This book is such a quirky, clever delight! Elvira is the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for—sharp, loyal, and just a little prickly in the best way. I loved the mix of small-town charm, supernatural shenanigans, and genuine mystery—it’s Scooby-Doo meets Sabrina with a fresh, funny twist. The cast of monsters is fantastic, the clues are satisfyingly twisty, and the friendships at the heart of the story give it so much warmth. A perfect blend of spooky and sweet.

A fun mystery full of twists and turns. This book is perfect for mystery fans and those who like monsters. A perfect read for the fall spooky season.

Elvira Vance completely stole my heart. She’s smart, bold, and has the kind of voice that immediately pulls you in—equal parts funny, fierce, and vulnerable. The story takes off on the very first page and never slows down. There’s a missing chupacabra, a stolen crown, a shady human detective, and a ton of suspicion pointed at the monster community. But Elvira knows something’s not right, and she’s determined to figure it out—no matter how dangerous it gets.

The world Kacy Ritter creates is so vivid and clever. Within just a few chapters, you understand the rules of this monster-human town, the tensions between species, and the unique culture that makes it all come alive. The fact that Elvira is half-siren adds another layer of complexity and identity that gives this mystery a lot of emotional depth.

What really stuck with me, though, was the message. This story isn’t just about solving a mystery—it’s about what it feels like to be judged for who you are, and how powerful it can be to stand up for your community. The way the author tackles themes like racism, bias, and belonging is thoughtful and age-appropriate, but never watered down. And somehow, it’s still fun! There's humor, friendship, found family, and even a bit of magic.

Middle grade readers are going to love Elvira and her gang of loyal friends. It’s perfect for fans of *Amari and the Night Brothers* or *Ghost Squad*—fast-paced, heartfelt, and full of meaning. Honestly, this one’s a gem. Highly recommend!

I loved this middle grade monster mystery! It has all the paranormal identities that one would expect to see all living in the same area! I was much surprised with the way the story went. I can't wait to see book 2 in this series.

So, is this a commentary on racial prejudice? Sure. Would you probably learn something from this book. Yeah. Was this book a fun ride into a new world? Most definetely!

Loved it and would recommend

I thought this was very cute and would totally buy this for my classroom library!!

It had elements of Scooby Doo and Hotel Transylvania which I thought were adorable. Elvira was a fun character who was easy to root for during the story. I loved her friends! Cozy Mystery, Nancy Drew, Middle Grade vibes all around.

3.5

✨ Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery ✨

Oh my gourd-ness this was spooktacularly adorable! Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery is perfect for summerween reading! This middle grade cozy mystery is full of sleuthing, fantastical monsters, friendship, family, acceptance and the age old journey of finding your place in the world.



Thank you so much topplingstackstours & Storytide for sending a copy my way! 📚

"Suspenseful and fun middle-grade adventure where young supernatural sleuths investigate the disappearance of some of their monster neighbors."

ELVIRA VANCE AND THE MONSTER MYSTERY by Kacy Ritter is a fun and exciting paranormal middle-school novel about a team of young investigators looking into the disappearance of a number of monsters from their community right before the annual Marfa Monster Festival, the biggest event of the year. Half-siren Elvira Vance is the daughter of the owners of Vince Vance’s Vintage Trailer Park Inn for Monsters and a budding detective. When some of her monster neighbors begin to go missing, she and her two best friends, Mari, a chupacabra, and Emilio, a human and photography enthusiast, jump at the chance to investigate, especially when the official detective, a human from the local town of Marfa, Texas, shows up to take over the case.

In the years since monsters of all kinds came out into the open, there had been an uneasy truce between them and the humans. However, the local mayor, Guff McCoy, had been doing his level best to stir up fear and hate in the human community. With tensions between the species about to boil over, and finders from both camps pointing at the other, Elvira, Mari, and Emilio know they must get to the bottom of the disappearances before things explode.

What a delightful children’s/middle-grade story of monsters and mystery, unknowns and underdogs! Elvira is a confident character, certain that she and her team can crack the case before the adult human can, and they do uncover clues that Detective Ace Price has no way of obtaining. I enjoyed the trio’s investigations and their questioning of a variety of mythical beings in the process. While Elvira, Mari, and Emilio frequently disobey their parents, they seem to generally believe they have no choice and accept their punishments, when caught, without complaining. However, they readily continue to break those same rules without ever fully explaining what they’re involved in with their parents, and perhaps avoiding some of their problems. As they gather their clues and build their case, twists in the plot rule out a couple of major suspects. The eventual reveal is a surprise, and the action leading up to the resolution is shocking and exciting.

I recommend ELVIRA VANCE AND THE MONSTER MYSTERY to readers of middle-grade paranormal fiction, action, and adventure. Happily, not only will middle-grade readers enjoy the adventure, but the book will also work well as a read-aloud selection for younger children.

