Imaginative.
Exciting.
Oh, and did I mention hilarious?
These are the words that spring to mind when I think of how to describe Matt Herring’s completely unique ‘Monkey See…Sea Monkey’ book. This entertaining story is told from the author’s point of view as a ten-year old in the summer of 1979, when his little hometown of Broad Brook, CT, faces a diabolical attack by an unexpected enemy: sea monkeys. Rather than being the barely-visible specks I remember having as a kid, these sea monkeys are human-sized, and have an evil plan to take over. The story is chock-full of references to 70’s nostalgia (including x-ray vision glasses, Magic 8 Balls and the game Mousetrap) which brought back a flood of memories for me. But even younger readers will appreciate all the nifty descriptions and pictures of 70’s memorabilia that are spread throughout the book, as well as the cool sea monkeys artwork featured at the beginning of each chapter.
What I liked most about this book was the great narrative voice of the child hero, Matt. The author does an excellent job of conveying the wonder and innocence of childhood, and he makes the reader root for the child Matt as he finds bravery in the face of fear. All of this is laced with a brilliant humor that literally had me laughing out loud regularly.
'Monkey See…Sea Monkey' is imaginative, engaging and unique, and offers great entertainment for both children and adults. Go read it!
Maria Carvalho is the writer of HAMSTER IN SPACE as well as one groovy lady! She can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mariafreycarvalho/info?tab=page_info
Maria Carvalho is a multi-genre writer who lives in Connecticut with her DIY husband, their young sports-fanatic son, and two very pampered pet fish. Her short story 'A Flying Leap' appears in the anthology 'Losing the Map' and relays the story of a woman who is terrified of flying but must get on a plane for the first time. Mrs. Carvalho's children's book, 'Hamster in Space!', was inspired by her experiences reading to her son's elementary school class, where she found that fun, action-packed, rhyming stories worked best to capture and hold the class's attention. The author enjoys visiting schools and libraries where she reads to children, answers their questions, and discusses what goes into creating a book.