SYNOPSIS:
The Monstrous Me series is a split perspective book looking at situations from another point of view to help children develop a sense of balance, roundedness and wellbeing.
Readers can literally and figuratively, turn the story on its head, and look at the very same situations from different angles.
In this book, ‘My Brother is a Monster/My Sister is a Monster’ two siblings are convinced the other is a monster. But, are they really? When we look at the story from the other side, we see a very different story.
My Thoughts:
Natalie Reeves Billing has done it again! I adore The Monstrous Me Collection and have read each one 'My Mummy is a Monster', 'My Daddy is a Monster' and the third in the series is just as enjoyable.
Each book follows the same structure which adds to the excitement and expectation of what's to come. There is the Monstrometer to hunt for on each page, the gorgeous illustrations and of course the quirky flip book that explores the different characters' point of view. If you have read the other books in the series then this is definitely a comforting familiar read where you know you will pour over the illustrations together, enjoy the rhyming couplets and know that things aren't quite as they seem. If this is your first time reading a book from The Monstrous Me Collection then you are in for a real treat.
The book begins outlining the sister's perspective of her brother; he is messy and rude. When you get to the centre pages you need to flip the book to read the second half of the book titled My Sister is a Monster. Here you hear the brother's perspective of the same story. I love the concept behind the book and the powerful message it is portraying, that there are two sides to every story and that we cannot always see things objectively. I'm sure every child with a sibling will be able to relate to this book; how annoying their brother or sister can be but also find things that are endearing or nice about one another. This book highlights this so well.
Once again, Natalie Reeves Billing uses everyday situations, such as, dinner time, school, tidy up time and bed time which every child can relate to. This helps provoke empathy towards the characters and allows them to reflect upon their own lives.
Madison's Thoughts (aged 8):
I was so excited when I saw this book as I loved reading the other books in the series. I thought it was a very funny story and because I have read the other books I knew that the things that the children were saying about each other wasn't necessarily going to be the truth. I loved it when we got to the middle pages and are told to close the book and flip it over.
I love the pictures and finding the 'monstrometer' on each page, this is always so much fun. I think this book would be really good for children aged 4-8 and I can't wait to share it with my cousin who is younger than me.
Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to join My Brother is a Monster blog tour and to Natalie Reeves Billing for keeping us thoroughly entertained with yet another fantastic tale from The Monstrous Me Collection.
About The Author:
Natalie Reeves Billing is a Liverpool lass with a dark sense of humour, which often spills onto the page. She loves to write spooky, fantastical stories for young audiences, and dabbles in poetry, contemporary fiction.
Natalie spent most of her early career in the music industry as a performer and professional songwriter. This lead, almost inevitably, to storytelling. Natalie is an Arvon Foundation friend and is a student of the Golden Egg Academy. She is mentored under the Lloyds Bank SSE program, with her Bubs Literacy project. She is published in several anthologies with her poetry and flash fiction, including the Writing on the Wall, Read Now, Write Now, and is involved in several collaborations with fellow writers across poetry, song, and scriptwriting.
Connect with Natalie on Twitter @BillingReeves.