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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This was the perfect spooky read for my middle grade reading list! It's not too scary, but definitely creepy and as I read, it most certainly played out like a movie in my head.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I thought this was a fun middle grade spooky book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so much fun. Monsters and mayhem may very well be my favorite combination. In this book we follow scaredy-cat Ethan- who is scared of, well...everything as he digs deep and summons up his bravery and courage to save his friends from a monster that escapes from a cursed film. The characters in this were unique and diverse and I loved the character development for Ethan. I like the lessons of acceptance, chasing your dreams and standing up for oneself.
I do want to mention that the slang thrown in- "no cap" "sus" etc was at times cringy and I think will prematurely age this story. It never feels natural when an adult writes kids slang.
The audiobook was fantastic the narrator really put in so much effort with the voices and characters- I was quickly sucked into the story and finished it in two listing sessions. This was a perfect Middle Grade horror. A gentle, but creepy intro into the genre. I would have loved books like this when I was younger.
I do want to mention that the slang thrown in- "no cap" "sus" etc was at times cringy and I think will prematurely age this story. It never feels natural when an adult writes kids slang.
The audiobook was fantastic the narrator really put in so much effort with the voices and characters- I was quickly sucked into the story and finished it in two listing sessions. This was a perfect Middle Grade horror. A gentle, but creepy intro into the genre. I would have loved books like this when I was younger.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
This was Cordie’s first horror book ever, and she liked how the TV Head is a monster and I liked the main character Ethan dealing with anxiety and overcoming his fears to save his friends. I also loved the aspect of standing up to adults and defending your passions.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This review was originally posted on my blog https://booksare42.com/
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book through Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Monster Movie! is a fun middle-grade horror story about a monster movie that comes to life and starts biting people’s heads off. It has some great characters that were easy to root for and some great messages about bravery and following your dreams.
The premise of Monster Movie! was a lot of fun. One of the most popular kids at school managed to get his hands on the scariest horror movie ever created. He invites everyone in the grade over to his house to watch it while all of the parents are at the school for parent night. The movie ends up putting everyone in a trance, coming to life, and starts biting people’s heads off. It’s kind of creepy, but it’s also kind of fun. That being said, this probably isn’t the best introduction to middle-grade horror and might be better for kids who are already fans of the genre.
The main character in Monster Movie! is Ethan Pitowski. Ethan has anxiety and is afraid of everything. He has a habit of spiraling and thinking of the worst case scenarios. He doesn’t want to watch the movie, but his two best friends, Olivia and Harvey, pressure him into going. He’s late and it ends up being up to him to save the town from the monster that’s terrorizing the town.
Ethan is a great main character who is easy to root for. He loves his friends and tries so hard to be brave. While some of his fears were a bit on the extreme side, I think some of his fears could be very relatable, especially the fear of losing his friends. I enjoyed reading about him working through his fears and being brave.
I also loved the friendship between Ethan, Olivia, and Harvey. I enjoyed their different personalities and how they balanced each other out. I also loved that they had a code phrase to use when it was time to be serious.
I liked the messages about following your dreams and standing up for what you believe in in Monster Movie! There were a few points where this came up, but I especially liked how it applied to Ethan and his artwork. I also liked how Ethan’s artwork helped show Ethan’s growth throughout the story.
I didn’t love the pacing of Monster Movie! I thought the first half of the book was a bit slow and that the second half flew by. This made it a bit more difficult to become invested in the story, but once I got into it, it was hard to put down.
Monster Movie! does touch upon some heavier topics. There’s mentions of divorce, a few instances of bullying, and depictions of a parent bullying their child. Monster Movie! also has some scary and violent moments. The head eating monster isn’t gory, but it is disturbing. There are other scenes that were fairly intense and on the frightening side. I don’t think there was anything unusual for a horror story, but as I mentioned above, this might not be the best introduction to the genre for kids.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book through Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Monster Movie! is a fun middle-grade horror story about a monster movie that comes to life and starts biting people’s heads off. It has some great characters that were easy to root for and some great messages about bravery and following your dreams.
The premise of Monster Movie! was a lot of fun. One of the most popular kids at school managed to get his hands on the scariest horror movie ever created. He invites everyone in the grade over to his house to watch it while all of the parents are at the school for parent night. The movie ends up putting everyone in a trance, coming to life, and starts biting people’s heads off. It’s kind of creepy, but it’s also kind of fun. That being said, this probably isn’t the best introduction to middle-grade horror and might be better for kids who are already fans of the genre.
The main character in Monster Movie! is Ethan Pitowski. Ethan has anxiety and is afraid of everything. He has a habit of spiraling and thinking of the worst case scenarios. He doesn’t want to watch the movie, but his two best friends, Olivia and Harvey, pressure him into going. He’s late and it ends up being up to him to save the town from the monster that’s terrorizing the town.
Ethan is a great main character who is easy to root for. He loves his friends and tries so hard to be brave. While some of his fears were a bit on the extreme side, I think some of his fears could be very relatable, especially the fear of losing his friends. I enjoyed reading about him working through his fears and being brave.
I also loved the friendship between Ethan, Olivia, and Harvey. I enjoyed their different personalities and how they balanced each other out. I also loved that they had a code phrase to use when it was time to be serious.
I liked the messages about following your dreams and standing up for what you believe in in Monster Movie! There were a few points where this came up, but I especially liked how it applied to Ethan and his artwork. I also liked how Ethan’s artwork helped show Ethan’s growth throughout the story.
