Monsters of Mt. Hope (Scareville)

By: John Ward

Narrated by: Dylan J Holt

Tommy’s 13th birthday is coming up. Much to his dismay, his parents are taking him on a trip from Kansas City to Mt. Hope, Kansas to spend his big day with his grandparents. Having spent a lot of time in Mt. Hope growing up, Tommy didn’t want to spend his most important birthday in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Something felt very different about this trip, however. Frightening experiences and strange sightings cause Tommy to wonder if there were monsters now roaming in this once sleepy small town. He would soon find out the nightmarish answer to his question.

©2023 John A Ward (P)2024 John A Ward

awesome

As a long time goosebumps loving 90s baby, this was so good. I loved it so much. I liked the twist towards the end.

Monsters or Tommy's imagination?

Tommy is days away from his 13th birthday, and instead of getting to celebrate the way he wants to, his parents are driving him to his grandma and grandpa's house in the small town of Mt. Hope. He loves them and his grandma's home cooked meals, but staying there isn't his idea of a fun, important milestone. They don't even have a TV or WiFi, and there's nothing fun to do in the middle of nowhere.

On the way there, they're forced to make a pit stop maybe an hour or so outside of their destination. While his parents are busy, a strange man comes over and starts chatting with him. Tommy mentions his their destination, the man panics and starts frantically talking about the monsters that live there, and how he needs to turn back now for his own good. Tommy's dad sees the ruckus, but the man runs off before he can confront him for scaring his son.

Now Tommy's confused. Monsters? He'd spent so many childhood days there, and hasn't ever seen or heard anything of the sort. But he can't seem to shake the thought. And why is he hearing strange noises? Is he seeing things, or is there really a pair of glowing eyes outside of his bedroom window?

Same as the first two books, Scareville #3 does not disappoint. It's a fun, quick read, perfect for children/teens, or adults looking to relive that nostalgic feeling of reading Goosebumps as a child. The narrator (same as book #1) did a fantastic job. I'll be starting this series with my kids this week, and I hope they enjoy it as much as I have!

Great author/narrator combo!

I had the opportunity to review the audiobook of Monsters of Mt. Hope, which was written by John Ward and narrated by Dylan J. Holt. I absolutely love this author and narrator combo! I think that Dylan does an excellent job with the voices and really helps John's writing flow.

This book is part of the Scareville series. Although it's a series, each book is able to serve as a standalone with separate characters and different stories. This book focuses on a character named Tommy that takes a trip with his parents to visit his grandparents in Mt. Hope. Some unexplainable happenings lead Tommy on a search for the Monsters of Mt. Hope, but what he finds will be more surprising than he could have ever expected!

The characters in this book were a lot of fun. I love the way that we're able to get to know not only the main character, but also his family, friends, and even the town bully. This series of books is creepy without being overwhelmingly scary, which makes it perfect for a middle grade audience (about 8-12). Although, at nearly 13, the main character is slightly older than middle grade, I believe this book holds the most readability and appeal for a slightly younger audience.

Thank you to John Ward for the opportunity to review the audiobook!

These just keep getting better

Ok. John Ward we get it your awesome. Your choice of narrators, amazing.
Monsters of Mt Hope starts off with Tommy, a boy quiet upset that he has to spend his 13th birthday at his grandparents house. They dont have internet or anything fun for him to do. He would rather stay with his friends. On the way Tommy and his parents stop in a little town where he talks to and old man. Who tells him not to goto Mt. Hope, because there are monsters there and he will die, Tommy, a little rattled but they continue on their way. Tommy gets birthday money from his grandmother to goto the store and buy himself a little something. He comes out of the store with a monster book and finds that the town he is currently in, may in fact have monsters........

Great MG read

This was a great read. Nice and quick with action along the way. I think the narrator did a pretty good job although I did not like his voices for some of the side characters. Overall I thought his voice worked well for the MC. Just enough spooky and had some clear Stine influence!

Didn’t see that coming

Monsters of Mt. Hope is about a young boy named Tommy. He went with his parents to visit his grandparents around Mt. Hope, because they wanted to celebrate his birthday with him. Well, while Tommy is here, he finds out that Mt. Hope has monsters lurking. Can Tommy prove to his family and friend that its true, before he has to go home?

I loved this story. The way it was written and the character development were great! This one kept me guessing and I was shocked by the ending.

Definitely a favorite of 2024! I recommend this is story to anyone, really. Especially, YA!