What's worse than having a monster of a little brother? How about an actual monster? Learn all about this great book by Jason Lady in today's featured book article.

Grade Range: 4 to 8

Brad is a sixth-grader who likes to draw. He may like to draw a little too much because he gets in trouble for drawing in class and ends up grounded from drawing! He loves art class, of course, but struggles in his other classes. His little brother Daley is super-smart and great in every subject. Brad is jealous of Daley and gets angry when Daley makes fun of him for getting grounded. Brad's best friend is Quentin, the school moocher.

Setting: Monster Problems is mostly set at Brad and Daley's school, which is so small, elementary school kids and middle school kids are in the same building. Brad has to navigate a normal day of classes while trying to solve his monster problem. And school is full of surprises, including a mysterious classmate and the bizarre secret of the school principal.

Is the book based on anyone from real life: Yes, they are! Just like the main character Brad, I got in trouble for having bad grades and behaving badly at school, and got grounded from everything...even drawing! It worked, I shaped up and was much better at school after that! Brad's best friend Quentin is kind of an amalgamation of several friends I had when I was a kid.

Book Lessons: Brad is focused on art and drawing and neglecting all his other classes, and he's green with envy of his little brother. Brad learns that he needs to do the best he can in his other classes, and not just care about the class where things come naturally to him. Brad also has to learn to let go of his jealousy, because it's causing him to make bad decisions...like drawing a monster to go after Daley. This becomes a huge problem because the pen is a magic pen and whatever Brad draws with it becomes real!

Check the book out on Amazon today.