Giants who build houses out of beaked beans. Dragons with handlebars and sidecars. A goose that goes, "Cluck!" A courtroom presided over by Judge I.M.Fair. What kind of place is Monstrovia? Well, it's the place where Brodie Adkins, Jr. winds up spending the summer with his uncle while his mom is in China selling rubber bands for braces to dentists. Brodie has been acting out and getting in trouble ever since his parents divorce, so his mother decides he should stay with his uncle while she is goes out of town on a business trip. It's bad enough when he thinks he will be spending his time with an uncle he has never seen in Key West. But when the plan lands and he is picked up by the cabbie his uncle sent, Brodie finds himself taken to Monstrovia where he is one of the few humans around.
Imagine being surrounded by fictional beings like giants, gnomes, dragons, and characters from stories like Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Jack & Jill, or Little Jack Horner. It turns out that they do exist in this land that not many humans have heard of or visited, and Uncle Jasper Doofinch is a lawyer who specializes in defending these individuals when they are in trouble. Brodie is determined to talk to his mother and get out of this place as soon as possible, even if it means spending the summer in foster care. Against his will, he gets involved in his uncle's latest case - it involves a boy named Jack, a beanstalk, and a murder charge for the death of the giant, Mr. Bulk. Sound a bit familiar?
This is the first in a series about the adventures of Brodie and his uncle as they help out the desperate clients who come to Mr. Doofinch for legal assistance. Be prepared to laugh, groan, and maybe even shiver as they encounter bats, spiders, fire-breathing serpents, and man-eating creatures while trying to see that justice is done. The story is full of fast-paced action, references to storybook characters, and humor of the sort that makes middle grade readers snort out laughter.
Recommended for those who enjoy fairy tale mashups or fractured versions and don't mind a snarky main character who learns a few things and grows up a bit along the way.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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