Review of 'I Was a Seventh Grade Monster Hunter'

Review: I WAS A SEVENTH GRADE MONSTER HUNTER (Tarkus Press 2011)
Author: A.G. Kent

Well, this book starts right out on a boat in a stormy sea with a kid named Hannah, who watches in horror as a beast rises up and a madman chants. And magic is involved and Hannah has a bow and arrow and it's going to be up to her to save the day, so to speak. So she places the arrow in the bow, draws a bead and releases it ... but first ...

There's this whole story about how she got there.

See, Hannah is a seventh grader (well, duh!) whose grandfather gave her a bunch of charms and a computer file (yes, a computer file, not a leatherbound tome -- this is the 21st century, people) of incantations and magic stuff in general. With these charms and incantations, Hannah rustles up some monsters. Or are they friends? They seem nice enough. You wouldn't think a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy or a Frankenstein-like man would be chummy, but there you go.

It might help that Hannah wears her charms and has developed magical powers. Maybe.

Along with all that, Hannah likes this boy at school, but he doesn't seem to notice her. You see, Hannah is different. She dyes her black hair with red streaks, pierces various body parts and isn't like the other kids. She's a bit goth, I guess.

Hannah does all her magic stuff while her parents are away on a cruise. Or so she thinks. It turns out they're not. They're in danger, but I can't say too much about that.

Thing is, it all involves this horrible company that's doing awful things to the environment. Hannah must act to save the day and keep the company from doing its worst for the good of all concerned, which is to say the entire world, basically.

Plus her monster/friends help her. Them and the magical powers.

To say I really loved this book isn't saying enough. I wrote the following about it and meant every word, believe me: "This book combines the thrills of a supernatural parable-cum-adventure tale with the charm of a coming-of-age story. The protagonist, Hannah, is clever and strong, but touchingly vulnerable. I WAS A SEVENTH GRADE MONSTER HUNTER will keep you enthralled until the very end, when you might wonder who the real monsters are."

Anyway, along with having to save the world, Hannah must also decide about the boy who ignores her, until this party she attends where he ... but you should read the book to find that out, okay?