*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Max and Peregrine are volunteering at an old people’s home, when strange things start to happen: one resident is walking on the ceiling; one is riding their wheelchair through walls; and Reggie says his marmalade is haunted (although no one listens). Can Max and his friends work out what’s happening to protect his family and the local community? Things aren’t looking good – the Marmalade Ghost is turning into a gloopy Godzilla, Max falls out with his (joint) best friend, and then, just when it can’t get any worse, someone kidnaps Max’s cat, Frankenstein… will they meet a sticky end?
Time to ‘Protect and Do Good Stuff!’
I said this last time, but… we LOVE Monster Max!
This is the second Monster Max book – the first was Monster Max and the Bobble Hat of Forgetting – and we recommend reading the first one first, as it sets the initial relationship between Max and Peregrine, and the background behind Max’s family history with Krit and his very unusual house. Plus, it is just as super-funny as this one!
We all – but especially Minishine (9) and BabyBows (6) – have been eagerly anticipating Max’s return and are glad to say that he did not disappoint in the slightest. This adventure is just as action-packed, silly and laugh-uproariously-funny as before. In fact, we all felt it was even better, as we already knew the main characters and their *ahem* little quirks (Peregrine’s genius inventions with their rude acronyms; Max burping and sneezing his way from hairy to nuddy and back again). The kids adore the slightly toilet, slightly slapstick humour, and us adults appreciated the subtler quips along the way.
The book is middle-grade reading level, so ideal for Minishine to read independently or for reading together as a family… BabyBows has been utterly absorbed with Max’s adventures since he was five, with no squirming or fidgeting, and lots of giggling. And as the main bedtime performer for this series, I have the MOST fun doing the different voices for the characters!
Here is what the main audience had to say about it:
Minishine (MS, 9): It is really good and funny! I like all the characters—
BabyBows (BB, 6): —No! Not Fanghorn, ‘cos he’s really scary, especially at the end! And I was sad when the day centre had to be shut because then all the people had nowhere to go. What happens next though? When can we read the next one?!
MS: Yes! When is Book 3 coming out?! I love this series! The books are very imaginating!
BB: I love Timmy, and I like it when Max breaks a window. I didn’t like it when Max and Peregrine weren’t friends any more though. Max should just do what he said he was going to do and then they could be friends.
MS: I like how the characters are all different and unique.
BB: It’s funny, and a bad guy becomes a good guy and an arch-enemy becomes a best friend.
MS: Read this book! If you don’t believe us that it’s funny, read it for yourself and it will be your favourite book. And it’s written very well, as well.
BB: Yeah! And Peregrine’s BUM is funny too!!!
As you can see, we found plenty to enthuse about here, and Minishine adores this series so much that she has taken the books in to school to try to persuade all her classmates they need to read it too.
Like she said: read it – it will be your favourite book!
‘Well, that went well,’ said Peregrine as they wandered home, after they had said goodbye to Reg and thanked him for tea.
– Robin Bennett, Monster Max and the Marmalade Ghost
‘Hmm,’ said Max.
‘You’re not still annoyed about making you carry all the shopping bags?’
‘Nope,’ said Max (who was a bit). But mainly he was wondering if they would get something more interesting to do than carrying shopping bags – you didn’t need to be a monster for that.
At that moment, the hair stood up on the back of his neck again, just as they passed the same bins as before. He still couldn’t see anything obviously dangerous, so he shrugged and they turned to cut across the park.
‘It’s probably nothing,’ he said to no one in particular. But it was a bit weird: his Monster Danger Sense didn’t normally make mistakes.
Behind the boys’ backs, a lid lifted on a wheelie bin at the corner of the street. A pair of black eyes blinked in the darkness, watching as Max and Peregrine headed home.
‘Gotcha!’ rasped a scratchy voice, as long bony fingers stroked a long, bony chin.
Find more from Robin Bennett at his website here, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Monster Max and the Marmalade Ghost is available on Amazon right now.
Don’t forget to stop by the other blogs on this tour (see the poster below for details) for more great content and reviews!
Bookshine And Readbows 