My tween readers will be drawn to the silly/horror vibe of Elvira Vance. The tight and dependable friendship between the main characters is great, and Elvira's parents walk a good line between supportive, protective and understanding. The mystery solving elements are a bit contrived, as each adventure reveals a single clue that leads to the next adventure, but that is reasonable for this reading level. My only qualm is the many monsters, their many powers and how the author sometimes invokes rules I've never heard of, so as to make it possible for all these monsters to live together, not kill each other, and not make one so overpowered as to break the story. But the community is fun and has lots of opportunity for sequels.

Elvira Vance lives in her dad's trailer park for monsters. Years ago, monsters came out of hiding but tend to still be mistreated by humans. In the park though, they are accepted. However, things became more dire when the crown for the upcoming festival is stolen and a monster is suspected. Elvira knows he didn't do it, but she must find the true culprit. Teaming with her friends Mari (a chupacabra) and Emilio (a human), they investigate all sorts of monsters and humans to find the culprit.

I loved this one! I didn't realize that this was the same author as the Great Dragon Race, which I also loved, until I was done with the book. Ritter is so great at world building and character creation. I was obsessed with all the monsters in the book and all the quirks. Elvira was a delightful protagonist too. I thought her struggle to battle her siren call (she's half human, half siren) was relatable. I did see the whodunnit coming, but since this is directed toward middle grade children, that is not a negative for the book. I truly just want more of Elvira and her friends! I would read a whole series with her as protagonist, that is how much I enjoyed this one.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

✨✨TOUR STOP✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5 stars

💕💕Quote I love💕💕
“We need to remember who the enemy is, because it’s not each other. We can’t afford to turn against our fellow monsters. Humans have power, but so do we.”

✨✨Onto the Review✨✨
This book is labeled for ages 8 to 12 but I think anybody could really enjoy this book especially if you love the animated movie Hotel Transylvania because this book definitely gives off the vibes of that movie!
I really loved how there were all kinds of different monsters represented in this book including half monsters like the main character of the book who is half Siren! I also enjoyed the message behind this book, there’s a deeper meaning about prejudice when you really think about how the monsters are facing scrutiny from the humans in surrounding areas.
I’m going to be saving this book for when my daughter is older because she’s going to grow up a lil weirdo like me and will love monsters! This book would be perfect for the fall time! If you have any younger kids this would definitely be a fun read for the family and you could try to solve the case of the missing monster together!
Thank you to Toppling Stacks and the author for sending me out this book in exchange for my honest review! If you would like to check out the rest of the tour and see other creators thoughts on this book go check out toppling stacks website https://topplingstackstours.com/ #ElviraVanceandtheMonsterMystery #TopplingStacksTours #KacyRitter #yabooks #halloweenbooks #bookstagrammer

This was such a fun book that I can't wait to read with my child when they are a bit older! It kept me engaged and I loved all the monsters. I really hope there's more books either with Elvira or in this world in general.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery by Kacy Ritter is a first person-POV Middle Grade paranormal mystery. Elvira Vance is a half-siren half-human who is navigating a world that doesn’t understand her or her needs. Fifteen years ago, the world of monsters was revealed to humans and in the American Southwest, there were a lot more monsters than humans were expecting, causing tension between the two groups. When a human detective comes to Elvira’s monster community to investigate a missing chupacabra and crown, she’s determined to solve the crime herself.

I figured out who was responsible for the missing crown and monsters about halfway through the book and I have no issue with that. If anything, I highly prefer that especially in Middle Grade. When a young reader figures out who the villain is, it can help them feel accomplished and that they have the skills to solve puzzles, which is one of the main reasons why I would hand a young reader a mystery book. I know some readers like twists that they don’t see coming, but I will always prefer a twist I can predict over something that comes out of nowhere and still doesn’t make sense on a reread. This is definitely the former.

The monsters vs humans conflict and Elvira being half-siren are strong allegories for racial tensions and the biracial experience. Elvira is looked down on by humans and monsters alike and even though she lives in a loving home, things are not perfect. Her father was disowned for marrying a siren, for instance. There’s very little violence and the approach this takes is friendly to readers who are being introduced to these ideas but are obvious enough that biracial young readers can see themselves in it.

Elvira’s two best friends are Mari, a chupacabra, and Emilio, a human who is also a member of the Junior Supernatural Allies League. Their varied POVs help to bring in new information and angles to help solve the mystery and all of them being aligned that monsters have a place in the world help keep their friendship strong even when there is conflict. There are some slight feelings developing on Elvira’s side towards Emilio, but they are the beginnings of a crush instead of a full blown romance.

Content warning for depictions of tension between different species

I would recommend this to young readers who love fantasy and want a mystery novel and readers of fantasy mystery looking for something more paranormal-leaning

There's a lot to love about this one. The cover is adorable and I love the concept of the monsters and their plight of living with the humans who don't seem to want them around. I loved the inclusion of the siren as the main character and how she is working on how to use her powers. Young readers will be drawn to the cute, quirky, lovable characters who work together to solve a light mystery storyline. I did feel this start to drag a few chapters in and it remained slow through the body of the story. Luckily, there's a great ending in store for young readers and a sweet message, too.

