I Will Fight Monsters For You - Tapa dura

"Martina, in her striped pajamas and pigtails, is a darling character, and Anitram is cute and cuddly." School Library Journal, February 1, 2015

"After Anitram is reassured by her own father, she falls asleep as well, leading to a beautiful moment when the two characters' hands meet through the imagined hole in the floor." Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2015

"Lyona's pink and blue monsters are even cuter than Martina, and the book's sweetly conceived conclusion (not to mention the pair of warmhearted fathers, human and monster) will calm any nervous bed-goer." Publishers Weekly, January 9, 2015

"On its surface, Balmes' tale functions as a nothing-to-be-afraid-of bedtime story, with recognizable fears embellished by one girl's particular imagination. But the story also works as a deeper metaphor for looking past the 'other' to see common humanity." Booklist (online), April 24, 2015

What if an entire world of MONSTERS lived underneath your floor? Martina is having trouble sleeping because she is afraid monsters might break through the floor and bring her into the monster world where she’ll have to learn how to scare humans. Meanwhile, Anitram, a little girl monster, is also having trouble sleeping. There’s a noisy little human jumping on the bed in the upside-down world under her floor! Martina and Anitram have more in common than they realize and when a mysterious hole opens up in the floor between their worlds, they are in for a big surprise! A beautiful and clever tale that makes a perfect bedtime story for anyone who is afraid of (or wants to become friends with) a monster!