Monsterville: A Lissa Black Production

Gr 4–7-Thirteen-year-old Lissa Black wants to make movies. She wants to win an Oscar for best picture. She wants to move back to New York, where her friends are putting on a school play that she wrote before her parents dragged her and her little sister, Haylie, to live in rural Freeburg, PA. Full of frustration, Lissa eventually makes friends with the neighbor boy, Adam, who makes it his mission to show Lissa that Freeburg is not as dull as she imagines. Events take a turn when Haylie goes missing, and Lissa sets out to rescue her sister from the land of monsters "Down Below." This novel is not just a suspenseful monster story; it's funny, too. Middle grade readers will appreciate that Lissa's obstacles are not just of the creepy variety. She deals with annoying classmates, attempts to stay in touch with old friends, and finds ways to appreciate and accept change. The book ends with a nice setup for a sequel.