I didn’t love the pacing of Monster Movie! I thought the first half of the book was a bit slow and that the second half flew by. This made it a bit more difficult to become invested in the story, but once I got into it, it was hard to put down.
Monster Movie! does touch upon some heavier topics. There’s mentions of divorce, a few instances of bullying, and depictions of a parent bullying their child. Monster Movie! also has some scary and violent moments. The head eating monster isn’t gory, but it is disturbing. There are other scenes that were fairly intense and on the frightening side. I don’t think there was anything unusual for a horror story, but as I mentioned above, this might not be the best introduction to the genre for kids.
Reading Monster Movie was an absolute delight. It is funny, creepy, and sweet; an enjoyable book for readers of all ages. There's strong friendship, a cursed video tape, time travel (maybe??), and a lot of laughs.
Ethan Pitowski is a VERY anxious kid so when the whole 6th grade class is invited to the rich kid's house to watch "the scariest movie ever" he doesn't want to go. But his best friends Harley and Olivia force him to get outside of his comfort zone and join the class. By the time Ethan arrives, everyone is quite literally hypnotized by the TV. Then, the monster appears.
The book is broken up into 3 parts and each one almost reads like a different book -- it all comes together in the end but it did feel like a slightly different experience each time. What I mean is, each part opens up a new area of the plot. There's before the monster, the show down in the movie theater, and then the battle inside the monster.
I loved these characters, especially our main three (Ethan, Harley and Olivia).
I also listened to most of this on audiobook and the narrator hit it out of the park.
For a book written for (mostly) 10 year olds, I think I’m over analyzing the story. If I was a younger reader I’d probably say “cool! This book is a lot of fun” but instead I’m trying to figure out how/why things happened. I understand Ethan jumped into Screenhead to save everyone but where did he go?! How did Robby get stuck in that time loop? If that wasn’t Robby’s dad, was it just a manifestation of the curse? Where did the curse come from? And how did they even break it? If Robby’s movie wasn’t ever actually made then how did it become known to be the scariest movie ever?
Two things reading this as an adult.
1. I really hope the middle school was named after THE incomparable Geena Davis.
2. The movie in the book being the scariest ever reminded me of the theater audience reactions to Terrifier a few years ago
Ethan Pitowski is a VERY anxious kid so when the whole 6th grade class is invited to the rich kid's house to watch "the scariest movie ever" he doesn't want to go. But his best friends Harley and Olivia force him to get outside of his comfort zone and join the class. By the time Ethan arrives, everyone is quite literally hypnotized by the TV. Then, the monster appears.
The book is broken up into 3 parts and each one almost reads like a different book -- it all comes together in the end but it did feel like a slightly different experience each time. What I mean is, each part opens up a new area of the plot. There's before the monster, the show down in the movie theater, and then the battle inside the monster.
I loved these characters, especially our main three (Ethan, Harley and Olivia).
I also listened to most of this on audiobook and the narrator hit it out of the park.
For a book written for (mostly) 10 year olds, I think I’m over analyzing the story. If I was a younger reader I’d probably say “cool! This book is a lot of fun” but instead I’m trying to figure out how/why things happened.
Two things reading this as an adult.
1. I really hope the middle school was named after THE incomparable Geena Davis.
2. The movie in the book being the scariest ever reminded me of the theater audience reactions to Terrifier a few years ago
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Hilarious and anxious, always catastrophizing MC, who usually goes into a spiral with intrusive thoughts will have an amazing character arc, growing into a hero (basically because there is no one else to save the day, haha) and learning to stand up for his passions and beliefs.
A monster TV has stolen everyone's heads. The event has no gore, no blood; the heads are just gone, but everyone is alive (somewhere). The MC will have to find a way to not have a panic attack and save his friends and everyone else.
It is a very creative and out-of-the-box fun spooky story with great elements to pay homage to a time when we appreciated the art of movies more than reels. Has some great insights and life lessons towards the end. Very satisfying and fun read. I am glad it supports a career in arts.
A monster TV has stolen everyone's heads. The event has no gore, no blood; the heads are just gone, but everyone is alive (somewhere). The MC will have to find a way to not have a panic attack and save his friends and everyone else.
It is a very creative and out-of-the-box fun spooky story with great elements to pay homage to a time when we appreciated the art of movies more than reels. Has some great insights and life lessons towards the end. Very satisfying and fun read. I am glad it supports a career in arts.
mysterious
medium-paced
(4.0 Stars)
I am not the target demographic for this book. At least, not anymore. I'm about 40 years past the prime audience. With that being said, I *was* the target audience for this book. I grew up on horror books. And I really like this author, so when I saw it...I knew I needed to read it.
This was a very well written book. Chuck Wendig is a great storyteller and it translates to a relatable monster story tailored towards a younger audience.
The Audiobook narrator does an excellent job and makes the experience enjoyable.
I am not the target demographic for this book. At least, not anymore. I'm about 40 years past the prime audience. With that being said, I *was* the target audience for this book. I grew up on horror books. And I really like this author, so when I saw it...I knew I needed to read it.
This was a very well written book. Chuck Wendig is a great storyteller and it translates to a relatable monster story tailored towards a younger audience.
The Audiobook narrator does an excellent job and makes the experience enjoyable.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced