Monkey with a Tool Belt: Interview with a Young Fan

by Carol Hinz, Editorial Director of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books

The original Monkey with a Tool Belt book by Chris Monroe came out in 2008, and I don’t think anyone who worked on that first book ever dreamed that twelve years later, we’d be on book #6 in the series and that there would be a show streaming on Netflix!

I certainly never dreamed that in the year 2020, I’d be the mother of a seven-year-old kid who thinks Chico Bon Bon is awesome–or that I’d have the great fortune to work with Chris Monroe as the editor of her newest book, Monkey with a Tool Belt Blasts Off! I thought it would be fun to interview my son and get some of his thoughts on both the new book and the show, so here we go…

by Megan Ciskowski, Assistant Publicist

Check out August new releases from Lerner Publishing Group!

Today on The Lerner Podcast, we talk with Chris Monroe. Chris is the author and illustrator of the Monkey with a Toolbelt series.

Monkey with a Tool Belt returns in a new back-to-school picture book adventure, and acclaimed author Geoffrey Girard’s latest novel for teens delves into the world of conspiracy theories. Learn more about these new books:

Picture Book

Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Silly School Mystery by Chris Monroe

Chico Bon Bon is having the most unusual school day. Half the library books are missing and someone (or something!) has chewed up the classroom map. Chico is on the case—with his trusty tool belt, of course!

“Monroe’s illustrations are as delightful to pore over as usual, with changes of perspective and lots of quirky details . . .”—Kirkus Reviews

View this title on Edelweiss.

Visit our website to discover more books in the Monkey with a Tool Belt series!

YA Novel

Truthers by Geoffrey Girard

Katie’s dad has a breakdown and lands in a mental hospital. To get him out, Katie needs to prove he’s not crazy—which means investigating his conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

★ “[A] fast-paced nail-biter with a resourceful heroine, packed with surprises . . .”—starred, Publishers Weekly

“Girard is a skilled storyteller, weaving history and conspiracy into a thriller that’s bold, smart, and impossible to put down.”—Natalie D. Richards, author of Six Months Later and One Was Lost

View this title on Edelweiss.

Read a sample chapter of Truthers here.