen–like when the monster is singing, and the principal chances upon it. Even funnier is the fact that only the principal, popularly called Kooki, seems to see this pink thing. As readers, it’s a joy to be inside on a secret, and that’s what propels the story. We know that the monster exists and we delight in the delicious wickedness of seeing Kooki question his sanity when the pink thing keeps appearing!

Although Moin and the Monkey Monster draws on the first two stories in the series, it is probably possible to read it as a standalone book. The nonsense verse and the fact that one moment simply rolls into the next makes it a light, pacy, fun read.