Monster hunting for beginners by Ian Mark

This magical book is about a boy (Jack) who is tricked into becoming a monster hunter. He has always wanted an adventure, and he has now been thrown into the deep end.  To look at Jack you wouldn’t think he could make it as a monster hunter, what with being short, skinny and a kid who wears glasses and clumsy. He has believed in monsters all his life because his mum used to tell him stories about all the monsters that she encountered around the world.

With his father missing and his house destroyed, and an ogre lying dead in his yard, Jack doesn’t think he has anything to lose, or a choice – he was tricked after all! He finds himself heading off to Cornwall with Stoop, a 200-year-old monster hunter, where more ogres are causing chaos.

All he is equipped with is his catapult, and a magical book called Monster Hunting for Beginners, and Stoop of course. This is his chance to prove that he can do anything. But he wonders about this along the way. The problem gets bigger by the minute. He meets another monster hunter, Nancy, and together they face the adventures. The thought of finding his dad helps. He learns many things about ogres and monsters along the way, not always very pleasant! Jack always dreamed of seeing a dragon, but not believing it when he does.

Jack, Nancy and Stoop meet the ogre king, who has been woken up from his snooze of more than one hundred years’, and not very happy about it either! And the other ogres learn a few lessons themselves!

Does Jack find what he is looking for? Well, you will have to read the book for yourself! A great book I found hard to put down.

Themes: Magic, Adventure.

Natalie Fisher