Monster Club: Heroes for Hire is the story of three kids who go out on grand adventures without ever leaving their hometown. This is possible because in the world of the book’s setting, monsters are real and they are, at least recently, everywhere. Monsters are so prominent, in fact, that there’s an app for that. Clients who need monsters removed can call adventurers to their aid as easily as calling a rideshare. Who could be better at hunting the low-level hometown menaces than an expert in monster knowledge – Karim, a cool-headed quick thinker – Spike, and the mound of muscle – Tommy? These three set off to rid the neighborhood of monsters while earning money for summer “Adventure Camp”, which is a place where they can hone their monster-hunting skills.

Gavin Brown uses monsters in this kids’ book in a way that is refreshingly childlike. He doesn’t try to make the monsters scary like in adult books but simply tones them down a little to be suitable for kids. Instead, he makes the monsters menacing in ways that kids will identify with. Some are mischievous, some are sneaky thieves, some are destructive of property, and yes, some of them bite and breathe fire. The monsters are scary enough to be threatening, but they are whimsical enough to be entertaining without being vicious or frightening. This is expertly done, and children should find the monster hunts entertaining and great fun.

The various characters and personalities that are given to the monsters make them a charming background for the focus of the book’s story, which is the protagonist children. Young readers are likely to find one or more of the characters who they identify with. Karim is smart, obsessed with one topic (monsters and the adventurers who hunt them), and has loving if somewhat over-protective parents. Spike is clever in a common-sense way, tenacious, and a born leader, though she struggles with internal conflicts stemming from her parents’ divorce which is recent enough to still hurt. Tommy is a fun guy who loves physical fitness and makes up for what he lacks in book learning and academics by being the strongest, toughest guy around. This main core of characters cares very much for each other and, whether they show it or try to hide it, also care very much about their families. These children end up in some tense moments and in some situations where ethical decisions have to be made, and they display a strong moral compass and selflessness where many adults in similar situations would likely falter or take an easy way out.

This book is an adventure, one that kids will enjoy. The element of strong characters and the heartfelt love of family that is woven through the book make it a magical sword-cut above other real-world adventure stories.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  One religious exclamation.

Violence/Gore:  A few characters are (temporarily) turned to stone; a few instances of minor property damage; characters are knocked over; a few verbal threats; a few reports characters bitten by monsters; report of a child punching another; characters are grabbed and squeezed by monsters; a fight with monsters involving kicks, bites, and acid attacks none of which are serious or graphic; adults handle kids roughly using wrestling techniques while attempting to kidnap them; in a video of the past, a monster is stabbed in the head and a character is badly wounded but with little blood described; a fight with a monster in which the monster is badly wounded and a character receives burns that are bad but not life-threatening; characters are in tense scenes with monsters hunting or chasing them without injury a few times; adults set a trap for children which has the potential to kill them; a building collapses.

Sex/Nudity:  Kids are caught “smooching” in the hall; report of a boy having a crush on a girl; report of kids passing love letters to each other.

Mature Subject Matter:

Theft (a child steals from his parents); divorce of parents (a major theme); corporate corruption; extortion; living with physical disability.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None