Jack Templar, Monster Hunter
By Jeff Gunhus
This is one of those rare middle grade books that crosses the age barrier and is enjoyable to many people! The boy Jack, is turning 14 and doesn't realize what that means. He is an orphan and raised by his aunt. He is clueless about the real monsters that is hidden in plain sight. It's the day before his birthday and he feels different. Stronger, faster, and his reflexes are faster. His body is preparing to fight. Because the whole monster community has been waiting for years to kill Jack Templar on his 14th birthday!
It was so entertaining! Even for this old lady! ( )

This is my second reading of this book ( to refresh my memory for the series) and I enjoyed it just as much this time around. The whole tone of the book makes it a fun read and really pulls you into Jack's adventure.

If you have a young adult (pre-teen) who likes Goosebumps type stuff then they will like this too. ( )

There are several reasons this book is a must on your kid's bedside table.
1) Monster Hunter is very well written. It's written like a diary and completely in 1st person. Usually I found this method very hard to read but this time it sucked me in and held me till I got it done.
2) You can tell the author took the time to write this story correctly - it catches a kid's attention and makes him WANT to read. The writing is very smooth, spelling & grammar is correct and very easy to read.
3) Action oriented - You kid will be on the edge of their seat throughout the whole book.
4) Read Aloudable (is that a word?) - I strongly encourage you to read this book with your kids at night (maybe not to close to bedtime if you are reading with younger kids). It's perfect to read aloud to kids 8 and up into early high school!

I'd say this book would be good for boys and girls 6-7 years and up. There is mention of Jack seeing a corpse floating face down in the river as he flies overhead (and it is about Monsters but we all know - Boys especially love Monsters and being scared). There is some violence. So, you need to really know your kid and what he/she can handle emotionally. Try reading it first if you aren't sure. ( )

if you are looking for a fast paced book with great adventures and creatures, this is surely your stop. this book has the right dose of mystery, action and sometimes humor and romance. it surely keeps you intrigued about the fourteen year old boy whose life has changed overnight when he discovers the darker side of the world he lived in. The style of writhing definitely pleases the young adults who crave for adventure. Moreover the hero,Jack, is not your white knight-he has his fears which make him human and more identifiable. the protagonist displays values like courage, friendship and proves to be a real source of inspiration in the book. As said above, the book is full of mystery and action but also shows unity among Jack and the others for his quest. however the end seems abrupt and descriptions are not so scary....more like toons type ( )

Jack was a normal 13 year old boy looking forward to his upcoming 14th birthday. Until he starts going through some changes – greater strength, greater speed, greater fighting skills, it’s like a super hero’s origin story. Though becoming a hero isn’t nearly as fun as he expected it to be, not when people are frightened of the new, different you.

Far less appealing are the monsters, the Creach. Disguised among humanity, they’re watching him and beginning to show themselves to prepare for his 14th birthday. They time when he comes of age in the monster world – and becomes fair game to hunt.

Suddenly he’s on the run, backed up by hunters he knows nothing about, learning new, shocking things about his family history, finding out the family he does know are completely different from what he imagined and discovering that so many of the people around him were secretly monsters, watching him, waiting for their chance.

This book has a rather unique writing style – and I think it’s going to be a “love it or hate it” moment. It’s written as if the protagonist were remembering his story. It’s also written as if he is presenting a warning/guide to other hunters: Jack is warning the reader against reading the book, giving hints and tips on how to kill various monsters, little mini-lectures as if an experienced hunter were recounting an experience to a new hunter. It’s something that is maintained even on the author’s website (with a password found in the book to allow real hunters in without the “creach”) It’s an interesting and certainly unique style and has a very strong spoken word feel to it as well. You’re either going to love its unique feel, or you’re going to find it frustrating.

The plot itself is very action orientated – and the action is done well. We have monsters hunting the newly of-age monster hunter just as his physical abilities kick in

I can’t say I like how the story came together – I think the big bad was defeated too easily and rather anti-climactically, I think Jack had a massive about-face of personality and character pretty close to the end. I’ve seen a lot more extreme a 180 character turns and it had some justification, but this felt very abrupt. It almost felt like the author wanted to hurry the story along or was afraid of losung momentum. I also found the villains a little cartoony – not necessarily in a bad way; it had a cheesy style that was fun in its own right.

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