The Monster Maker (Solve Your Own Mystery 1)

THE MONSTER MAKER is the first book in the Solve Your Own Mystery series, a kids mystery series where you are one of the detectives working on the case. Through a choose-your-own-adventure style narrative structure, kids are able to choose what actions they want to take and who they want to question.

The setting for this book made it a lot more wacky and fun than other mystery books. It’s set in the town of Haventry, but you work on the shady side of the town. The side that has vampires and witches, you even have a yeti boss. The addition of monsters and supernatural creatures allows for more possibilities with the mystery while also just providing a lot of fun and jokes. It even plays into one of the endings in a heartwarming way. Also, there are puns, references, and word play in this book as well. They might go over some kids’ heads, but parents might enjoy their additions.

The mystery itself is fairly well crafted. It’s not an overly complicated mystery, especially since this book is meant for 8–12-year-olds, but it does have multiple suspects who would all have a reason to want to steal the Monster Maker. There are also no dead ends in this book; each piece of the story either leads to an ending or to another piece that will lead to an ending. For a mystery aimed at kids, that is a solid way of having the story flow. And I found that it didn’t really interrupt the story to have it happen that way either. The story continued to flow well, and the pieces connected very cleanly.

There are images scattered throughout this book and they are fantastic. It allows the chapters to feel a bit shorter, and it provides images so that readers can connect what is happening on page with the images. A bonus that wasn’t necessary but definitely added to the story.

The length of the chapters in this book is one of its highlights. None of the chapters are very long, though some are definitely longer than others, which could make this book a great bedtime story or book to read with kids when getting ready in the morning. Small snippets of a story that ends with the kids having to make a decision on which path to follow.

THE MONSTER MAKER is a fun book that puts the reader in the spot of the detective as they try to solve the mystery of the missing Monster Maker. With a vibrant cast of characters, beautiful illustrations, and no wrong choices; this story is a great choice for children looking for a mystery.

What worked:
These kinds of books allow young readers to control their reading experiences. The narrative asks them to make decisions as the story unfolds, and their choices direct them to different pages. This book indicates there are three possible endings, but there are many alternate pathways to arrive. The book's format allows, even encourages, readers to reread the story while making different decisions. Every few pages offer choices, creating frequent breaks for young readers needing to stop. Reluctant readers also feel like they’re making visible progress at these spots without getting overwhelmed by the book’s length. Skipping to other pages makes young readers feel good. Humor is another attractive asset, along with the black and white illustrations in each chapter.
This particular mystery describes the theft of a monster-making machine, and readers are Detective Klaus Solstaag’s assistant. Klaus is a large yeti, and the client, Dr. Franklefink, is the only human in the story. Monsters don’t trust humans or bald characters. The theft occurred when the doctor held a birthday party for his son, whom he had created nine years ago. The primary suspects are the parents of the kids attending the party, although Franklefink is convinced that a bald vampire must have done it. Klaus knows he can’t dismiss any suspects and must follow clues to identify the guilty party.
What didn’t work as well:
The story doesn’t end once a guilty person is identified. More information leads to further reading until the monster maker is finally retrieved. This situation isn’t necessarily bad, but it moves the plot further along than readers may anticipate. Also, there’s not a great deal of character development and story description, but that’s to be expected in this type of book.
The final verdict:
These kinds of books are fun to read, since the format is so different. Young or reluctant readers aren’t used to skipping pages, but making choices is empowering. Overall, I recommend you try this book for yourself.