Mummies and monsters come to life unexpectedly in this fun little novel. It’s exactly what middle schoolers would like! I plan to offer it as a high interest easy-to-read book for my middle schoolers.

This was a really cute story Wen and grandpa Wendell..

There’s just something about a grandfather & grandson duo that have so much in common. Like Wen is a carbon copy 2.0 of his grandfather. I genuinely enjoyed this fun loving story. I read this book with my 12 year old that could heavily relate to Wen and how difficult it’s been to make friends. Also, the way Wen’s interest differ from those of his classmates.

Now,I fully didn’t expect the plot to unfold the way it did in the adventures of Mummy Man and Waffles. But it was a great time. Heartwarming and fun.

This is a book, we’d read again and again.


I VOLUNTEERED to read an ARC of this book through NetGalley

I received this book as an advanced reader copy. It does not affect my review in any way.

The summer months are meant to be spent running around and enjoying childhood. But when Wen Wyler, better known as Waffles, is sent to his grandpa's house in Maine things get weird. Grandpa, a former Hollywood make-up and special effects artist, has a huge collection of classic horror film memorabilia in his basement that suddenly disappears after Mummy Man is accidentally brought back to life! Waffles, with the help of Grandpa's neighbor Tanya, must solve the mystery and save Grandpa.

Well written and paced well, this middle grade book was a quick read for me. It was not interesting to my seven-year-old, who is still learning what genres he likes. The characters where well fleshed out, while the plot was comprehensible for the intended audience. I will try this one again with my child when it is a physical copy.

I knew as soon as I saw the cover my son would love this book!! And that he did. We read it aloud and it was nice that it had bite sized chapters and cool illustrations. It also kept his attention. Which is a definite plus!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this opportunity!!

A great blend of silly, scary, and exciting. The action is clear and easy to follow, steadily building from a small-scale adventure to a life-saving melee. The story carries the characters and actions well enough that the illustrations feel like fun extra special pieces. Wen's development into believing in himself and acting bravely is gratifying to follow.

This book was a ton of fun.

I think younger readers will enjoy the goofy cast of characters and monster hijinks.

Personally, I was quite fond of Frank.

🧇 You simply can’t pass up a book with a title like this, right?

🧇 This book was an absolute blast to read! It is a chapter book with illustrations and fun facts! The writing style is fantastic and funny. It reminded me of Stuart Gibbs’ books – so if you love his books, you will definitely love this book too!

🧇 I loved the integration of classic horror movies and make-up and special effects props. There are zombies, vampires, clowns and more awesome horror movie props! Nothing is too scary though… I promise!

🧇 Books like these are loads of fun, but they often have great messages for young readers, too, and this one is no exception. Friendship is a strong theme, but so is being confident, apologizing, learning from the older generation and more.

🧇 This is the first book in a new series, and I will absolutely read the rest as they become available!

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsch for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Entertains and laugh out loud funny. Loved this quirky children’s book. Grateful it will be a series.the illustrations and side facts added to the appeal.

Waffles goes to visit his Grandpa for the summer and gets much more than he bargained for in this fast paced monster marathon. Kids will think it’s entertaining, not super scary.

Thanks Net Galley and HarperCollins for the temporary ARC to review.

This was fun and hilarious and there were so many laugh-out-loud moments!
One of the most perfect books for middle-grade readers who might be reluctant to pick up a book on their own. this one will have them hooked and glued to the pages for sure!
Also, kids that age love spooky stories. This is an absolutely age-appropriate thrill-filled book!

This was such a fun middle grade read, and perfect for spooky season. It was laugh out loud funny and the illustrations add so much to the novel. My 9 year old flew through it and said he wants to read more of their adventures!

Absolutely perfect for MG readers who want some adventure and thrills. Can't wait for publication day so I can share this with my kids!

