This story starts out good and I understand why it is written the way it is, but it seems unfinished.  Why do the other kids ignore or not like the protagonist?  What happens after the girl is accepted by the monsters?  What do the other kids do after seeing this?  The story just stops.  While I get that is probably what the author was looking for to make a point about acceptance of yourself and others who are different, it just felt unsatisfying.  How did the other kids change because of what happened?  Plus this is a world where monsters and grey humans live together, so much could have been expanded upon in this book.  I think it is a great idea, it just needs more to make it a great story.

A cute story about a young girl who learns that she doesn't need to be like everyone else in order to have friends. Since the book is targeted for early elementary readers, illustrations would be nice.

* spoiler alert ** I chose this book because I loved the wonderful cover. It was a book for early chapter readers and it was easy enough for a 1st grader to read. I didn't love this book. I wish some illustrations had been added because the story fell flat and felt too simplistic- even for the target audience. 
Additionally, I felt that the message about bullying was a little inappropriate. I get that a bullied child should seek to find a place where he or she fits in; however, it is not OK to distance yourself from the people you don't like. It is not a realistic solution. To me the message indicated that it was acceptable to disobey school rules and do your own thing. I kind of wished that the monsters had helped Sophie gained confidence and stand up to the bullies.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.
This is a really good book for children who are just starting out on chapter books. Most chapters are only a page long.
This felt a bit unfinished to me. But the story was good. It was an emotional topic but since Bullying is a major issue these days and it needs to be talked about more. Thats what this book does. Its awful that it happens but im glad there are the monsters in her life that make it a bit better for her. I would have liked to read more about them.

Shy nonconformist Sophie would rather be playing with the monsters from the school that shares a playground with hers than deal with her mean classmates and misunderstanding teachers.
First and foremost, this isn’t a typical children’s book; there’s no artwork or photos, it’s all written (Though there are monsters drawn on the cover). This story would have benefitted from visuals, considering all the monsters an artist would have enjoyed inventing.
As it stands, Sophie breaks rules and lies to go play with the monsters, which isn’t surprising, considering they’re a far better lot than the human girls. Still, I’m not sure parents will appreciate the lengths this author has her going to.

This story has potential as a teaching tool . . . but it's not "there" yet. 
The only illustration is on the cover. These are several very short chapters. The plot? A plain little girl--if she's a girl or some type of creature, it's not clear--at Grey Stone school longs to fit in and be accepted by her drab, grey classmates, who either bully or ignore her. The only place she finds solace is when she escapes to the school yard, which is shared by colorful monsters from another school. We'll pass on this one.

I quite enjoyed this quick kids read. First, the negative. I felt like the ending was cute but felt that it could have been taken a bit farther. I would have loved to see all of the kids, monsters and humans alike, get along together and learn the same lessons that Sophie did. Now for the good. I'm glad the main character at least learned that being different isn't bad, it's good. Being different made her faster friends with the monsters and that's a great lesson for kids and adults alike. Overall, I definitely liked the book and would recommend it to anyone, especially grade school aged kids.

This book is about a young girl named Sophie. She is bullied by her classmates for having red hair and her teacher doesn't make the effort to stop it. Everyhing changes when she meets a monster called Zaragilda.
For me the plot line was ok. I did not gave it 4 starts because I think teachers would never let kids bully other kids. Because of this, kids may think it isn't safe to talk about bullying to teachers.

I did enjoy this book but some of the bullying aspects I didn't enjoy - 'The Monster at Recess' as it is a lovely story about friendship and embracing imperfections and flaws in others.  In the story, Sophie is made to feel alienated by her classmates as she has red hair, no-one helps her and her teacher ignores the comments and bullying.  Luckily everything changes when she meets a monster called Zaragilda and things improve for her.  I can only give this book three stars, I did initially look at 2 as I don't think any book should portray a teacher who doesn't condone bullying but the rest of the story is ok.

I liked this book! I thin middle grade school kids would appreciate it, too. It's a good story about being the individual you are rather than trying like everybody else. Be yourself! it's so much more fun and original!

This is a short story about a girl who does not fit in at her school, even though she dyed her natural red hair to be brown and the same as all the other girls. The school she goes to is all about browns and greys, but there is another school next door that has what people call monsters, people of all sorts of colors and shapes. 

