Hey That’s My Monster!

Hey That’s My Monster!
Lexile Level: AD490

            This story is about a kid missing the monster under his bed. The monster, Gabe, left the boy a note saying that he has to go scare other kids. The kids monster went to his sisters Emma’s room to try to scare her to going to bed. The kid makes a deal with the monster, he says that if he can find the perfect monster for his sister then Gabe has to go back to their room. Gabe agrees to this deal. The kid tries three different monsters, but none of them scare Emma. Gabe says that he has to stay to scare Emma. That’s when Gabe’s sister Stella appears. Stella has the hiccups which scare Emma right into bed. They found the perfect monster to keep Emma in bed. Gabe returns to the main character’s bedroom to continue to scare him to sleep.
Is this a good story?
            I think this is a great story for kids to read. It is a fictional story, but the story has a lot of great details in it, and it is written and illustrated in a really cute way. I think kids will enjoy reading this book or listening to the online version.
Did the main character overcome the problem? Did it seem natural?
            The main character did overcome the problem of finding the perfect monster for Emma. However, he did not really do anything to find the monster. Stella appeared to give Gabe his lunch. The problem was solved; however, the main character did not solve the problem.Is this story something that I think could happen? Is the plot believable?
The story is a fictional story, that is not realistic. There are no such things as monsters, and the monsters are personified in this book. This book is just a fairytale story.
Did the language throughout the book sound natural? When I read the book aloud did the characters’ sound like people talking?
            The dialogue in the book is very realistic. The kid talks to his little sister, just like any big brother would. The kid is also very possessive over what is his and he does not want to share his monster. I think this makes the dialogue even more believable because it sounds like a kid talking.
            The author uses personification. She uses this by making the monsters talk, or write notes. The author also uses onomatopoeia, like when Emma needs to knock on the floor the book says, “knock knock”. Lastly the author includes similes like, “she hopped over the tentacle like jump ropes”.
            The illustrations in this book are very detailed. They are also very creative in showing what each monster looks like. I think the details in the illustrations really help the reader visualize these monsters.
            A mini lesson I would do with my students is have them create or draw their own monster, and then write details about that monster. I would have them write how they sound, look, smell and feel.

Citation:
Noll, A. McWilliam, H. 2016. Hey That’s My Monster!. Flashlight.

 Found at:
http://www.storylineonline.net/hey-thats-monster/