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MNHQ

Monstrous Maud by A B Saddlewick - win a copy and post your feedback

18 replies

RachelMumsnet · 14/03/2013 11:36

We have 50 copies of Monstrous Maud: Big Fright to give away this week. Apply for your free copy before 10am on Monday 18 March and we'll email you if you've been lucky once the publishers have sent the books out. If you receive a copy, do come back to this thread and let us now what your dcs think.

There are six books in the Monstrous Maud series so far, which is aimed at readers aged five +. If you think you're dcs would enjoy the series, Buster Books are offering Mumsnetters a special deal on the series.

OP posts:

inthesark · 14/03/2013 15:01

DD loved the books so far - will definitely be going for one of those!

bkaz · 20/03/2013 17:33

Thank you Mumsnet for my copy. I will give a feedback once received and read.

MNHQ

RachelMumsnet · 21/03/2013 10:07

Pleased to see the books have arrived. Do let us know what you think when you've had chance to read. If your Dcs have enjoyed the book, Buster books are offering a special deal to mumsnetters on the series.

OP posts:

LLW · 21/03/2013 21:43

My daughter loved the book - read it in one night and asked for the others in the series!

Fluffymonster · 22/03/2013 00:30

Thank you - my copy arrived yesterday. I will post up my feedback once I have had a read through, and again when DD has read it.

AnonymousBird · 27/03/2013 11:11

Thank you, ours has arrived!! DD and I will read in the holidays (may even lure in DS as well....).

TimeForLunch · 28/03/2013 12:33

Thank you for my free copy! DD is thoroughly enjoying this book. I'm reading it to her, a chapter a night, as she is not quite ready to read it properly herself. DD is 6 which I would guess to be slightly under the target market age for these books and so there have been a couple of things that she has needed explanation on. However, she is excited to go to bed and listen each night, which is great! The story appeals as Maud gets up to all sorts of naughtiness which DD thinks is hilarious. We've only read the first 3 chapters so far, so will update later.

TimeForLunch · 28/03/2013 12:44

I've just seen that the target age is actually 5+ so DD is the right age group at 6. However, I do think it would be better appriatiated by slightly older children. That said, DD is enjoying it immensly (despite some of it perhaps going over head). The only downside for her is the lack of pictures (compared to the Rainbow Fairy series).

Omnishambolic · 25/04/2013 15:06

My daughter 5.5 loves it - I was reading her a chapter a night but she read the whole thing one morning as couldn't wait to see how it finished. Will definitely look out for others in the series. Nice to have a book aimed at girls but not full of fairies etc.

iwantavuvezela · 25/04/2013 15:25

Thank you for sending us this book. My daughter is 5 (about to turn 6) and is not able to read this on her own, so I have been reading it to her. As one of the other posters have said, she is probably on the young side and i have also had to explain a few things to her. I have been looking for different chapter books, to read to her, to start moving away from picture books. I liked the character in this book, feisty, and as others have said not as stereotyped as some around. I also like the writing used in this book.

lynniep · 25/04/2013 20:30

I started this with my 6 year old DS. I thought it was probably about time we read something with a female 'lead' and I wasn't quite sure how he'd take it, but he didn't seem phased by that. I read it to him rather than have him read to me as its a bit hard work for him at the moment. He is quite engaged by it, although he's still at the stage where a few illustrations would work better to keep his interest. When he's staring off into the distance I'm not sure if he's zoned out or imagining whats happening in the book! I think he'd like to read another though which is always a good sign.

HouseOfBamboo · 26/04/2013 17:33

Thank you very much for our copy.

DD (6) really enjoyed the book - she read it herself and reported back the following:

I liked it when Maud went to a new ghosty school
I loved it when Maud went out in the playground but it was a graveyard
And when Maud showed Penelope a little doll of Milly's and Penelope was frightened

I asked her whether it needed more pictures and she said she didn't think so. She said she liked it as much as Horrid Henry (which she is currently obsessed by) and she said yes, so high praise! She said she would like to read more of the books.

Agree with those who said it's nice to have a non 'pink girly' heroine.

BHouse · 27/04/2013 15:39

My DD is coming up for 6 and she read half herself and I read the other half to her. The language was OK for her, but she did need a couple of things explained. I would have thought this book would have suited a 7/7.5 year old better. DD really is more of a Primrose Towers girl herself but moderately enjoyed the story and liked the character of Maud. She wasn't massively keen on getting through the book and it did take us quite a while to finish it. However, she did say she would like to read another in the series. I liked the pictures and the sense of humour, some of the details were interesting and it had a more grown up tone than the cover suggested.

Nicnic12 · 28/04/2013 20:57

My daughter read this a few days ago and really enjoyed it. She is quite keen on me buying more in the series.

Crinklecut · 01/05/2013 09:51

My DD loved the book, we read it together bit by bit at bedtime as she is only 5, but i would find her in her room reading the next bit by herself, as she was so engrossed in the story that she just couldn't wait until bedtime. She loved the characters, especially Maud and has asked if there are more books about her!.

LLW · 07/05/2013 13:01

My daughter liked the book (read it in one day) and asked me for others in the series.

margop · 31/05/2013 09:29

Thank you for my copy. My son just turned 10 was reluctant to read this at first just because it had a girly picture on a pink cover! Once he got over that he really enjoyed the book saying it was a girly horrid henry. I did hear a few chuckles now and then and once he finished it he said that it wasn't girly at all he 'loved it' and could we get a pet rat - eh NO

Biccy · 05/06/2013 19:25

Thank you for our copy of Monstrous Maud. It took us a while to get round to reading it due to the current Wimpy Kid fad! But once we got going my daughter (who just turned 7) really enjoyed it, and we read it every night together until it was finished. She could have easily read it by herself. I think the cover put her off: the story was entirely appropriate for her age, but from the cover it did look a like it was aimed more at reception aged girls. I like the fact that it only took a few nights to read together at bedtime, so we didn't lose the thread. We do bedtime reading all together, and this story also held the interest of my 3 year old son. My daughter is pet-mad, so she was hooked by the idea of Maud having a pet rat she took about with her. We now have an imaginary pet rat amongst our collection of imaginary pets (including a porcupine called Hilda).

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