Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Monster-hunter series too complex for younger fantasy fans.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Sky and his family have moved more times than he can remember, and for reasons his parents never really explain. Now on his 12th birthday they're off again -- back to a town called Exile, where Sky was born but doesn't remember. The one thing he's excited about is to finally live near his Uncle Phineas, a mysteriously monocled and wise man who's taught Sky all he knows about constructing traps and solving word puzzles, and is responsible for Sky's massive library of monster lore. Sky thinks he's too big for all those monster tales at 12, that is until he reaches Exile and his uncle is no where to be found. On the hunt for Phineas, he learns that Exile is teaming with monsters -- real ones -- monster hunters, and so many shape shifters that no one is really who they seem, not the high school bullies, the sheriff, his meaner than mean teacher Mrs. Hagfish, or even Uncle Phineas. And Sky's RETURN TO EXILE is no happy accident, either. It's the hunter's moon and one of the worst monsters to ever walk the Earth will break out of his prison. It's up to Sky and his new monster-hunter friends to figure out how to contain it with just a few clues Phineas left behind.
Is It Any Good?
There are so many things to like about Return to Exile. There's the humor (just in the names of all the monster lore books alone), the curious and strange monsters themselves, the resourceful junior monster hunters who armor themselves spectacularly with junkyard finds ... But as one intriguing idea piles on top of another, suddenly it's too much. And then it's way too much. There are just too many characters in play (and with all the shape shifters, way more than it's possible to keep straight). And there are subplots -- so many of them that it's hard to keep focused on defeating the big monster in the end.
Also lacking is a real sense of wonder for what Sky has discovered: real monsters, and that he's not alone in his own body, of all places. Wild. This is what will captivate and hold readers as they grapple with understanding a new fantasy world, but it gets lost in too many characters and too many details with not enough focus on the heart of the story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fantasy novels and what makes a good one. With so many characters and monsters to keep track of, how do you keep them all straight? Does the glossary help?
The young monster hunters are incredibly resourceful, making their weapons and armor out of junk. Have you ever made anything useful out of discarded items? Could you fight monsters with it?
Look up the alchemist Hennig Brand in the encyclopedia or on Google. Why do you think Andrew admires him so much? Do you have any interesting heroes?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : John Rocco
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster
- Publication date : September 6, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 500
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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