Letters to a Monster

Here’s how this book opens: it is a dark and stormy night with a determined looking girl tucked in bed whilst her window is battered with rain. Sophie is writing a letter which begins, ‘Dear Monster, leave now or I will call the Monster police’. So follows a whole book full of letter writing between Sophie and the Monster which turn from threatening to hilarious and eventually to a lasting friendship. Written by the Irish Children’s Laureate it is a heart-warming tale of facing up to dreams (nightmares?) of the Monster, visiting cousins in the deep dark woods, fishing for stars in the river and chasing Zingabobs through the trees. Monster always replies instantly to Sophie’s letters and as the correspondence grows ever more imaginative readers can study the pictures to realise just what Monster is facing as he braves the world. But how will they jointly tackle the gorilla police? This hilarious tale with the unexpected friendship of Sophie and the Monster will perhaps be a spark for young letter writers? Illustrated with just the right amount of scare and delight, there’s lots to intrigue readers in the illustrations on subsequent reads.