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Joe Ballarini
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A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting #1 (Babysitter's Guide to Monsters, 1) Paperback – June 4, 2019

by Joe Ballarini (Author), Vivienne To (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 266 ratings
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The Last Kids on Earth meets Goosebumps in this hilarious new series about a secret society of babysitters who protect kids from the monsters that really do live under their beds!

When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. But then Baby Jacob gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman’s minions and Kelly learns there’s a whole lot more to childcare than free snacks and Netflix. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch.

Now, with the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitters, Kelly sets out to destroy the Boogeyman before he brings Jacob’s nightmares to life. But when the monsters’ trail leads to her school’s big Halloween bash, Kelly will have to prove she can save the world—without totally embarrassing herself in front of her friends.

Packed with black-and-white illustrations and insider secrets from the world of monster hunting, A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting is full of tricks, treats, and terrifying twists!

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Book 1 of 3
    Babysitter's Guide to Monsters
  3. Print length
    352 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    3 - 7
  6. Dimensions
    5.12 x 0.7 x 7.62 inches
  7. Publisher
    Katherine Tegen Books
  8. Publication date
    June 4, 2019
  9. ISBN-10
    0062437844
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0062437846
  11. See all details
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A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting #1 (Babysitter's Guide to Monsters, 1)
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A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting #2: Beasts & Geeks (Babysitter's Guide to Monsters, 2)
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A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting #3: Mission to Monster Island (Babysitter's Guide to Monsters, 3)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This new series gives babysitting a daring edge and sets up girls outside of the popular crowd as heroines. An entertaining debut.” — Booklist

“An absolute romp of a book that will have kids everywhere howling for more. The writing is crisp and absolutely pitch-perfect for the middle-grade set. The story is exciting, funny, and very, very smart.” — San Francisco Book Review

“A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting is scary, funny, clever, and filled with heart. Best of all, the main character, Kelly Ferguson, proves a smart, appealing, and very real hero. You will root for her, and then you will root for a sequel.” — Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Joe Ballarini’s book is an anthem for female friendship and the power that comes with it.” — Ali Bell, executive producer Ghostbusters

“A nonstop thrillventure about how to overcome your monsters!” — John Lee, director of Pee Wee's Big Holiday

“A rich, wonderful, and exciting world of characters and action. A superfun read!” — Ian Bryce, producer of Transformers

“Ballarini’s action-packed debut is amazing! An adventure roller-coaster ride with crazy chases, daring escapes, exploding teddy bears, enchanted weaponry, and an army of nightmares.” — Callum Greene, executive producer of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

“A reminder that monsters believe in you even if you don’t believe in them.” — Adam Robitel, director of Insidious and the Taking of Deborah Logan

About the Author

Joe Ballarini is a screenwriter who’s worked on numerous feature films, including My Little Pony: The Movie and the zombie comedy cult classic Dance of the Dead. He has written family films, horror films, silly comedies, and sweeping adventures. He lives with his wife, their son, and their two rescue dogs in Los Angeles, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Katherine Tegen Books; Reprint edition (June 4, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062437844
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062437846
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.7 x 7.62 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 266 ratings

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Joe Ballarini

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
266 global ratings
Every parent/kid should read before interviewing a babysitter!
5 Stars
Every parent/kid should read before interviewing a babysitter!
A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting #1 (Babysitter's Guide to Monsters)Finally a teenage character with a genuine sense of humor, internal strength and eerily fun backdrop to show her growing into herself, Kelly is a real female heroine that is spunky and really likable too. It is pure entertainment, from the first page on. I read it to one 10yo and one 7yo and they didn't want it to end.
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Top reviews from the United States

Lindsay
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect October read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2020
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This book was creepy, but not overly scary, just the way I like it! I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read..
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2020
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The movie on Netflix had me want to read the book, and even though the character's were charged some, still enjoyed it. Will read all of them now!
p.s. ...not a teenager 😉
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NH
5.0 out of 5 stars fun, and an instant classic
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017
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Fresh, fun, and an instant classic! My daughter loved it so much and kept bringing up Monster Hunting references, so I decided to read it myself. What an awesome book, highly recommend for middle schoolers (...and their parents!)
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2022
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My teenager liked it.
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Dan Speziale
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, fantastic introduction to an intriguing world
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019
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This reminds me of Goosebumps. It’s a fun story that moves fast and is spooky and funny. I can’t wait to read more.
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Pop Bop
4.0 out of 5 stars A Slightly Worn Premise, Freshened Up Quite Nicely
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2017
So, our heroine, aided by a motley crew of companions, battles secret monsters in order to rescue a kidnapped child. Have you heard that one before? I have. But, we've been recycling plots since the first reed brush hit the first papyrus, so the real question is - what has author done with this? To my mind the answer is - quite a bit.

Our heroine is middle schooler Kelly. She needs to make money for camp and so she advertises herself as available to babysit, despite having no experience in that regard. How hard could it be? Off the bat she ends up headed to the lower end of the school social order, (babysitter? how tacky), and she gets impressed into babysitting for the child, Jacob, of her Mom's imperious boss. The usual sitter, Liz, isn't available. The kid's a terror, but more to the point, the kid is terrorized by nightmares. When those nightmares turn out to be real, and kidnap Jacob, Kelly calls for help from Liz, and we're off to the races. It turns out kids' night terrors are real and that there's a secret society of babysitters whose job it is to protect kids from night monsters.

From there we get multiple levels. On one level we get the whole babysitter society history. Up front, we have a quest to rescue Kelly's kidnapped charge from monsters. Then we get the Liz backstory. And we get a crew of supposed school "losers" who are actually heroic babysitters. Plus, we get some school crush/clique drama. Wow. Busy, busy, busy.

The best part is that the author keeps a pretty firm hand on all of this. Kelly is not a whiner or lameo. She rolls with the punches and always rises to the occasion. None of the plotlines are heavy handed, (including even the school daze stuff). We don't go through reams of tedious exposition on the history of the babysitter society. Everything is well paced and the tale, (which is actually pretty long for a middle grade adventure), zips along nicely. As a bonus, there are some pretty sharp, or edgy, or at least intentionally ironic, observations that punch up the narrative and let the author wink a bit at the alert reader.

So, the upshot is that this was a well crafted, nicely plotted, fast paced, sometimes amusing and sometimes gripping, action fantasy that I thought elevated the premise and rewarded the reader. A nice find. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
2 people found this helpful
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Diane Tei
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
My stepdaughter wanted to read this because she loved the movie. She now excitedly tells me about every development in the book and how it compares to the movie!
2 people found this helpful
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Memaw01
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift for granddaughter
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2020
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Got all three of these books for my granddaughter. She loved the gift. Her younger sister was excited as well because she will get to read them too.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Michelly Almeida Mendes
5.0 out of 5 stars Ótima qualidade
Reviewed in Brazil on March 19, 2021
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comprei para minha filha treinar leitura em inglês. Foi ótimo.
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Kate Shine
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2017
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A brilliant read! Every babysitter should have a copy.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
A very good read for youngsters and not so young up to age 10/11
One person found this helpful
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