So you think you babysit monsters?

So you think you babysit monsters? deserves its own genre. It’s a mix of fantasy and suspense and tween fiction but it also has its own unique charm. There’s just something about the book that makes you want to read it over and over again. In this exciting story, 13 year old Mackenzie Abercrombie yearns to fit in at school. But as it often does, life has its own ideas. Mackenzie starts to learn more about her family history and realizes she might be more “unique” than she thought. The Abercrombies are Magic Minders, humans who keep the Magic Ones safe and undiscovered. The Magic Ones are the monsters we know to live under our beds, except not all them are bad. It’s pretty easy to hide them, considering the Magic Ones have all kinds of powers and cloaking spells. The Magic Ones live on the vast land of the Abercrombies. It’s not every day you see a neighborhood full of unicorns and medusas disguised as humans, but the Abercrombies are used to it. After all, their family/ancestors have been doing it for over 2000 years!

As a teen in the family, Mackenzie’s job is to babysit baby Magic Ones and keep them safe. She also bears the responsibility of making sure no one outside the Abercrombies finds out about the Magic Ones or the land they live on. And then of course, she also has the struggles of middle school. So when a baby Magic One starts creating trouble that could lead to everyone being discovered, it’s Mackenzie’s job to put it to an end. And to make matters worse, Mackenzie’s entire class is coming to her family’s dorky Annual Groundhog Day! How embarrassing!

This book is so fun and enjoyable. It’s perfect for middle-schoolers and the author has done an amazing job of making it relatable to this generation, tying in Instagram and Abercrombie and Fitch and teen slang. It’s really great for a casual but fun read, as it isn’t too suspenseful but it still has that page turning story line. It isn’t too short but it’s long enough to develop a great story. And the ending! I don’t think I have ever read such a great ending to any book! I highly recommend reading the book, not only for the unique story, then for the unexpected but perfect ending to the book. So you think you babysit monsters? has left me a huge fan of Leslie Susskind and I can’t wait for the second book!