A Monster Like Me

By: Wendy S. Swore

Narrated by: Taylor Meskimen

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Being the new kid at school is hard, but Sophie has a secret weapon: her vivid imagination and her oversized, trusted Big Book of Monsters, an encyclopedia of myths and legends from all over the world. The pictures and descriptions of the creatures in her book help her know which kids to watch out for - clearly the bullies are trolls and goblins - as well as how to avoid them. Though not everyone is hiding a monster inside; the nice next-door neighbor is probably a good witch, and Sophie's new best friend is obviously a good fairy.

Sophie is convinced she is a monster because of the monster mark on her face. At least that's what she calls it. The doctors call it a blood tumor, and it covers almost half of her face. Sophie can feel it pulsing with every beat of her heart. And if she's a monster on the outside, then she must be a monster on the inside, too. She knows that it's only a matter of time before the other kids, the doctors, and even her mom figure it out.

The Big Book of Monsters gives Sophie the idea that there might be a cure for her monster mark, but in order to make the magic work, she'll need to create a special necklace made from ordinary items: a feather, a shell, and a crystal that Sophie believes are talismans. Once she's collected all the needed ingredients, she'll only have one chance to make a very special wish. If Sophie can't break the curse and become human again, her mom is probably going to leave just like Dad did. Because who would want to live with a real monster?

©2019 Wendy S. Swore (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Good book, well read, but…..

It’s way too long. I would have liked it better if it was an hour shorter. It really dragged on.

Beautiful story of excepting yourself!!

Started out as an intriguing monster story and ended as a beautiful story of a child accepting herself for who she is and not what she appears to be on the outside!! I loved and my 8yr old son loved it!💕

one of my favorite books!

I really liked the storyline. it is NOT RACIST!!! when Wendy S. swore the book The Multnomah Falls story was not one of the main points! that story does not change the rest of the book or rate the rest of the book.

Wonderfully written, and super sweet

Wendy does such a beautiful job in her descriptions and imaginative story. The storyline is super sweet and is very relatable on many levels no matter what age you are.

So, so good, exept

I LOVE this book. It was so good it almost , made me cry. TOTALLY read it.
BUT.
The author REALLY underestimates kids. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love sophi’s character, along with autumn and all the others, but they act like six year olds. They’re supposed to be eleven. That’s fifth or sixth grade. This story would be much more believable and compelling if she wasn’t so age biased. It’s honestly like she’s never been a kid.
Don’t let that keep you from reading it though! It’s totally worth it, just pretend she’s six and you’ll be crying along with her 😉

Heartwarming

For anyone who felt like an outcast, is different, or feeling alone inside a world in their head.

Overall Good

Some parts were slow but in the end the whole story made sense and had a great message.- review from a 10 year old girl

A beautiful story about self discovery

Beautiful written and narratived, this story pulls you into a world where mother and daughter gets to discover who they both really are. Great for pre-teens and parents, this story can used as a bridge into tough/emotional conversations.

Despite the serious topics, this is a delight story.

This story deals with facial disfigurement, paternal abandonment, bullying and a child with a vivid imagination. Yes, all these topics are touched upon. I am happy to report that I felt entertained, not attacked, by these important plot points.

It centers around a child who feels worthless because of her hemangioma which sits prominently on her face between her eye and her ear. It also centers around a monster book that the child has been carrying around for several years. She uses it as a suggestion that she, too, is a monster. Will everyone hate/abandon her when they learn the truth? Her father certainly did.

There is much humor to this delightful tale. I hope you will give it a read/lesson.

A feel good story

I thought this was a really lovely story and had a wonderful array of characterization and emphasis of a young girl's views of the world and herself. My son is 11 and as much as I enjoyed this story, I don't think he would, not until he's a bit older lol, due to his attention span. This story is really written well, but it is a bit slow for a kid, my kid, who really likes stories more filled with action and mystery. This story has it too, but it's so very mild and, in my opinion, better suited for a different audience. As for some other reviews, I don't agree that this book has emphasis on racism or Christianity. Maybe it does, but I feel like it's a hard stretch to go and seek it out. People pray in this book and I don't feel you need to be of any certain religion to do that, but if this bothers you, then this might not be a good listen for you. Overall, I believe this book highlights the good and bad most people endure and, how they handle it, a lot is very relatable. Again, it was quite enjoyable and hopefully this little review of my thoughts on it helps you make an informed decision on whether to listen to it or not. Thank you for reading and I'm wishing you all a fabulous rest of your day!