Ninja Trap: How To Catch A Monster by Adam Wallace

School is done; I'm heading home.
It was such an awesome day!
I got the role of Ninja Master
In this year's school play.

So now I'm feeling brave and strong,
And full of courage, too!
But if I'm going to be a HERO,
There's one thing left to do!

Like most youngsters, our newly minted Ninja Master has an issue with that SOMETHING in his closet. This Monster has kept him half-scared for a long time with his spooky bumps in the night, and with his new title, Ninja Master is ready to take on the challenge of trapping this closet bogeyman once and for all. He gets into his ninja gear and gets Mission Closet Monster underway.

There's no doubt that Monster is in there. He lets out a ROAR!

Ninja Master pulls out his wind-up shark and sends him in to maul the Closet Monster, but he comes out with his snout out of joint. He tries a sticky ninja net spray, but Monster escapes. Ninja Master sends in his robot, who succeeds in capturing the Monster in his cage. Success!

But Monster looks all sad and crestfallen. He apologizes for being scary and explains what he really wants.

It's hard to to play when you're asleep.
I want you wide awake!

Ninja Master and Closet Monster strike a truce, and each gains a secret late-night playmate, in Adam Wallace's latest How-To story book, How to Catch a Monster (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2017) which, with artist Andy Elkerton's engaging and funny cartoon illustrations, joins the Wallace-Elkerton team's series of popular seasonal stories, How to Catch an Elf, How to Catch the Tooth Fairy, How to Catch a Leprechaun, and How to Catch the Easter Bunny. (See reviews here.)