This is a really fun and funny story to read. It's the sequel to Welcome to Wonderland, which has a silly array of characters and compelling mystery to solve. I adore Chris Grabenstein and his wonderful story telling.

Don’t be fooled, this book is hilarious and action-packed. Chris Grabenstein is such a good author! Beach Party Surf Monkey fit the Welcome to Wonderland series perfectly, but still felt fresh and interesting. I loved it, especially the mystery storyline. The fact that it teaches business and economics to young readers is a bonus.

Gravenstein and his kid addictive writing style returns in the sequel to this hilarious new series that had my kids animated and quoting favorite lines. Thank you Chris for putting the funny back into books!

Chris Grabenstein is a hit with my middle school students, and I have to admit, I'm quite a fan myself!
Beach Party Surf Monkey is the second book in the Welcome to Wonderland series, and it is as adorable, goofy, and adventurous as the first. This time around, P.T. and Gloria's latest scheme to save the Wonderland Hotel involves getting producers to use the property to shoot their movie- but in true Wonderland style, nothing goes smoothly. What would be the fun in that! :)
Fans will definitely be pleased, and readers who are new to the series can jump right into the fun.

Readers enjoy Grabenstein's brand of humor and his understanding of their world, and this book will not disappoint.

Great Summer read. Fans of Chris Gravensteins will enjoy this next book in the Wonderland Motel series. This time P.T. and Gloria have devised a plan to get the newest teen throbs to film a retro movie at the Wonderland. Will they be able to keep things under control?

High Energy, Fast Paced, Good Humored Florida Showmanship

I like middle grade heroes who always have a plan or a scheme or a wacky angle, but if they aren't done right they can become creepy, tiresome or obnoxious. Grabenstein knows exactly how to do such characters, and so this second installment in the Wonderland series is as outlandish and upbeat as the first.

Our two heroes are P.T., (named after P.T. Barnum), whose the fast talking idea man, and Gracie, who's the brains, planner, and financial officer for P.T.'s schemes. They are a well oiled machine, and it is a pleasure to see two great friends sharing equal time in a book like this. The kids are smart and resourceful, and the balance between practical Gracie and outside-the-box P.T. keeps the book racing along on an even keel.

It seems we're always trying to save the old family motel, and this time around the plan turns on making it the location for a surfer dude rom-com movie. So, you get P.T.'s schemes, a few villains trying to bring down the motel, touchy actors, a surfing monkey, and many, many complications.

But as before, we also get a lot of quick thinking, fast shuffling, improv, and antic action. That said, nothing about these books is dumb or patronizing. There are a lot of funny and perceptive throwaway lines, a few groaners, and a good deal of snappy dialogue. There are some pointed bits about fame, celebrity, crooked businessmen, and so on, which adds just a touch of occasional edge. Every character is a bit more than you might expect, and almost every scheme gets one more twist or angle than the bare minimum. So, even though this is aimed at younger readers it has a lot of style and wry humor, and it's always just a little bit more or a little bit better, or a little bit wiser, than it has to be.

Florida is, or course, the best place in which to set wacky and slightly skewed screwball adventures. Adult writers like Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen, and Tim Dorsey have been mining this territory for years. It's nice to see that middle graders can share in the sunny, white sand, Gulf breeze nuttiness too. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

P.T. and Gloria helped pay off the big loan to save the Wonderland Motel by catching the thieves, but that doesn’t mean the Wonderland is in the clear for good. And there’s a big new fancy hotel next door that’s pressuring them to sell out. The amount sneaky Mr. Conch is offering P.T.’s mom is tempting her, but P.T. can’t even think of selling the Wonderland. So he and Gloria put their heads together for their next way to save their home. An idea falls into their lap when star Aidan Tyler tells them they should pitch the Wonderland as the location for his first full length film shoot. P.T. and Gloria do their best, but it’s really Aidan’s co-star, Cassie McGinty, who gets the gig for them. Everything should be great now, right? Except one of the stars can’t act. One of the stars gets kidnapped. And the entire thing might fall apart and get moved to Iowa if P.T. can’t use his quick thinking and crime solving skills to save the movie <i>and</i> his home.

This book might be even better than the first Wonderland story. It’s got a great combination of P.T. and Gloria’s sharp wits and teamwork, the lure of getting inside a Hollywood shoot, the definite need to make things work, and a little mystery to solve. It’s entertaining and eye-catching, and loads of fun. This series is an easy sell even with reluctant readers. Grabenstein continues to use his magical writing skills to whip up a story that makes kids eager readers, and the Brooke Allen’s illustrations just seal the deal of firmly sucking them in. Definitely ordering copies for our library. Highly recommended to readers who like contemporary fiction, humorous reads, and light mysteries.

Typical Grabenstein... if you enjoyed book one, you will love this one as well. Elemenatary kids will enjoy this. Will be purchasing for my library to go with the rest of Grabenstein's collection.