Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This is a long overdue review. I read it standing in a booth at ALA this Summer and loved it! I'm adding it to our kids' program this fall in 2024.

I don't think I liked this one as much as I anted to. I admire some aspects of it, especially how it handles gender and sexuality. There is the suggestion of non-binary characters but it's never explicitly called out. It is a fact, not an aspect of the plot. The plot is a bit unfocused, though. It spends more time on the fact of fantastic creatures than on developing the conflict and characters.

Penny and her mom are preparing for a big move and there is just one thing she wants to do before they leave -- find Bessie, the Bawk-ness Monster. As a child, Penny was saved from drowning by Bessie and now she wants to see her again to prove her existence. What she gets instead is a chaotic run-in with the cryptid broker Alvida Scales and a madcap adventure with her friends and mom. The illustrations are bright and bold and match the absolutely chaotic energy of the story.

Silly, goofy, inclusive and a lot of fun.

This was a silly goofy time that is perfect for middle grade readers. It was not my favorite ever, but I can think of many students that would love it.

Three years ago Penny fell into Lake Boxamixon and was saved by the legendary Bessie the Bawk-ness Monster. Now Penny and her mom are moving and Penny wants to thank Bessie for saving her. She convinces her mom to take her and friends Luc and K on a camping trip where they will sneak away and find Bessie. Things do not go as planned and soon they are all wrapped up in a cryptids kidnapping scheme. Lots of adventure!

Thank you so much NetGalley and First Second Books for access to this fantastic arc!!

5/5 stars!! Instant buy!!

I can't even tell you how much I loved this silly, funny, touching graphic novel!! The art was fantastic, the jokes were hilarious, and the story was so good!! I instantly ordered it for my store - and for myself hehe - when I came into work after reading this!! Just fantastic!

The Bawk-ness Monster by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter is a children's graphic novel currently scheduled for release on June 27 2023. Penny swears that when she was a little girl, a creature called the Bawk-ness Monster (half sea serpent, half chicken) saved her from drowning. Now, years later, she’s about to move away to a new city, and before she goes, she needs the help of her best friends, Luc and K, for a vitally important mission: seeing “Bessie” one more time. But in their quest to find Bessie and give Penny the send-off she deserves, the kids stumble into a whole new problem—cryptids are being kidnapped by an evil collector, and only Penny, Luc, and K can save them!

The Bawk-ness Monster was a very fun read. I liked that it worked on several levels. It a great friend adventure with unexpected creatures and twists that kept everything moving quickly. But there was also room for conversation about being different, bullying, guilt, big changes, and friendship. I thought the story flowed very well, considering the amount of great detail that was layered in. I got a kick out of the three very different friends, and could completely understand the mother's protectiveness after Penny's history. They way she want a bit over the top just added to the feel of the story. The art style and color work matched the tone and action of the book and everything came together nicely. I am hoping to see more adventures from this cast of characters.

The Bawk-ness Monster is a fun and engaging graphic novel for young (and some of us older) readers.

I will buy this for my library, but because graphic novels are so popular, not because I found this book particularly good. I didn't like the way the characters' bodies were drawn, especially the mom. Her figure kept changing and I found it a bit confusing. I liked the cute cryptids. I'm not sure I'd want my kid to be friends with the kid who pushed them in a lake, regardless of how sorry they were.

This story is a wild ride! With creative cryptids and a campy mystery to solve, it's a lot of fun and adventure rolled into one story! I loved Penny's character - she is so full of kindness for others! Her mom is pretty awesome too. This is a great book for kids who love funny stories like DogMan and Investigators!

What an absolutely delightful book! The story, the art, the characters, the creatures! I cannot stress enough how enchanting I, a queer adult who spent much of my childhood wanting to be a cryptozoologist, found this story. I am charmed and moved. I will be recommending this title to everyone who will listen. Fantastic!

In this middle-grade graphic novel we follow 3 friends, Penny, Luc, and K as they search for Bessie, the Bawk-ness Monster, who had saved Penny from drowning 3 years prior. When they find Bessie, which ends up being the easiest thing they do in our whole story, they end up getting caught by our villain Alvida, who wants to sue Bessie for evil. Chaos and fights ensue as Alvida is discovered to be in possession of many other cryptids. Penny's mom, Ronnie, comes to the realization that sometimes she just needs to trust her daughter- Penny doesn't need to be glued to her side to be safe. Eventually the kids and Ronnie escape with the cryptids and everyone gets to live happily ever after.

Overall I enjoyed this read. Lot's of colors and fun characters made for a very entertaining read. I don't know that I loved the other made up cryptid's- cryptids already exist in our world, why did we need to make them weirder and more confusing? The story would've been just as good with Nessie, Big Foot, and yeti instead. I loved Ronnie's and Penny's relationship too, I think lot's of moms get the mom guilt after their kids gets hurt and they feel responsible. This showed great representation of how that can look and feel to the child being almost suffocated by the pressure the parent is putting on them to be safe. Overall a decent read, entertaining for kids.

A very cute adventure graphic novel for middle grade children. I personally love cryptozoology and cryptid creatures so this book was a lot of fun! My daughter would also love this one and going on adventures with the three friends. The art work was amazing! Bringing the cryptid creatures to life was likely the coolest part of the whole book.

Penny and her mom are getting ready to move. Before they do, Penny wants to go back to visit the Bawk-ness monster that saved her when she was younger. Penny recruits her friends to help her find "Bessie" one more time. Along with her mom, Penny and her two friends discover a secret - an evil organization is kidnapping cryptids to sell. Will they be able to save Bessie and the other crytids?

This was a pretty cute graphic novel. The story was cute and plot was easy to follow. I loved the imaginativeness of the different cryptids, especially Bessie and Bigtaur.

With tons of color and humor, this read takes readers on a quirky adventure, where it's impossible to guess what will happen next. The action is clear in every scene and balances well with the text, which is very age appropriate. The idea of stepping beyond fears to go on a 'monster' hunt and head out for camping only are the beginning of the adventures, which also point at the few lessons this book has to offer. The humor is sudden and very lively, which is sure to ensure giggles and laughs. And yet, it wasn't my thing.
The pacing was a little off and already had me wanting to lay it down after the first 25 pages. When it wasn't slow, things popped up out of nowhere (the fake monster on the lake?). I just couldn't warm up to it, but do believe others will.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really cute story about friendship, family, and cryptids. It was sweet, funny, and very weird. I really liked all the different cryptids throughout the book. Overall, it’s a fun read. Protect Bessie!