Saturday Short-Story Review: Bigfoot (Mysterious Monsters #1) by David Michael Slater

Hello Book Lovers! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Today’s short story review is on Bigfoot first in Mysterious Monsters series by David Michael Slater.

Publication Date: July 5th 2017

Publisher: Incorgnito Publishing Press

Read Date: March 3rd 2018

Genre: Children’s Fiction / Mystery

Pages: 78

Stars: 5/5

The Mattigan kids don’t believe in things that go bump in the night. After all, their dad is famous for proving such things are impossible. But, when their long-lost Grandpa Joe shows up with his Mysterious Monsters journal, begging for help, the siblings find themselves drawn into a search for Bigfoot. 

Along the way, they’ll have to deal with meddling babysitters, suspicious psychics, a YouTube disaster, and their furious father. To solve this mystery, Maddie, Max, and Theo must rethink what’s possible — and make lots of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Bigfoot is first in Mysterious Monster series. It is the story of three little Mattigans who like their father never believed in any fantasies or monsters but when they meet their grandfather they were giving their beliefs a second thought. Story was about betrayal, revenge, and importance of family with many teachable moments.

So let’s meet Mattigans.

Maddie– 12 year old big sister, who loves to be in charge. Since their mother disappeared 2 years back, she was mom for her two little brothers. She was smart and very responsible sister. I liked how she handled her brothers without ever in forceful rude manner.

Max– 10 old middle Mattigan, wannabe spy who roams the house and goes everywhere with his spy-nocular. His ‘Ah-haa’s were funny and loved his few witty remarks for his little brother.

Theo– 8-year-old youngest Mattigan who never goes anywhere without his peanut butter banana sandwich. He was such a cute little Mattigan who was also odd one as he was the only one in the family interested in fantasies and fairy tales specifically Hensel and Gretel. Little trouble maker when saw Grandpa Joe’s journal, he was so desperate to go on finding monster that, he set out without waiting for his siblings. You can see his fascination at this part of the story. Though he was reckless he was smart kid. His ‘Humph’s were also adorable.

What a story teller and mesmerizing narration! It had a feeling like we are hearing the story from magical story teller. Introductory chapter of book was cool which gave the summary of the book, telling what you would expect from the book. I liked that illustrations were provided only where it required, not like every page illustrated. They were all logical and beautiful. It was easy to follow for children keeping them on the edge till they finish the story.

I loved the introduction chapter of all Mattigans with all minute detail that you can visualize all of them even before you see them in illustrations. They were smart, sensitive and can handle anything on their own. Though they were young and innocent looking, they showed a bit of maturity in them. Their thoughts and actions were so adorable that can make anyone fall in love with them. Loved their confession and how they showed love for their father at the end.

As I said before, there were many teachable moments like- not to go around places without your siblings and adults, not to trust anyone easily, taking care of your family and understanding their feelings, and last but not least always keep a reserve of emergency ‘peanut butter banana sandwich’.

There were surprising shocking twist and turns. It was a great mystery to explore for young readers. I loved the end of the book especially the discussion question to ponder on who the actual monster was in the story also with a hidden message that there are many monsters out there in the world than those we read in the books and fantasies. I’m sure parents and teachers would love to read this story to their kids and discuss the question with them.

This was my first book by this author and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I would happily read the next books of this series.

Overall, it was brilliant cute mystery with a touch of fantasy and remarkable characters that every child would love. I recommend this book to all kids, parents, and school libraries.

Author: David Michael Slater

About the Author:

David Michael Slater is an acclaimed author of books for children, teens, and adults. His work for children includes the picture books Cheese Louise!, The Bored Book, The Boy & the Book, and Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus, the early chapter book series, Mysterious Monsters, and the teen series, Forbidden Books. His work for adults includes the hilarious comic-drama, Fun & Games, which The New York Review of Books called “Hilarious,” and the forthcoming non-fiction title, 25 Ideas in Education That Just Don’t Work — And How to Fix Them. David teaches middle school in Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son. You can learn more about David and his work at www.davidmichaelslater.com.

Illustrator: Mauro Sorghienti

Buy Here: Amazon.com / Amazon.in

*** Note: I received review copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to publisher, author, and NetGalley. ***

What do you think about the book and my review? Have you read this book already or any book by this author? Have you read something similar to this before? Share your thoughts in comment-box below.