Monsterville by Sarah S. Reida

My name is Lissa, and there's a goblin living behind my new home in the country. He seemed harmless enough when Adam and I first found him, but we've since discovered the terrible truth of Down Below. This goblin used to be a little boy who disappeared last year, and he escaped from the monster world under the earth. The goblin is terrified of a creature called Atticus, and more kids around the world are kidnapped by him every Halloween. They have all become monsters. I'm afraid my little sister is in danger, and Halloween is coming soon. I have a strange feeling that Monsterville, a board game I found in the basement, is the key to stopping these creatures.

I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! On the surface, my review may not seem overly impressive, but the author managed to creatively develop an entertaining plot. It never seemed to settle into a rut with uneventful moments. Lissa didn't like the move to a new house, she found a cutish goblin in the woods, she learned the truth about monsters and Blue's secret, then had to work to save her sister. I felt sympathy for a goblin. What I didn't like? I don't like that this book begins a new series. I don't know what's going to come in the sequel, but I would have been very satisfied to have had this conflict resolved and ended the story. Now, I'm curious about the sequel and will probably check it out! This book is not a classic, but Monsterville is entertaining and fun to read.