Both schools share the same recess, but go at different times, because the "normal" people are told the monsters would attack them, are bad...etc.

I thought this was a nice little story. I wish it was part of a bigger book. I am glad Sophie finds her place in the end and makes a friend.

The book has an intriguing concept: a girl who is bullied and left out makes friends with the monsters who share her school's playground. The bare bones of the story are even there. The reality, though, is that this book is rushed. The reader is dropped into the middle of a world with enormous amounts of potential and no real time spent building it. It is not even clear what age the students are. The hook of the story--the monsters who share a playground with Sophie's school--are under-utilized. Also, the main character seems a bit one-dimensional and plays very little part in making the changes in her life--most of what occurs in the book happens to her instead of because of her. 

As a parent, I find it concerning that the teacher not only doesn't notice the bullying (which I would have been able to accept), but she is also harsh and mean to Sophie. While I can believe that teachers like this exist somewhere, I don't want my children to think that is what they will face with bullying. I also don't like the fact that Sophie's world is improved through stealing, lying, and skipping classes. 

Again, this book has a great premise and has potential for being something that could truly help children process and deal with bullying. Sadly, it does not fulfill the promise at this time.

'The Monster at Recess' centres around a young girl named Sophie. She has beautiful red hair which makes her feel as though she is different from everyone else in her class. She suffers jibes from classmates because of this and she feels she can't fit in. To make matters worse, her teacher makes no attempt to stop it. However, everything changes when she meets a monster called Zaragilda. What follows is a wonderful story for children of friendship and embracing a person's differences.

This book shows how children often feel left out and driven away from their peers. The main character, Sophie, is very anxious and worried about being accepted. She has color in a world full of grey and everybody treats her differently because of it. But there's another world just out of reach. Of monsters who are bright and colorful who just might accept her for who she is.
I love that this book shows that no matter who you are or where you are from, you can fit in somewhere. Being different is okay. It's a great message to give to children. 
The main downside to this book, is it feels a bit unrefined. While reading it, I felt as if I was being told everything that was happening instead of showing it. With a little bit of work I feel like this could have a lot of potential, and would definitely be something I'd be interested in reading to my little sister one day!

The Monster at Recess has an inviting bright and cheerful cover featuring a cute, diverse assortment of monsters that capture your imagination before you even read the blurb. Shira Potter has written an uplifting book that will resonate with young girls, especially those who don't feel like they belong. 

Sophie attends Grey Stone Day School. The monsters at Monstamasta Day School share the same playground as the students at Sophie's school but have recess at a different time, as girls at Grey Stone aren't supposed to talk to the monsters. Sophie's school is filled with drab grey and black, and she's envious of the various monster colours. 

Sophie doesn't fit in at her school, even after she convinces her mother to dye her naturally red hair brown to match the other girls. She is bullied, ignored and gossiped about. When Sophie meets Zaragilda, a purplish pink monster with red stars on her face, she finds a new friend and discovers that being different isn't so bad after all.

The messages about making judgements about other people based on their looks and reputation, the constraints of conformity versus the freedom of being yourself, the damaging effects on self esteem of bullying, and having the courage to go against the grain are vital and made clear to the reader. 

I appreciated the positivity and hope found in this book, and the encouragement to be yourself. One of my favourite things about this book was learning that it was the bullies who were the real monsters, not the colourful monsters the girls were taught to fear. I want this book to find its way into homes, libraries and schools, and into the hands of lots of young girls, particularly those who have experienced bullying or feel different from their peers.

I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you very much to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

At A Glance:

age range: 1st-3rd graders

Pros:
Easy to read text
great premise
spunky main character

Cons:
I wish there was more description of how drab the school is, to juxtapose the monster school.

I loved the idea of the monsters being the friendly characters and the humans being the bullies to the main character. I think that this book could be a jumping off point for a few important discussions with children. 1st, we shouldn't judge people--give everyone a chance- you might just make a new friend. 2nd, there's all sorts of bullying--ignoring, saying mean things, gossiping. 3rd, it's ok to be different.

 I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the monsters. They seem really fun.

My only critique would be that the monsters are all described in such colorful detail, it would have been fun to read a bit more on how dull and drab Sophie's school was.