A fast paced novel about a trio of twelve year olds who sneak out to the haunted fair and end up being locked in the haunted house. One tween is scared and overly cautious, one tween is reckless and keeps screwing things up, and the third tween is stuck in the middle and has to keep fixing both their messes. The characters are annoying and over the top, the concept of them getting stuck in a haunted house ride, which was also the historic house of the local necromancer, was too much. I'm sure tweens will like this book as it just keeps getting more and more ridiculous, but the plot is basic and the ending is abrupt. If you need a quick horror novel to entertain your tween it will work.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book 😊
"Escape from Grimstone Manor" by Matt McMann was such an incredibly spooky middle grade read! For my full review and even an interview with Matt, click on the link below to listen to the podcast episode I got to do with him!!

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/WVY8siA36Jb

Fantastic not-too-scary story set in an amusement park. A must-read for Goosebumps fans!

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Escape from Grimstone Manor is a non-stop thrill ride! The book tells the tale of a trio of friends who find themselves stuck on an amusement park ride. The ride is inside a spooky manor house of a man who is rumored to have experimented with monsters. When the ride breaks down and the trio finds themselves trapped for the night, they stumble on to a hidden staircase that leads them to encounters with mummies, werewolves, and skeletons. The friends must be resourceful and stick together if they're going to make it out alive. Action-packed with just the right amount of frights, this will be a hit with middle grade readers looking for something scary to sink their teeth into!

This story that takes place in an amusement park/thrill ride is a thrill ride of its own!

An exciting, mysterious and “monster-iffic” read that keeps you turning the pages.

I plan to read the rest of the series, and will recommend it to my students who are fans of scary.

Monsterious is a new adventure series by Matt McMann for those who like a fun scary tale. Book 1: Escape from Grimstone Manor follows three friends trapped on a spooky ride at an amusement park. The catch, this ride is built in the manor house of a man who dabbled in the dark arts and created something monsterious!

As someone who worked at an amusement park, it brought back memories. Fortunately, the park I worked at didn’t have an old crypt at the base of a long staircase, or did it?

A great read for fans of Goosebumps. I read a review by author James Ponti that I think sums it up… “Scream. Laugh. Repeat.”

Monsterious Book 1: Escape from Grimstone Manor and Monsterious Book 2: The Snatcher of Raven Hollow are both available May 9, 2023 or for preorder now.

Ages 8 – 12