While this is a cute story and I loved the colorful monsters vs the gray-everyone-is-the-same school, this entire book felt rushed. It has the content of an early-reader/middle-grade book but at only 17 pages, it felt extremely rushed to me. I enjoyed the message about diversity and not needing to be exactly like everyone else, but I felt like it all fell a bit flat.

This is a book my kids would definitely enjoy (once their reading level increases just a bit).

I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley. Here is my honest review.

I expected such great things from this book. The bright yellow cover with the adorable "monsters" drew me right in! I even liked the "grey" school contrasted with the vibrant, colorful, "monster" school next door. Great setup for a book.

Unfortunately, everything else fell flat. While I appreciate the theme the book was trying to convey, I felt it was done in a rather cliche, rushed way.

A great middle grade book that will resonate with girls that don't feel like they belong. It have a diverse set of characters so readers should be able to feel connected.

I was immediately attracted to the bright and colorful cover, but this book was not what I thought it was going to be. It would have really benefited from some illustrations. How about a few of the cute monsters from the cover? There's just something strange and off about this book. Some back story missing?

This story was not what I expected. We really did enjoy it. The story is cute and a nice way of relating real like to "monsters". These are cute monsters. I feel elementary kids would really like this story and characters.

A story that kids will relate to and enjoy. Personally it was a little didactic for me as a grownup and parent, but I think it has valuable lessons and an engaging story that will translate really well for kids reading this book.

Cute book about bullying that will appeal to younger readers. As a teacher I have one concern,

Before Sophie came to her new school, she felt loved and accepted. When she arrived at her new school, she was made to feel invisible because she was perceived as different. In an attempt to make friends, she was either laughed at or treated as if she wasn't there. During class, she starting observing the monsters playing at recess. Since they were different, they weren't allowed to play with the students who weren't. They were called names and she was told bad things about them because they were different.

One day when she was walking home, she found a hat that belonged to the one of the monsters. When the opportunity arose, she decided to find out what the monsters were like despite what she was told. She saw how much they enjoyed each other and wanted to be a part of it and not wanting to be like her peers, she wanted to return the hat to whomever it belonged to. She got side tracked by for the first time feeling accepted. As you follow her journey, she learns the true value of self worth, acceptance and true friendship.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic lesson for young kids considering the climate out there in schools where kids don't feel accepted and are bullied. It isn't just with the kids, in many school systems, teachers and administrators need to evaluate their role in students who are bullied. How they treat those students can have a severe impact as well as of the bullies. The journey Sophie takes is admirable and inspiring because it takes a lot for someone to internalize what she had to go through. The love and acceptance that she found with the monsters being the catalyst for her to find self acceptance without anymore fear and really be accepted will inspire kids out there who don't feel included to know that they are somebody. A wonderful story that embraces the love of acceptance, friendship and finding your way will leave a lasting impression. I would definitely grab a copy!

I struggled with how to review this book because I loved it so much. It really hit home. I was always the different kid who was ignored by those who weren't bullying me and I wish I had this book as a kid! If I could I would give it more than five stars.

Sophie is bullied at Grey Stone Day School, and her teacher doesn't do anything about it. The schoolyard is shared with a monster school, and Sophie soon makes her first friend there, even though she is afraid of monsters.

The Monster at Recess is a book aimed at young readers, and can be used as a jumping off point for parents to discuss bullying, gossip and the struggle between fitting in and standing out. Sophie is a young girl that is easy to feel a kinship with; my nine-year-old daughter also enjoyed the book and related to Sophie and her struggles with friendship.

The Monster at Recess is an entertaining read that offers a lesson about bullying and being happy with who you are for young readers. With an eye-catching cover and characters that children can easily relate to, this short chapter book follows young Sophie as she struggles to fit into a grey world where everyone is the same and finally finds the courage to step outside that box to a world of color and uniqueness. The story is written on a level that children can understand without being condescending and includes some important lessons on cliques, bullying, standing out, and friendship that kids of all ages can identify with.

I remember growing up in the late 80's and early 90's that there was always a group of kids no matter what school I went to who would ostracize the other kids from their world.

Maybe it was because the other kids weren't playing sports like them, or maybe it was because they looked different, or maybe even because they didn't grow up in that place their whole lives that these kids wouldn't be friends with you. I never understood this as a kid. I always tried to interact with all of the other kids, but I found myself on the rejected end of things every now and then and that is so difficult for a kid. Fast forward to current day and I have seen with my own eyes my own kid get bullied by other kids. Yes, you read that right, I have seen a kid say mean things to her with me standing there right next to her. It is one thing to not include a kid in your group, I totally get not everyone can be friends with everyone), but I do not understand why the bullying epidemic has become as bad as it has. The Monster At Recess is a children's book that I think should be in the hands of every kid. This book should be in every young elementary classroom from Kindergarten to Second Grade. It is a short book, but makes a great point about how it doesn't matter how someone else looks or how different we are from each other, that we can still get along, and even be friends. I don't know what the answer to the bullying epidemic is, but I think books like this one are a great start.

Sophie goes to a school where there uniforms have no color. They wear grey uniforms. Sophie loves color. Sophie is bullied and teased cruelly at school. One day Sophie finds a colorful hat in which she decides to keep rather than give it to the monsters who play at her school's playground. Sophie decides she should give the hat back to the monster teacher so it will be back with its neighbor. However one of the monsters (a girl) sees Sophie and invites her to play with them. She has such a good time she forgets about the hat. Will Sophie return it? Will Sophie be able to stop the bullies from teasing her?