I LOVE THIS! I knew as soon as I read the dedication I was going to be obsessed. (Three-legged dogs getting treats is all I need to have a good day). I also loved the format. The chapters are broken up by centered fun facts, illustrations, or creatively formatted texts that help keep the focus of my kids. The illustrations then self are so awesome. The characters are cute and recognizable, but there are simple drawings and super detailed scenes. I love this bc the simple sketches are attainable for the students to draw, and the more complex ones are just impressive. I like that this book embraces the creepy and weird like zombie squirrels and an emphasis on toilets. That really engages the youths. It all ends with a recipe!! The lesson plan is writing itself! I love an interactive book.

This is a cute and fun little adventure that middle school readers will enjoy. It'll also be great for students who may struggle to read independently.

Thank you to Netgalley for the Arc. As a Librarian I know my students are going to love this book. This book is funny, suspenseful,icky and has funny named movies. The illustrations are spot on. I will definitely be purchasing this for my Library.

Really cute book for kids that enjoy reading Captain Underpants. Would recommend for a kids book club. Good for both boys and girls.

New Yorker Wen must spend the summer with his grandfather. Wen was sure the visit would upset his summer plans of his "Ultimate Monster Movie Marathon". He should have known better, since his grandfather is a former Hollywood special effects and make-up artist.

Wen and his grandfather start to clean out the flooded basement filled with movie props, when Wen knocks a bottle over. Wen, his grandfather, and next door neighbor Tayna suddenly find themselves is a battle against monsters to save the town.

What a great book for reluctant readers, or scary movie lovers!

Waffles is forced to spend the summer helping his grandfather, a monster movie special effects creator, clean out his basement. One accidental spillage of purple slime later and movie monsters are on the loose and causing havoc!

This was a fun easy chapter books for low or reluctant readers. I loved how they kept spoofing monster B-movies with tons of nonsensical sequels.
-How did they defeat this monster in the movie???
-I didn't watch that movie, it was horrible!

What a fun concept. What kid who loves horror movies would not love the chance to find a potion that brings all your favorite movie monsters to life. The artwork in this book is just fun and engaging. The monsters are the perfect level of spooky but nothing over the top. Add in the humor sprinkled throughout and you have a perfect mixture of humor, horror, and artwork that will easily engage younger readers.
Thank you so very much to HarperCollins Children’s Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

What a joy ride. This is s a great homage to classic horror movies and their fans and it is perfect for some family read-aloud time with so much humor. It starts with the cover art that caught my eye. At first, I thought it was going to be a graphic novel, but it's a summer vacation middle-grade novel (chapter book) full of illustrations, and fun Facts (related to the movies, these and the illustrations that made me laugh out loud are a great ad on to the pages).

Wen, a.k.a Waffle, an 11-year-old New Yorker who is a loner and bookish type with no friends, ends up having to spend his summer with his Grandpa in Maine because his mother has to work in Egypt with all her museum stuff. At first, he is not very happy about it, but soon he gets excited because his grandpa worked his whole life in a studio making classic horror movies and he saved the props. Not all goes as expected. The props seem to gain life and that will start an adventurous action race to stop it all and save Grandpa. He won't be alone, Tanya also loves classical monster movies and it's their knowledge of these movies and courage combined that will figure out how to defeat each monster.

This book hits all the classics, from the typical scenarios such as taking us to different parts of the house, city, tunnels, mountain, evil labs, castle... with all sorts of monsters, from zombies (squirrels, animated disgusting limbs, mashup clown/vampires, kaiju two-story high tall, and pet turtles. There is much to explore, much to enjoy.

The dialogue is awesome and full of humor and the characters have the best adventure.

Explores themes such as gaining confidence in oneself, friendship, bounding with the older generation and recognizing their value and love (Granpa), standing up for the things you love and enjoy, basic safety rules (when applied, for example riding a bike with a helmet), recognition of mistakes, and knowing when to apologize), joy, humor.

Perfect for fans who also love illustration and pancakes.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the Arc in exchange for my honest review.