Four Violet Reviews: Monster Mayhem ~ REVIEW

I have another fabulous book by Christopher Eliopoulos. Kaden really enjoyed this book, even more so because it is a graphic novel and the main character is a Science enthusiast. If you have a reluctant reader, head out and give this a shot. Zoe is a bright, sweet girl that learns some pretty important lessons during some trial and error with her newly designed Robot friend. She is on a quest that teaches her the importance of friendship, oh and there are a few monster too. Kaden said this book has a powerful message on friendship and that because of his Autism, he sometimes feels the way Zoe does in the book. He connected to her and I appreciate when books do this! :)
Down at the bottom of my post I have our favorite Monster Cookie recipe....give it a try!!!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

In this funny, action-packed graphic novel adventure, a science-obsessed girl finds herself in the middle of one of her favorite monster movies. Can she invent her way out of disaster while also saving the monster who has become her friend?

Zoe's favorite thing to do--besides invent and build robots--is watch classic monster movies. She has never been comfortable with kids her own age, and so she pretends she doesn't need friends while inside she's longing for connection. And then one day, Zoe finds a mysterious ring on her way home from school. She puts it on, gives it a twist, and--FRZAAKK! There's a massive burst of light! The next morning, a familiar monster appears at Zoe's window. He's from one of her favorite kaiju movies, and he likes Zoe--he wants to be her friend. Has her secret wish been fulfilled? But it turns out that Zoe's ring has brought more than just this friendly monster to life. More monsters have arrived, and they are hungry! Now she'll need to reach out to other people to help her save her town from destruction. Good thing she's a robotics genius!

AUTHOR BIO:

Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career at Marvel Comics, and has worked on thousands of comics, including Cosmic Commandos, Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, and Cow Boy, all of which he wrote and illustrated. He is also the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Ordinary People Change the World series. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons (when they're home from college).

Monster Cookies!!!!

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M candies

Instructions for Baking

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M candies by hand.
Measure out ¼ cup balls of dough and place them on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown and the top still looks slightly undercooked. (This is the key to perfection)
Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.