Review “The Babysitter’s guide to monster hunting”

Title: The babysitter’s guide to monster hunting | Author: Joe Ballarini | Series: Guide to monsterhunting #1 | Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books | Genre: Middlegrade | 352 pages

I found this book on Scribd because the algorithm recommended it and I have to say that it was absolutely right this time. I read it back in September and I had great fun.

When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. But then Baby Jacob gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman’s minions and Kelly learns there’s a whole lot more to childcare than free snacks and Netflix. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch. Now, with the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitters, Kelly sets out to destroy the Boogeyman before he brings Jacob’s nightmares to life. But when the monsters’ trail leads to her school’s big Halloween bash, Kelly will have to prove she can save the world—without totally embarrassing herself in front of her friends.

I forgot that I still have to write a review for this book. I hope I can still remember enough to give you a proper idea of “The Babysitter’s guide to Monsterhunting”. It has been a few months.

The main thing that I can say about this book is that it was fun. It was great fun. A bit creepy, a bit spooky, a bit thrilling. But mostly fun. I loved following Kelly on her quest to get Jacob back, thrown into a world full of dangers and strangeness, just hiding there in her own right under everybody’s noses.

Kelly is a great protagonist. She’s a bit overconfident and at the same time self-conscious which was an interesting mix. Those two aspects of her personality didn’t really clash as much as you would think they would but it worked. It was great to see her grow, to become more humble but also braver at the same time. I loved that.
I also loved the other babysitters who were a wonderful diverse cast of weirdos and misfits who had their own strengths and talents.

The story is fast-paced and changes locations kind of quickly but that was not a real issue.
It did however show that the author was trained as a screenwriter and has more experience doing just that. While reading I often thought that some of the scenes might have worked amazing on screen but were a bit much or confusing in writing.
(I have since watched the Netflix adaptation of the book which was nice but kinda disappointing after reading the book that would have made a great movie. They toned down the creepiness and the stakes were also lowered somehow, so in the end I was not really satisfied.)

Still, it was a funny and entertaining book with a good storyline and great atmosphere. It had amazing worldbuilding and creepy foes and great characters all around. I loved the imagination that poured off the pages. I enjoyed reading this book a lot and I will definitely continue the series.

My Rating:

Have you read this book? Or have I actually convinced you to read it?