It's a delightful story that gives examples of bullying and learning how to deal with them in a most surprising way. The author has written a story that will invite conversations about bullying, teasing and people who are different in no big way but still attracts others who notice this.

I enjoyed my time spent reading The Monster at Recess, where differences were celebrated and acceptance was found in an unlikely place. This book has an important message for all children and will also open up some opportunity for discussion between parent and child on differences and self-acceptance.

Thank you to the author, Shira Potter, the publisher, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this special book.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This story, by the author of The Friendly Monster (anyone spot a trend here?!) was very short (only 13 pages), and it had a bit of an abrupt ending, but it had heart, and I liked it. It's aimed at kids who are just beginning to read with confidence by themselves, and tells the tale of Sophie (the name means 'wisdom'!). It is a text-only book - no illustrations.

Sophie is in elementary school and she isn't happy there. Everyone seems the same to her, stuffy and dull. Even the name of the school is Grey Stone Day School, and she seems to be the only one who stands out with her red hair. Worse, people are mean to her and she doesn't know why. Sophie is a bit of a day-dreamer, and she eyes the monsters from the school next door - a school which shares its recess yard with Sophie's school - with envy because they seem to get along and have fun, but her school has a fear of monsters and this is why they do not share their recess time.

Sophie however, finds a colorful hat - just like the ones the monsters wear - and she's determined to return it to its rightful owner, even if it means braving the monsters at recess. Well, you know what Robert Burns said? "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley" or as we know it, go sideways! Unlike in her own school, the monsters (most of them anyway) celebrate difference, not conformity, and Sophie starts to feel like she fits right in.

I had two views of this story! On the one hand I liked it and I liked that it showed Sophie learning that you do not have to fit in to be happy with yourself; it's OK to be different. On the other hand, I wish that Sophie had done something about the bullying in her own school instead of running away from it! What to do, what to do? The book also depicts her breaking some rules and lying to a teacher, but on the other hand the teacher isn't doing anything to control the rampant meanness, and is in fact mean herself, so what choice does Sophie have?

There are different ways of dealing with problems, and running is certainly a valid one in many regards, when there seems to be no alternative and no one to turn to, but I would have liked to have seen Sophie address that; however, she doesn't run very far, just towards friends who will accept her. So is that really running?

On the other hand, I didn't like that the bullies got away with their meanness while it was Sophie who was portrayed, indirectly, as the monster (because that's who she hangs out with). I would have liked to have seen that addressed, but one step at a time: Sophie does show bravery in stepping out at recess when only the monsters are playing out there.

I think this is a great start to a book, or perhaps a series, but it felt like it was missing a bit here and there. If it were to turn into a series which shows how Sophie faces the problems and deals with them, this would make a great story. But Rome wasn't built in a day (some parts of it, like the Colosseum, just look like it was!), and I consider this a worthy read for young children, especially if it's used as a discussion springboard to address how a young child should deal with bullying and with people who just don't want to be friends.

The book references a website, www.heartlabpress.com, but the site isn't really up-and-running as of this posting. Not that I'm one to talk! LOL! I still have some serious work to do on my stuff, but writing has been calling to me of late far more strongly than dressing up websites ever does, so I can't blame an author for that! I wish Shira Potter all the best with her stories.

This story starts out good and I understand why it is written the way it is, but it seems unfinished. Why do the other kids ignore or not like the protagonist? What happens after the girl is accepted by the monsters? What do the other kids do after seeing this? The story just stops. While I get that is probably what the author was looking for to make a point about acceptance of yourself and others who are different, it just felt unsatisfying. How did the other kids change because of what happened? Plus this is a world where monsters and grey humans live together, so much could have been expanded upon in this book. I think it is a great idea, it just needs more to make it a great story.

A cute story about a young girl who learns that she doesn't need to be like everyone else in order to have friends. Since the book is targeted for early elementary readers, illustrations would be nice.

* spoiler alert ** I chose this book because I loved the wonderful cover. It was a book for early chapter readers and it was easy enough for a 1st grader to read. I didn't love this book. I wish some illustrations had been added because the story fell flat and felt too simplistic- even for the target audience.
Additionally, I felt that the message about bullying was a little inappropriate. I get that a bullied child should seek to find a place where he or she fits in; however, it is not OK to distance yourself from the people you don't like. It is not a realistic solution. To me the message indicated that it was acceptable to disobey school rules and do your own thing. I kind of wished that the monsters had helped Sophie gained confidence and stand up to the bullies.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.
This is a really good book for children who are just starting out on chapter books. Most chapters are only a page long.
This felt a bit unfinished to me. But the story was good. It was an emotional topic but since Bullying is a major issue these days and it needs to be talked about more. Thats what this book does. Its awful that it happens but im glad there are the monsters in her life that make it a bit better for her. I would have liked to read more about them.

Shy nonconformist Sophie would rather be playing with the monsters from the school that shares a playground with hers than deal with her mean classmates and misunderstanding teachers.
First and foremost, this isn’t a typical children’s book; there’s no artwork or photos, it’s all written (Though there are monsters drawn on the cover). This story would have benefitted from visuals, considering all the monsters an artist would have enjoyed inventing.
As it stands, Sophie breaks rules and lies to go play with the monsters, which isn’t surprising, considering they’re a far better lot than the human girls. Still, I’m not sure parents will appreciate the lengths this author has her going to.