YABook Review: Monsterville: A Lissa Black Production by Sarah S. Reida

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge,from Sky Horse Publishing, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own.

And speaking of investigations....

how about a kids Halloween investigation book?

Synopsis:

Beware what lurks beneath your bed. . . . It could lead to a monstrous adventure.

Thirteen-year-old Lissa Black is miserable when her parents force her to move from New York City (the perfect home for an aspiring writer/director/actress) to Freeburg, Pennsylvania, nowhere capital of the world. There’s nothing to do there, except play her little sister Haylie’s favorite new game, Monsterville, and hang out with her new neighbor Adam.

But when a walk in the woods lands her face-to-face with a swamp monster hungry for brains and then a Sasquatch that moos, even Lissa can’t call her new home totally boring. With Adam’s help, she catches the culprit behind the drama: a shape-shifting goblin who’s fled from the monster world of Down Below.

And what do you do with a creature that can be literally anything? Make monster movies, of course! Lissa is convinced that Blue will be the secret to her big break.

But when Haylie goes missing on Halloween, Lissa, Adam, and the monster must venture Down Below to stage a rescue—and face the real Monsterville, which is anything but a game.

Review:

Think a younger Nancy Drew meets Jumanji, meets Harry Potter, and you've got an idea of what this FUN book is like! It's a quick read, and one that kid, ages 8-12, will devour! It's a great book about the bonds of family and friendship, that is perfect for reading this week, as Halloween is upon us. At

368 pages, it might seem long, but it's a larger typeface, and with only 18 chapters,  you can get through it in time for Monday! It is fun to read out loud as well, so you can make it family reading each night too! Lissa is the perfect character for this age group- resourceful, funny (ok, maybe a bit snarky, but at this age they ALL are!), and honest. That is a great combination for kids to be entranced by! 

This is a fun debut book, and Miss Grace and I hope they'll be more in the Lissa Black series! Be sure to put this one on the MUST have list for your kids today!

About the Author:

Sarah Schauerte Reida is a writer, lawyer, and ugly animal advocate. Growing up in the Midwest (Illinois, to be precise), she read everything she could get her hands on, as well as watched many, many movies during her parents' "camping" trips involving electricity and s'mores in a microwave. A member of The Sweet Sixteens, Sarah's debut middle grade novel, "Monstervile: A Lissa Black Production," is her first novel. 

A graduate of Saint Louis University (B.A). and Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D.), Sarah makes a living helping veteran business owners compete for federal contracts. She and her husband Scott live in the Atlanta area with their dog and four cats. By the time this biography reaches print, they will probably have acquired another animal.

About Sky Pony Press:

Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Timesbestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.