Attack of the Shadow Smashers product reviews

Even though this is the third book in the Notebook of Doom series, it's the first book that my son and I have read from the series. It worked well as a stand alone book and we had no problems understanding what was going on.

The books are about a young boy and his two friends who make up the Super Secret Monster Patrol (SSMP) - a group dedicated to fighting monsters. In this particular book they go up against some Shadow Smashers and end up saving the town.

I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting books for my son (age 6.5yr) - he can be a bit picky when it comes to books but it's usually just a case of finding the right book.

This was definitely the right book. My son was riveted right from the first page and didn't want me to stop reading. There aren't all that many illustrations and what there is, are in simple black and white, so I was really pleased that it still held his attention and we loved the occasional 2 page spreads from the SSMP monster diary detailing some of the other monsters (likes/dislikes, habitat, etc). We finished this book in two nights and he's been begging me to get more books in the series - definitely a winner.

As an early chapter book it's kept nice and simple while still being fast paced and action packed. I must admit that my son did find it a bit frightening and had to sleep with his bedroom door open for a few nights but even so it was worth it to see him so engaged in a book. It's definitely a book that he'll be able to read himself and I'm hoping since he enjoyed it so much that it might encourage him to read it independently.