Monstrum House (Hardie Grant Egmont) by Zana Fraillon introduces Jasper McPhee and his fellow students at the Monstrum House School for Troubled Children.
Monstrum House Series
Jasper McPhee is always getting into trouble. His latest school prank finds him arriving at the Monstrum House School for Troubled Children with packed bags. Jasper thinks things can’t get any worse than being banished to the strange-looking boarding school for a year, but he soon discovers that things can get much worse and a whole lot spookier.
Jasper and his friends Saffy and Felix discover that Monstrum House is much stranger than they could ever have imagined. With a crazy principal that rides his horse everywhere, even inside the school buildings, the intimidating teacher Stenka and a group of bully prefects, life at the boarding school is difficult enough without the added challenge of learning to deal with monsters.
When Jasper, Saffy and Felix try to plot their escape from Monstrum House, they discover that nothing is what it seems at the school and their adventure is only just beginning.
Monstrum House Series
The first two titles in the Monstrum House series, Locked In and Creeped Out were released by Hardie Grant Egmont in March 2010 with further titles to follow and a Monstrum House website containing character information, book updates, sample chapters, a monster quiz and Monstrum House wallpaper and e-cards.
For children who enjoy reading about things that go bump in the night, Monstrum House introduces four different orders of monsters: Munchers, Screechers, Scramblers and Morphers. Each group contains a variety of monsters that the students at Monstrum House must learn to recognise and subdue. Cartoonish illustrations of the monsters and other story highlights are scattered throughout the books.
A Spooky Adventure Series for KidsWith a format and vocabulary suitable for confident readers aged 9 years and over, the Monstrum House series should appeal to children who enjoy books such as Zac Power, Andy Griffith’s Just series and similar books such as the newly released series EJ12 Girl Hero. The books are perhaps aimed more specifically at boys, however they are likely to appeal to both boys and girls who enjoy this genre.
Descriptions of monsters, both in the text and accompanying sketched drawings, are not particularly frightening and there is a strong element of humour in the stories to balance the scary aspects of the books. Parents should be aware that the books may not be a suitable bedtime read for more sensitive, younger readers however with references made to monsters hiding under the bed and in the wardrobe waiting for unsuspecting children.
Review copy details:
- Monstrum House #1: Locked In (ISBN: 978-1-921-56425-3, 170 pages)
- Monstrum House #2: Creeped Out (ISBN: 978-1-921-56426-0, 155 pages)
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