Ava the Monster Slayer: Cousin Power

by Lisa Maggiore, Ross Felten (Illustrator)

Overview

Ava (and Piggy) are back with a brand-new adventure!

Ava proved she’s a fierce monster slayer after defeating the ferocious basement monsters to save her favorite stuffed animal, Piggy, in Ava the Monster Slayer: A Warrior Who Wears Glass.

Now, Ava must gather her courage once again as she gets ready to attend an overnight camp for the first time. She and her cousin, Sophia, are scared of being away from home, but they take comfort in Piggy and Sophia’s Teddy being by their sides.

After an evening hike, Ava and Sophia return to their cabin and discover Piggy and Teddy are gone! The girls refuse to leave their beloved stuffed animals outside overnight and quickly devise a rescue mission.

Ava knows that they’ll have to be fierce when they face the monsters lurking in the dark woods. The girls don’t have weapons to help them confront the monsters (Ava’s warrior sword is at home!), so they make their own using rubber bands, a hanger, and candy.

Not even the growls or the stinky smells of the creatures in the woods are going to stop them in their quest. Ava and Sophia are determined to rescue Piggy and Teddy—no matter what.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510748118
Publisher:	Sky Pony
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Series:	Ava the Monster Slayer , #2
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Lisa Maggiore is the author of a children’s picture book Ava the Monster Slayer: A Warrior Who Wears Glasses, a short story titled “Pinterest Saved My Marriage,” and a novel, Home from Within. Lisa is currently working on other writing projects and practicing her storytelling skills during Live Lit performances. Lisa resides in Chicago with her family.Ross Felten is a graphic artist living in Lombard, IL. He enjoys coaching soccer, singing in the shower, and winters in the Midwest.  You can follow Ross's artistic pursuits at www.rossfelten.com.
Lisa Maggiore is the author of a children’s picture book Ava the Monster Slayer: A Warrior Who Wears Glasses, a short story titled “Pinterest Saved My Marriage,” and a novel, Home from Within. Lisa is currently working on other writing projects and practicing her storytelling skills during Live Lit performances. Lisa resides in Chicago with her family.

Ross Felten is a graphic artist living in Lombard, IL. He enjoys coaching soccer, singing in the shower, and winters in the Midwest.  You can follow Ross's artistic pursuits at www.rossfelten.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The tale is just a little scary, and the illustrations perfectly heighten the fear, fierceness, and love with atmospheric darkness, scary monsters, and the right amount of color to lighten things up. Ava and Sophia marshal their resources, manage their fear, and save their stuffies. Works fine as a stand-alone story." —School Library Journal

"The combination of tenderness for stuffed companions and the fierce bravery required to rescue them is fun and refreshing. . .  Light entertainment for kids who like drama." —Kirkus Reviews

"Ava is a role model for children in that she knows her worth, and allows her experience, best instincts, and available resources to guide her through challenges, and follows through on her actions. Ava the Monster Slayer: Cousin Power succeeds on many levels and would be an engaging addition to any child’s book collection." —Susan Gaspar, Windy City Reviews

Praise for Ava the Monster Slayer: A Warrior Who Wears Glasses
 
“Maggiore and Felten's treatment of this familiar story theme not only overcomes a fear of the dark but also kicks it in the head. Nicely done.”—School Library Journal
 

“A triumphant sally in the long-running war against closet and other domestic monsters, with these mildly scary monsters not slain but thoroughly routed.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

01/24/2020

K-Gr 2—After saving her favorite stuffed animal, Piggy, from the basement monsters in her first book, Ava faces a new challenge. Upon returning from their first evening hike at sleepaway camp, Ava and her cousin, Sophia, discover their comfort stuffed animals (Piggy and Teddy) did not make it back from the hike with them. Their cabin counselor tells them a rescue mission must wait until morning but leaving their beloved stuffies in the woods with "wild animals and ghosts and monsters" is not an option for them. They must brave the deep, dark forest and its monsters to save their loved ones (despite knowing sneaking out is wrong). First, they fashion weapons from a coat hanger, ball, pop rocks, rubber band, and sticks. Then they sneak away despite their fear and lack of a working flashlight. They slink, creep, and tiptoe through the woods with fierce faces and, despite being afraid, successfully battle a serpent, vampire bat, and the tree monster holding Piggy and Teddy. The tale is just a little scary, and the illustrations perfectly heighten the fear, fierceness, and love with atmospheric darkness, scary monsters, and the right amount of color to lighten things up. Ava is depicted with light skin tones and brown hair while Sophia has darker skin and curly black hair. VERDICT Ava and Sophia marshal their resources, manage their fear, and save their stuffies. Works fine as a stand-alone story. Purchase as needed.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

School Library Journal

2019-07-24
Ava, "the FAMOUS Monster Slayer," uses all her resources to rescue her stuffed toy from the dark woods at camp.

This is not Ava's first heroic adventure. In her eponymous 2015 debut, she was called upon to rescue Piggy from the basement. Now, Ava and her cousin Sophia are at overnight camp for the first time. Ava is "a little scared." Sophia is "really scared." The first night, they all go for an evening hike and eat dinner watching the sunset. But when they return to their cabin, Piggy and Sophia's beloved Teddy are "GONE!" The counselors say it is bedtime. The boys are no help either. So Ava the FAMOUS Monster Slayer convinces Sophia to sneak out and save their friends. They make weapons out of common objects and prepare themselves for battle. They conquer a serpent, a flying creature, and the terrifying creature (which looks suspiciously like a tree) that has their friends in its clutches. Finally, thanks to "cousin power," their mission is complete. The comic-book-style layout features the humorous first-person narration of a child who takes her tasks seriously. The crosshatched drawings let personalities shine but call a bit too much attention to the line marks, resulting in a slightly unpolished look. The combination of tenderness for stuffed companions and the fierce bravery required to rescue them is fun and refreshing. Both girls have light skin; Ava has straight, dark hair and glasses while Sophia wears her dark, puffy hair with a bow.

Light entertainment for kids who like drama. (Graphic fiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews