Jaxon lives with his parents, his older brother Luke and his two dogs Bossy and Pepper in their idyllic home in the Saskatchewan countryside. He plays with his pets and his family. He helps his mother do chores and wonders about the way the world works and how he will fit into it when he grows up. His inquisitive mind is always asking questions and his wise mother and wisecracking father do their best to guide him and keep him on track. The “secret monster” of the title isn’t actually a monster, rather it refers to the fact that when Jaxon has a secret to keep he finds holding it in and not blurting it out is like having “a naughty little monster” trapped inside his head that just wants to jump out. When his father plans a surprise for his mother, Jaxon struggles to hold the “secret monster” back.
Though JAXON AND THE NAUGHTY SECRET MONSTER is not exactly action-packed there are enough incidents in the book to keep young readers engaged. A through narrative is provided by the creation of a vegetable patch in the garden and the cultivation and consumption of the produce is returned to throughout the book. This focus on growth and nature is echoed elsewhere and is one of the book’s strongest elements. Jaxon is taught to appreciate the world around him by example and particularly by his mother who has many of the book’s best lines. At one point a tornado rages around the house and she comforts him by describing the sound of the storm as being like that of “a herd of the most incredible, beautiful horses.”
Author Madeline M. Pratchler has a confident, easy prose style that keeps the story moving and a mother’s ear for the dialogue of children and their often unintentional witticisms. Some readers might be hoping for more drama and there are a few chapters that don’t really go anywhere much. A visit from a salesman in the chapter Unwanted Salesman being particularly inconsequential. That said, JAXON AND THE NAUGHTY SECRET MONSTER is a wonderful, realistic representation of rural family life and Jaxon is enough fun to spend time with that readers may hope that the family’s story will continue in future books.
Arranged in short (but sweet) chapters, JAXON AND THE NAUGHTY SECRET MONSTER is the perfect format for bedtime readings. It’s a wholesome narrative with many amusing incidents that will entertain a young audience and includes some humorous asides that are targeted more to the adult who may be reading the book aloud.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader