This was a fun read! I think kids 5th grade and up will enjoy the ride! Lots of crypto-creatures the kids have heard about populate the pages, the the perk of discussing bullying and great characters. Everyone wheres a mask in public, maybe this book will encourage people to lower their masks and be themselves a bit! Good story, holds your attention.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

The Monsterjunkie family moved to New England in 1913 and brought their love of exotic and endangered animals with them. Talon Monsterjunkie is a cryptozoologist, following in the footsteps of his dad and grandpa. Crow and Indigo Monsterjunkie have always been reserved, helping keep their family’s secrets and thus not getting too close to their schoolmates. However, they are ready for this to change and start making friends and inviting them to discover the secrets of the Monsterjunkies’ mansion and estate.

This book is the first in a series and seems like the target audience would be middle schoolers, based on the reading level and the lesson to do what is right regardless of what others do. The creatures described in the book were definitely my favorite part of the story. The story seemed like it jumped around a lot at the beginning, but the story converged after that. I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

Boy would I love to be involved in a zoo like the Monsterjunkie compound. To see and touch such creatures would be amazing. I liked how Shein is trying to deal with bullying and tolerance but was disappointed in the way the book ended. I certainly hope that there's a sequel coming soon.