Introduction
It’s a delight for me to share the cover for Stacey Bartlett‘s forthcoming middle-grade novel, MONSTER MOUNTAIN (Monarch Press: 2025). For those of you who can’t wait, you can scroll down to see it and read about the giveaway. For the rest of you who know how to bide your time and wait a few minutes, here’s a review.
Review
What if you, your younger brother, your BFF, and your dog are vacationing with your grandparents in the North Carolina mountains one summer. And what if they take you to a park so you can go for a hike. And what if your brother decides to go exploring and vanishes into a crack between two walls of solid rock? What do you do?
If your name is Nicky and you promised your grandparents that you would look out for your brother, you follow him–of course! But things start looking different. There are leaves from enormous trees that are twice the size of what they used to be, toadstools In every color imaginable, and mushrooms the size of palm trees. And when you meet a spider as big as a horse, rockgiants, trolls, and screaming monster birds with beaks like saws…you know you’ve entered a totally different world.
Fortunately, you are with two other gamers, and all of you are skilled at encountering and escaping danger. Ha! Ha! But the world of Minecraft isn’t nearly as real as the one you find yourself in.
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Without giving away too much of this tale that intertwines North Carolina folklore with modern video gaming, here is one of my favorite lines:
Dread slithers its way into my mind and curls up there.
Isn’t that a delicious description?
The sweet climax is when the kids return and find the grandparents not in the least bit worried about them. Nicky asks if they’d had any extrordinatry adventures or ever seen any interesting creatures in the mountains. Her grandfather answers:
“Well now,” Gramps says, pulling off his cap and scratching the back of his head. “I reckon there are a lot of interesting creatures on this mountain, and me and your grandma have seen our fair share. As for the extraordinary, I’d say that just about describes every day we’ve spent together since the moment we got married.”
The next day Nicky thinks about their adventure and observes:
…maybe now that it’s almost over, we realize how extraordinary everything around us really is. Firefies dance in the twilight while sofft laughter drifts from the rocking chairs on the front porch. There’ so much magic right in front of our eyes, if we only take the time to notice it.
A Word From Stacey
I asked Stacey what her inspiration for this story and she said, “Actually, my son Jamie and I were passing Chimney Rock State Park near where we live, and I said wouldn’t it be fun if kids went hiking up there and ended up going through a portal into another world? And from there we just started dreaming and talking about all the fun things they could encounter, and then when I got home I started researching North Carolina folklore and that’s when it got really fun because several of the elements in the book really are straight from North Carolina folklore!”
Find out more about Stacey on her website.
Middle grade boys and girls will love this spooky-fun fantasy/adventure story.
HERE IS THE COVER!!!
Giveaway
Stacey’s book is coming out soon. Leave a comment and I’ll enter your name in the giveaway. You’ll be one of the first to read it! Giveaway ends Wednesday February 5. U.S. addresses only.
So excited to read this! I love how the idea came about. It’s so fun that you got to bounce ideas around with your son!
Thank you, Lindsey, and that was my favorite part too!
I agree, Lindsey. ANd it’s a fun read too!
Love the cover! This sounds perfect for my soon-to-be 11-year-old granddaughter! Thanks for sharing.
Connie
cps1950ATgmailDOTcom
IT is perfect, Connie! She’d love it.
Thank you so much, and I really hope your granddaughter enjoys it!
Thank you so much, and I really hope your granddaughter enjoys it!
Looks delicious!
It is!
Thanks, Sandy!
Wow–the cover looks SO wonderful!! I’m excited to see this story out in the world for kids to enjoy. 🤩
I bet you are!!
Oh this sounds like such a fun read. There’s enough NC folklore to keep a kid scared for years.
Thank you so much, and I do hope it will be a fun read!
Ha ha, Gail. Loved your comment and you’re in!
Monster Mountain looks like just the right thing for many MG readers.
Thank you so much! I do hope kids will enjoy it!
Thank you, Melanie. I’ll put your name in twice since you are an educator!
It’s great that Stacey got the idea for this story from a random question she asked. This sounds like a story kids would like. I’ll pass on the giveaway. I have too many books to read.
Thank you very much, Natalie! It was fun brainstorming with my son after I asked the question!
It’s great that Stacey got the idea for this story from a random question she asked. This sounds like a story kids would like. I’ll pass on the giveaway. I have too many books to read.
Thanks for your comment Natalie.
It is fun to see how books are born, Natalie!
North Carolina folklore wrapped up in a video game, novel format this sounds like fun. Thanks for the review.
Thanks Beth. There’s a lot of references to gaming, but it’s not in a video game. Sorry for that confusion. But it’s a great book!
Thank you so much! I hope the gamers out there will have fun reading it and learn a little NC folklore along the way!
Great looking cover that should entice many young readers to pick it up. Let someone else win the giveaway, but I hope to read this book when my review schedule allows.
thanks, Greg. it is a great cover and a fun book!
Thank you so much, and I love the cover too! I do appreciate your reading it when time allows. I hope you enjoy it!
Sounds great and I look forward to reading it! :)
Thank you so much, and I hope you will enjoy it!
This book immediately made me think of a legend from my neck of the woods in Northern California—Bigfoot.
Hi Pete- Thanks for commeing. Read Monster Mountain and meet Bigfoot! Your name is in the giveaway.
You’re right! A Bigfoot, or a Boojum as they are sometimes called in NC folklore, is an important character in Monster Mountain!
Great cover! The story sounds terrific. Thanks for telling me about it.
I’m so glad you like the cover, and I hope you enjoy the story!
It is a great cover. SOrry, I already picked a winner, Rosi!