April 11 - "Monster"

“Monster”
by Kelly Link
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren’t as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, A Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn’t Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (2005)

* * * * * (Excellent) Children’s

The boys of Bungalow 6 felt compelled to go camping in the woods. Neither threat of rain nor monster could keep them from doing what the bullies of Bungalow 4 had already done. Even James Lorbick, the least popular – and unhappiest – boy in camp, felt the need to brave the night outdoors.

Another excellent story in this wildly inventive – slightly offbeat – collection of short stories for (intelligent and literary) children. Link does a great job of pacing and characterization, all building up to a very enjoyable climax: James Lorbick’s jittery, immensely funny campfire chat with a monster. The story succeeded in bringing back fond – but maybe not entirely accurate – memories of camp. However much (or little) of my own camping experience I do remember, this tale and these campers felt right. The magic came in both the tiny details (the “joy” of cramped and wet and smelly tents) and the supernatural horrors (terrified children fleeting the blood-stained hands of a quick white monster). It’s the type of story you hope to hear while sitting around a campfire – a story chock full of humor, and chills.