28. Monster and Boy

Monster and Boy. Hannah Barnaby. Illustrated by Anoosha Syed. 2020. 144 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: Once there was a monster who loved a boy. The monster had never met the boy because monsters are nocturnal and boys (well, most boys) are not. But he knew the sound of the boy’s voice, and he loved that sound. He knew the smell of the boy’s dirty socks, and he loved that smell. He knew the sight of the boy’s slippers by the side of the bed, waiting for the boy’s feet, and he loved those slippers and those feet. Monsters don’t know much about love. Or maybe they do. The monster had lived under the boy’s bed for many years. He listened to the boy playing during the day. He listened to the boy talking in his sleep at night. He heard bedtime stories and songs, he heard snoring and snuffling, and he loved the boy more and more.

Premise/plot: Told from the perspective of a monster under the bed, the book showcases their misadventures after the boy sees the monster for the first time. 

My thoughts: Never has a book started with so much promise and potential. The opening paragraphs hooked me. Unfortunately, the book's plot was flimsy--at best. Flimsy is the wrong word. It is. Whimsical is a better fit. And I hope a fairer fit. I see 'whimsy' as describing the kind of silly/nonsensical happenings that unfold while you are in a dream state. So long as you are in the dream and going with the flow and not questioning too much exactly what is happening and how it is happening and firming up the details, it makes its own kind of sense. The plot and story details just don't hold up (at least not for me) in an awake state of mind. Now some readers may enjoy venturing into whimsical adventures and praise the imaginative narrative. 

I seem to be in the minority here. It seems that almost all readers on GoodReads rate it FOUR or FIVE stars. 

What matters is not what adult readers think of the book--if they like it or not--but whether kids--the target audience--enjoy reading it. Is it appealing to kids? Do kids find it funny? Do they enjoy it enough to want book two in the series? 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers