Book Review: Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig

Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great mix of bad dreams and self-discovery.

Sixth-grader Ethan Pitowski, the only child of very cautious parents, has taken on their anxiety and fearfulness (about everything), overthinking each and every daily movement and decision until he’s almost paralyzed from actually living. When his two best friends run into trouble at a clandestine house party thrown by the most popular kid in class, he must overcome his fears to save them. Readers will enjoy his lively inner monologue and pep talks in which he convinces himself to forge on as everyone else around him is losing their heads.

Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig, a new upper middle-grade horror story, is a great mix of bad dreams and self-discovery. While eluding a horrifying TV-headed monster, the product of a cursed videotape of the “SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE,” the main character’s greater challenge is overcoming his fears to be himself (and save his friends and family in the meantime.) This unusual monster tale was mesmerizing, hitting many universal fears, some from daily life and others from the horror film genre, and I could easily relate to the young protagonist’s struggles easily relatable.

The monster of the story is a large, older-model television set that moves about on spindly, insectile legs. The television’s screen changes from a blue screen to white crackly static to an enormous eye to a maw that bloodlessly removes the heads of its hypnotized victims: nightmarish images, perhaps, for more sensitive younger readers. Besides the frighteningly unstoppable monster, there is a villainous movie theater manager behind the monster’s release into Ethan’s community to best. The plot includes exciting rescues and escapes, movie-making action, and facing and overcoming one’s fears, and while scary, the story is easy and engaging to read. Thumbs up as a possible choice to entice reluctant readers.

I recommend MONSTER MOVIE! to upper middle-grade readers who enjoy scary stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

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