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟🌟.2
Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery is just too cute, and I really enjoyed it. This is a book for the spooky season that I will read with my children.
This quote here, "Vince Vance’s Vintage Trailer Park Inn for Monsters," the Chapter 1 title, told me everything I needed to know about this book: that it was going to be a fun ride. If you enjoy Nancy Drew vibes, this is for you and young readers.

Book Description:
Half-siren Elvira Vance doesn’t trust outsiders, especially not the human detective who’s been hired to investigate the disappearances of a chupacabra and the crown for the Marfa Monster Festival. While humans are convinced the monster skipped town with the crown, Elvira knows there’s more to the story. As the daughter of Vince Vance—founder of Vince Vance’s Vintage Trailer Park Inn for Monsters—Elvira cares too much about her home to let this mystery go unsolved.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Harper Collins Children's for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This story was so cute! It starts off with a bang and really hooks you. I would love to get a physical copy and start this with my kiddo. I really enjoyed the kind of Nancy drew aspects of it combined with all kinds of fun monsters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this charming middle grade!
I originally chose to request this one because it sounded unique and fun. I quickly found I was correct.
This book places you in a world where monsters and humans are re-learning how to live together after monsters decided to hide away.
If you want a book that is not “scary” but has monsters with unique takes on the traditional lore as well, this is the perfect book. It also sort of reminded me of the movie Halloweentown on Disney. A community of monsters that live in a trailer park and a big baddie is kidnapping monsters.
There is a zombie cat named Shadow. He was the best side character.
I didn't find myself extremely intrigued by the mystery, but I was very drawn into how this author crafted a completely different take on monsters and how their “powers” worked or traits were portrayed. I also am not the age range for the readership, so I think a child would probably be more engrossed in the missing monster case. It gave off very Scooby Doo type vibes.
Elvira as our protagonist deals with controlling her power on top of trying to solve a case for her community that she is only half a part of, but cares deeply for. She has a spunky Chupacabra friend, Mira, and also a human boy named Emilio, who help her solve this case.
This book was such a cute and fun time! Perfect for Halloween season.

Witty, well-written, educational and relevant to our times, Prejudice and attack on citizens. Racism. Mysterious with great characters.

Thank you published for the access to this arc copy.

Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery is a middle grade-early teen contemporary fantasy with a mystery plot. The story takes place at a (mostly) monsters only trailer park in West Texas, owned by Elvira's parents. Elvira, a half-siren, along with her besties, a chupacabra girl and a human boy, are trying to discover who is responsible for the disappearance of the monster festival crown and a trailer park resident who went missing on the same night. Unlike the human townsfolk who were quick to accuse the monster of the crime, Elvira doesn't believe he took the crown and skipped town. She believes he was a victim too. It's this belief that leads her and her friends into all sorts of sleuthing adventures, mishaps and mayhem.

I really enjoyed the variety of monsters, how their lifestyles were depicted and the sense of community within the trailer park. Yes, there were some conflicts between the different types of monsters, just as there would be in any human trailer park. As one would expect with monsters, some had scary aspects to them. But the writing was age appropriate and not truly "scary" in a horror level sense. Descriptive enough, without being overly detailed or graphic. Really not scary at all, more like Scooby-Doo level scary. The writing is totally aligned with the middle grade-early teen level audience.

What I appreciated most about the story is the way the author addressed the issues of discrimination, oppression, racial identity and systemic hate within the larger community, without making it completely one-sided. Both the monsters and the humans had good and wicked characters. Both had preconceived judgements against each other, but also within the closer relationships too. Both had trouble grappling with mixed-race identities. While these topics could be heavy, the way the author presented them they weren't at all. Relevant, without being too deep for the targeted age group. Written with a soft touch and a sense of humor, Kacy Ritter has created a wonderful world full of diverse characters and epic adventures.

Although it may seem like it's about a community of monsters, it's truly about discrimination, judging others and deep-rooted prejudice. Also, about love, friendship and realizing your own flawed beliefs.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this book for review consideration. All views are my own and freely given.

Monster Mystery (4)

A fun fast-paced mystery that was spooky and cute. This reminded me of a blend of Hotel Transylvania and Nancy Drew.

The story was something that could be enjoyed by all ages and I look forward to my daughter reading it someday as well!

Elvira was a character that was easy to root for and connect with. I enjoyed her determination to help! Elvira teams up with her misfit friends Mari and Emilio and take it upon themselves to find out what really happened!

I enjoyed Mari’s and Emilio’s personalities. They all complimented each other well and each had their strengths in different areas that made them a great mystery solving trio!

There was mystery, monsters, humans, prejudice, twists, adventure, and so much more packed into this well written and enjoyable middle-grade mystery!

Omg this book was so good. It felt like scooby-doo, but the monster are the ones shoving the case. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy, it was so fun.