The Monster Catchers by George Brewington (review)

Unlike most people, twelve-year-old Bailey Buckleby is aware of the monsters, many of which came to the U.S. centuries ago on slave ships to be sold as exotic pets, and he knows they were responsible for the recent destruction of San Francisco, which authorities have blamed on earthquakes. His monster-hunting father insists that all monsters are primitive and evil, but Bailey isn’t convinced. He has trouble believing that the yeti, who helped win the Revolutionary War, or Henry, a Swiss troll that Bailey’s dad keeps in the back of their curio shop, deserve how poorly his dad treats them, and Bailey believes that if his mom hadn’t mysteriously disappeared seven years ago, she’d be on his side. When a dog-headed trickster shows a menacing interest in Henry, to protect his pet/friend Bailey embarks on a rather convoluted adventure filled with a minotaur moonlighting for a loan shark, some light-stealing goblins, some giant sea creatures, and a menagerie of other familiar and unfamiliar creatures. Despite the rambling pacing, the monsters are appealing, the parallels between monster and human history are discussable, and the end is wildly unsubtle but still gratifying, allowing Bailey to look forward to a more tolerant and altruistic exploration of the world of monsters.