A Practical Guide to Monsters    by Nina Hess Order:  USA  Can Mirrorstone, 2007 (2007) Hardcover     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto A Practical Guide to Monsters is a fun book for kids who ever wish to fight or evade mythical beasts. It's set up like a textbook (complete with notes in the margins) for apprentice wizards. Each monster is depicted with a chart of vital stats and a few paragraphs of description – everything a monster hunter would need to help them on their quests. The full-color illustrations give a good idea of what the actual monster looks like, and the variety of fonts used help create the feel of a real book in the fantasy realm. I am not sure where all these monsters have come from as I have not heard of over half of them, so cannot say if these facts are actually correct. I do know that the two creatures based on Greek mythology did not quite match up with their originals - something that kids interested in Greek mythology will pick up on, but other might not. However, the other creatures that I knew something about did seem to be accurate. Whether the facts are totally true or not, A Practical Guide to Monsters is a fun read for any kid interested in the topic. There is even a quiz at the end to see how well the apprentice was paying attention, just like in a real textbook. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews