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Book Review: Escape from Grimstone Manor (Monsterious book 1) by Matt McMann

- Barb Leave a comment

Monsterious Book 1: Escape from Grimstone Manor had been on my radar since it was first announced and I was super excited when I won a copy from the amazing Writers With Wrinkles Podcast giveaway! I highly recommend their podcast to anyone who writes or reads books!

But back to the book! I love a fast-paced, scary middle grade story with awesome friends and a fun, yet creepy setting. Escape from Grimstone Manor, the first book in Matt McMann’s Monsterious series, gave me all that and more. This is a book 10-year-old Barb would have loved to read under the covers at night by flashlight and then again the next day, sneaking reading time during math class. (Yes, I used to do all that.)

It’s got: 

  • A cool setting: amusement park + Gothic haunted mansion ride.
  • Super creepy backstory: necromancer who lived in the spooky mansion where the ride now sits and who may or may not still be around.
  • Awesome monsters: werewolf, lizard person, mummies, and skeletons!
  • Three fantastic friends: Zari, Mateo, and Taylor.

When the three friends get trapped overnight in the haunted mansion ride, they have to find their way out. During their search, they stumble on a hidden staircase that leads them into a crypt that shouldn’t be there. A crypt! Yikes! And then there’s the monsters. The kids not only have to fight real monsters, but they need to find the courage to face their own inner fears and even each other, because even for the best of friends, some things are just too much.

Beyond the great action scenes and spooky moments, what I loved most was the friendship between Zari, Mateo, and Taylor. They’re three very distinct characters, but right from the start you could feel their connection with each other and I knew they were going to need to lean on each other to make it through the night.

Escape from Grimstone Manor was a fast read for me and I totally enjoyed each page. If you or the kids are into books like Goosebumps, then McMann’s book is a must-read for sure. Grab your copy and keep an eye out for the other books in this series. Book 2, The Snatcher of Raven Hollow is already out, book 3, Terror in Shadow Canyon releases in August, and book 4, The Beast of Skull Rock, is set to release January 2024.

You can find out more about author Matt McMann at his website here: https://mattmcmann.com/.

Book Review: BETWEEN MONSTERS AND MARVELS by Alysa Wishingrad

- Barb Leave a comment

As a fan of Alysa’s “The Verdigris Pawn”, her new middle grade book BETWEEN MONSTERS AND MARVELS was one I had been eagerly awaiting. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! 

When I read MG books, I always think back to my own days as a kid, often reading under the covers past bedtime with a flashlight. BETWEEN MONSTERS AND MARVELS  is most definitely a book kid-Barb would have not been able to put down. 

Dare Coates is an awful girl. She’s been told that her whole life and she believes it. But Dare is so much more than what she, and everyone else thinks she is. Dare is wise and inquisitive and utterly fearless. One of my favorite quotes about Dare is:

“She was happy to be a thornbush among the lilies for even the sharpest thorns serve a purpose.” 

After tragedy strikes and Dare is sent away from her isolated island home to live with a distant relative in a gritty city on the mainland, Dare discovers the stories she’s been told all her life about monsters may not be precisely true. Beyond Dare’s quest to uncover the truth about the monsters, giving the reader ample pages of action, mystery, magic, and creepy moments, this book also tackles deeper themes including grief, societal inequalities, and corruption. I think it’s important for young readers to delve into stories that show a MG protagonist questioning the actual truth of what has been considered “known” history. 

One of my absolute favorite things about Alysa Wishingrad’s writing is her ability to completely command my attention with details that immerse me into the story and make me not want to leave. Her vivid descriptions of the island, Dare’s time on the ship, the city, and especially the theater centered me into Dare’s world. I also love that Dare finds friendship in unexpected places and how she learns that maybe she doesn’t have to always go it alone. That’s an important message for any age of reader. 

I highly recommend BETWEEN MONSTERS AND MARVELS for middle grade readers, teens, and adults because there is something there for every age. It’s a beautifully written book and I’d love to read a sequel because I wasn’t ready to leave Dare and her world when I hit the last page.

You can find out more about BETWEEN MONSTERS AND MARVELS at Alysa Wishingrad’s website. Pop over and visit her there and be sure to check out “The Verdigris Pawn” as well, it’s a fantastic middle grade read you don’t want to miss.

Book Review: TWELFTH by Janet Key

- Barb 1 Comment

I wish I could remember who recommended I pick up TWELFTH by Janet Key because I’d really like to thank them. Mysteries are my favorite and expanding my middle grade mystery shelf is one of my favorite things to do.

A 60-year missing diamond ring, a Shakespearian play, and a series of riddle-like clues help set the stage for a mystery-adventure that quickly ensnares Maren, a first-time camper at the Charlotte Goodman Theater Camp. While TWELFTH delivers a solid and satisfying mystery, it also gives the reader complex, realistic, and diverse characters that we need not only in middle grade fiction, but in all stories.

Set in a theater arts camp, the story is told in dual timelines with the “present day” set in 2015 — and there is a reason for this particular year as it ties into the stories. As a former theater kid and as a kid who went to summer camp, I found this book incredibly immersive with fabulous details and insights into what it’s like to rehearse a play and prepare for a performance.

For readers of all ages, TWELFTH will resonate. It deals with the complexities of mental health, bullying, and gender diversity. I highly recommend reading all of the Bonus Material at the end of the book as the interview with Dr. Jennifer Feldmann on gender diversity is wonderful.

Visit author Janet Key at her website for more information about where you can get a copy of TWELFTH and to find out about her other upcoming projects.

Halloween Week: Spooky MG Books for Kids

- Barb Leave a comment
Some of the spooky MG books currently living on my bookshelves.

It’s Halloween week, but I enjoy a good spooky story any time of the year!

I’ve read several fantastic middle grade spooky stories this year, both in print and on my ereader, which include Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko, The Stitchers and The Collectors both by Lorien Lawrence. I totally recommend each and every one.

Here’s my Spooky MG list based on what I currently own and have read this year (it’s in no particular order.) Click on the author’s name to go to their website or book links. Add to your TBR and get ready to enjoy some creeps, chills, and thrills.

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts

Ollie Oxley and The Ghost by Lisa Schmid

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Vande Velde

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie

What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley

Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega

Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne Salerni

The In-Between by Rebecca KS Ansari

The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly by Rebecca KS Ansari

Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery

Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko

The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence

The Collectors by Lorien Lawrence

The last three in the list are not in the above pic because my copies are digital, but I’m thinking I’d like to add the print versions to my shelves. They’ve all got great covers!

This is just one small list of MG spooky books — there are so many great ones out there! Go visit these authors on their sites, check out their books, give them a read. It’s worth it. Looking for other titles? Head to your local library and ask a librarian for recommendations. Your librarians can help you find the perfect book to fit your mood any day of the year.

I hope you enjoy reading these books as much as I did! And if you have any recommendations you want to share, let me know. Tweet me your favorites. Find me talking books, writing, and more on Twitter at: BarbH2014.