"He burped.
It was a huge burp: it rattled all the car windows in the dump and echoed off the tower of washing machines.
"Roar!" said Max the Monster, turning around to face two very surprises robbers. "Roaaaaarrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Monster Max and the Bobble Hat of Forgetting by Robin Bennett is a comic tale about a boy who is different.
On the outside, Max is pretty normal, he lives with his parents in a normal terraced house, on an ordinary street in a quiet town. He "does all the boy things", whatever they are, "but sometimes he is a monster who does all the monster things". Max has a special talent, you see, "he can turn himself into a monster whenever he wants - he just has to BURP. And he can turn himself back into a small, grubby boy again just by SNEEZING".
Being a monster could be a great fun, but Max's parents are not always amused with his antics and lecture him on being a responsible person, with an aim in life. They inspire him to use his monster skills to do good stuff, like stopping a vandal from destroying the town, or saving two little girls from the fire.
"His dad was right, he needed to be more responsible. Besides anything else, he did not want to get his parents into trouble. Max was smart enough to know that being different made stuff harder sometimes".
Unfortunately for Max, there's a super smart (and super annoying) kid his age called Peregrine who's intent on catching the monster as he holds him responsible for all the damage in town. Peregrine is a brainy chap who invents gadgets. His latest invention is a Portable Operating Omni Prison or POOP, for short. He is Max's Nemesis, who presents himself as a seeker of the truth and a genius inventor.
Tired of trying to outsmart brainy Peregrine, Max is almost ready to give up on his monster-ness and behave like an ordinary boy, saying that he "can't be hairy ans scary anymore". To which his Mum replies, "No, Max, you must never say that. You have this gift and it's a big part of you. Always, always be yourself, even if it has risks, even if it is very hard sometimes".
Max's Mum knows about it from her own experience, she comes from a distant land where shape-shifting is common. In fact, she still likes to prawl the streets in her wolf-shape.
If Peregrine discovers the truth about his family, Max and his Mum might well end up in the Zoo, or worse. The real culprit should be caught before Peregrine has a chance to catch him.
This is the first book in the series, and as it ends on a cliffhanger, we get a little hint of what new adventures are there to come.
We discovered Robin Bennett's books a couple of years ago. The Hairy Hand is an absolutely brilliant story, quirky and original, rather philosophical and wise. Space Dragons is another magical story, with a clever plotline and intriguing characters. We loved both books very much, and I was curious to see that Robin has written a book for younger audience, aged 6-11.
This book will appeal to the younger children, who relish stories with fart/burping/poo jokes, à la David Walliams. You cannot but root for the eccentric Max and hope he will continue be a neighbourhood hero.
The book has delightful illustrations by Tom Tinn-Disbury. As we received an uncorrected proof, our copy has some missing illustrations, but what we saw, we found fun and wonderfully whimsical. The illustrations complement the story and add an extra comic touch to this magic action adventure.
This magical adventure story is both amusing and captivating.
Many thanks to Robin Bennett and Rachel's Random Resources for our copy of the book!
Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monster-Max-Bobble-Hat-Forgetting-ebook/dp/B088BJLLTM/
US - https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Max-Bobble-Hat-Forgetting-ebook/dp/B088BJLLTM/
https://fireflypress.co.uk/books/monster-max/
Author Bio
Aged 21 Robin was all set to become a cavalry officer; aged 21 and a half, he found himself working as an assistant gravedigger in south London wondering where it all went wrong. Robin has gone on to start and run over a dozen successful businesses from dog- sitting to cigars, tuition to translation. The list is quite exhausting. Robin is married with three young children. He spends his time between Pau in the Pyrenées and Henley-on- Thames.
Monster Max and the Bobble Hat of Forgetting is Robin’s first book with Firefly Press publishing in February 2021. He has also written other books for children, published with Monster Books.
Rampaging Rugby, first in the Stupendous Sports non-fiction series for 7-11-year-olds will publish August 2021.
Follow Robin on Twitter @writer_robin and Instagram @robinbennettauthor/
Giveaway to Win a Monster Max Cuddly Toy (UK Only)
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