Let the Monster Out follows Bones and Kyle. Bones just moved to town with his mother and his two brothers and as only one of two Black families in town, he’s standing out whether he wants to or not. Bones also harbours a lot of unresolved feelings related to his father, who didn’t move with them. Kyle on the other hand, has been pondering for a while whether he is neurodivergent. Always saying the wrong thing and feeling like a cast-out, he wants to get to the bottom of things. As strange things start to happen in town and adults begin to behave weirdly, Bones and Kyle are thrown together and decide to find out the truth about the strange events in town. When their investigation leads them to a corporation in town with nefarious technology, Bones will have to come to terms with his past and Kyle will have to face his own fears to save the city.
One of the highlights of this book for sure is the friendship between Bones and Kyle. Both Bones and Kyle are struggling to fit in and I loved how their relationship gave each other the courage to stand out and face their differences. Kyle was such a sweetheart, I honestly just wanted to give him the biggest hug. He always feels like he doesn’t fit in and that he can’t find the right words to say but for a boy that young to reach out to his parents and tell them he wants to get tested to see if he’s neurodivergent because he just wants to know whether there’s a cause for his feelings made me nearly cry. Chad Lucas knows how to create characters that feel so real that you can’t help but feel the anguish they are going through. Bones’ background also doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting topics. Bones is black and in their predominantly white town, there’s lots of prejudice he faces. He hates the way things are and though he tries to defend his family and his brothers whenever he can, sometimes he finds himself overwhelmed and acting out in ways he shouldn’t. I loved how we got to see Bones being fearless but also that courage doesn’t just mean raising your fists but sometimes, being the bigger person.
Beyond Kyle and Bones’ friendship, there are also characters, Brian and Ezra, for example, that add a lot to the plot. This truly is a book all about facing your fears and finding allies in unexpected places, which I feel like will appeal a lot to young readers.
Though the mystery aspect of the novel didn’t quite work for me, I did think it made for good suspense. I found myself more intrigued with the fundamental fears and the way they were expressed in Let the Monster Out. Watching as Bones and his friends try to find out “whodunit” while racking the clock before all of the adults completely lose their heads added a lot of tension to the story and I can see middle-graders trying to figure out what’s wrong in the town before the book reveals all.
Let the Monster Out is a chilling middle-grade mystery about facing your fears and the power of standing out, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and A Monster Calls.
Let The Monster Out is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 17th 2022.
Will you be picking up Let The Monster Out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
An equal parts heart-pounding and heartfelt middle-grade mystery about facing––and accepting––your fears, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and The Parker Inheritance
Bones Malone feels like he can’t do anything right in his new small town: He almost punched the son of the woman who babysits him and his brothers, he’s one of the only Black kids in Langille, and now his baseball team (the one place where he really feels like he shines) just lost their first game. To make matters worse, things in town are getting weird. His mom isn’t acting like herself at all—she’s totally spaced out, almost like a zombie. And then he and his brothers have the same dream—one where they’re running from some of their deepest fears, like a bear and an eerie cracked mirror that Bones would rather soon forget.
Kyle Specks feels like he can never say the right thing at the right time. He thinks he might be neurodivergent, but he hasn’t gotten an official diagnosis yet. His parents worry that the world might be too hard for him and try to protect him, but Kyle knows they can’t do that forever. Even though he’s scared, he can’t just stand by and do nothing while things in this town get stranger and stranger, especially not after he and Bones find a mysterious scientist’s journal that might hold answers about what’s going on.
But when faced with seemingly impossible situations, a shady corporation, and their own worst nightmares, will Kyle and Bones be brave enough to admit they’re scared? Or will the fear totally consume and control them?
Let the Monsters Out sounds really good! I have been trying to get into more Middle Grade books and this one sounds right up my alley!