This was hilarious. Poor Mo does not want to be a warden nor a monster hunter so sets out to find a way to be true to himself. With wonderful illustrations, this book is brought to life by the interactions between the characters. It is a good reminder of not judging something by its appearance.

A lovely relatable novel for under confident kids and those who feel that they are pushed into doings things they are uncomfortable with and as such are never any good at them.

Mo, or Monday the Sixteenth is a reluctant Warden tasked with protecting the village of Bogfoss from the monsters lurking in the surrounding woods. This is an inherited position that he has never wanted and is certainly not cut out for. Lacking both confidence and ability, Mo's initial attempts at monster hunting are rather humiliating, leading him to the silly idea of venturing into the forbidden forest to prove his worth. There, he stumbles upon Grumpfort, a secret monster fortress facing their own monster: the fearsome Grumpsnatcher is kidnapping its inhabitants. Mo unexpectedly joins forces with a troll, a gnome, and a fire-breathing snotwoggle to confront this menace.

With themes of bravery through self-discovery and friendship, mixed with humour, this makes a great read for upper primary aged children. Perfect for ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ fans.

When the monsters attack the village of Bogfoss, the Wardens are supposed to defend it, and there's a different one for, and named after, every day of the week. But the new Monday? He's hopeless, a wimp, a wet rag who will never match his grandma, who he's inherited the job from. Just his first minutes at work prove that – he's not chosen a weapon before he's bested by some goblins. There's only one thing for it, then – to daringly break the law and enter the forest where all the monsters come from, nab one, and fetch it back as a sign of his bravery. Hard luck then that the monster he meets seems a simpleton and only wants to be best friends with Monday… Even tho it's a Tuesday now, and the monsters' home is beset with monstrous troubles of their own...

This was that rare beast – a book approaching wackiness, that I thought might actually have done more with it. There is a touch of it on display, from the characters and their names to the Warden bestiary measuring every bad critter on the scale of a watermelon. A lot of the artwork features glimpses of monsters in subterranean caverns with pathways to match Piranesi – pathways, I said, not detail – but they're not really doing enough to add wacky world-building.

So it's left to the exuberance of the story to keep these pages turning. It proves to be a legend about finding yourself, how we're all peculiar (at the best of times), and how the pacifist can win against prejudice and misconceptions about the other – fairly standard stuff, but boosted here by the liveliness and the fact there is just a dusting of freshness about proceedings. There probably wasn't enough freshness and brio to make me rush for the author's next, but this was not too bad. I won't be the monster who pretends this is not worth the time, and give it three and a half stars.

When you end up with the last job in the world that you want, what can you do? Because, just as you think that being a Monster Hunter really can't get any worse you are beaten up by a goblin and realise that in order not to become a total laughingstock you must prove yourself.

The problem is, that means venturing into the depths of the forest and doing even *more* things that you don't want to do! And you are about to discover that the situation is even worse than you thought...

Packed with weird creatures and hilarious events, this book is not to be missed! Its charm and humour win it 3.5 stars.

This is a lovely story all about finding who you are and being you. Just because you're not the 'best' warden, doesn't mean you can't be a good one. Being true to you and not trying to confirm to stereotypes will always win in the end. You might even find that along the way you help people AND make new friends. I loved this story and there were so many wonderful characters that I couldn't put it down.