Beach Party Surf Monkey (Welcome to Wonderland #2) Blog Tour {review & giveaway}

Beach Party Surf Monkey

(Welcome to Wonderland #2)

By Chris Grabenstein

May 23, 2017

Random House BFYR

Source: from publisher for review

From the bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and coauthor with James Patterson of I Funny, House of Robots, and Treasure Hunters, comes the second hilarious, fun-in-the-sun adventure in his illustrated series about all the wacky things that happen when you live in a motel!

There’s always something wacky happening when you live in a motel, and P.T. (named after P. T. Barnum, of course) has grown up at the world’s wackiest! When word gets out that the hottest teen idols in Hollywood (plus current YouTube sensation Kevin the Monkey!) will be filming their next movie—Beach Party Surf Monkey—right in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, P.T. and his friend Gloria know that the Wonderland would be the perfect location. Now they just have to convince the producers!

But when things start to go wrong (crazed fans? missing stars?), it will take all of Gloria’s business genius and P.T.’s wild stories to save the movie before both it and the Wonderland are all washed up!

BONUS: Includes fun extras like P.T. and Gloria’s Famous Fact-or-Fiction Quiz: Movie Edition

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

Here’s What People are saying about Welcome to Wonderland!

“Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars! Kids who check into this madcap motel will want to stay forever!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series

“So funny I fell off my bed!”–Izzy B., age 10

“Classic Grabenstein. The mystery should satisfy Grabenstein’s “Mr. Lemoncello” followers, and the humor and visuals will appeal to fans of his collaborations with James Patterson. This new series should be a hit.”—School Library Journal

“A  delight. P.T. is a hoot and a half. A funny, madcap dash.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Charm galore. Easy and breezy, this well-paced novel . . . belongs in the hands of any readers wanting their bad guys bad, their good guys great, and a little of Wonderland’s promised fun in the sun.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Storyteller extraordinaire, P.T. Wilkie, and his business savvy best friend, Gloria, are back with another wacky adventure at the Wonderland Motel! When a major Hollywood movie, Beach Party Surf Monkey, needs a retro motel location in St. Pete’s Beach to film at, P.T. and Gloria scheme to make sure that motel is the Wonderland...which isn’t exactly easy to do when a fancy-schmancy hotel opens up right next door and the owner keeps trying to buy the Wonderland. And P.T. and Gloria soon find that making movie magic is anything but an easy-breezy day at the beach, especially when tantrum throwing superstars and monkey business are involved. Can P.T. and Gloria save the wondrous Wonderland Motel once again?!

Chris Grabenstein returns to his wacky and wild Welcome to Wonderland series with the delightful and entertaining Beach Party Surf Monkey! With Grabenstein’s signature wit, compelling storytelling, and ability to keep his intended middle-grade audience captivated and enthralled, Beach Party Surf Monkey is wonderful from beginning to end.

Like the first book in this series, Beach Party Surf Monkey is fast-paced, cleverly plotted, and impossible to put down. Middle-grade readers will love the outrageous scenarios, bone-tickling humor, and engaging characters, while easily being swept into the fun behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a movie, P.T. and Gloria’s motel-saving ideas, and the fun mystery weaved throughout. Once again, the Wonderland Motel, with its beach front location; retro look; kitschy decor; and endless over-the-top stories, makes for a charming setting that readers will love and want to protect as much as P.T. and Gloria.

One of things I love most about this series are all the irresistibly likable (and sometimes deliciously unlikable) characters. From tall tale teller, P.T., smart and capable Gloria, endearingly kooky Grandpa Wilkie, an awesome internet famous monkey, a classy movie star, and a pain in the butt superstar, Beach Party Surf Monkey is bursting with larger than life characters to get to know and love.

Young readers looking for an off the charts fun, genuinely laugh-out-loud book to devour this summer will not be disappointed by Beach Party Surf Monkey!

MY RATING

5/5 Cupcakes

Chris Grabenstein is the author of the New York Times bestsellers THE ISLAND OF DR. LIBRIS and ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY as well as the co-author (with James Patterson) of the #1 Bestselling series I FUNNY, HOUSE OF ROBOTS, and TREASURE HUNTERS. Website * Facebook * Twitter

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