John Kloepfer

Monsters unleashed is a fun story about bullies turned friends.

Freddie Liddle and his only friend Manny have a monster problem. After Freddie draws monsters based on the three meanest bullies in class, the boys use the school’s new 3D printer to create models of their monsters. But to their surprise, the monsters come alive. As if live monsters weren’t enough of a shock, things get even more complicated when the monsters get wet and just keep growing to colossal proportions.

Determined to stop the monsters, the boys recruit the bullies to help since they are the only ones who really know how the monsters think. While teaming up with his arch nemeses starts out as Freddie’s worst nightmare, before long he discovers they are more than meets the eye. These unlikely friends rally together to save not just their school, but the entire town.

The author, John Kloepfer, did a good job of creating a relatable middle school dynamic while at the same time putting his characters in a fantastical situation. With some fun characters and some silly ideas, this was a fun read.… (mer)

Picture it...Middle School art class and you're stuck with all the people you never really want to see face to face because, well...let's face it, they're bullies. Outside the peer pressure cooker, Manny and Freddie were planning on making a monster MOVIE and were REALLY excited about utilizing the teacher's 3D printer to make Freddie's illustrations COME TO LIFE. Thing is they didn't actually expect it to breath life into them, and yet...it did. Yep...and that's only the beginning because once MONSTERS are UNLEASHED there's no telling what they'll do next.

I loved the quick nature of the story and how it took you on a fantastical type adventure with bigger meaning undertones. I mean, the monsters were Freddie's way of dealing with the bullying tactics of the aforementioned trio of non-friends...non-violent (at least in reality) and a way to build on his artistic abilities...but when push comes to shove, he's forced to deal with their version of "evil" head on...as are the bullies themselves. It sounds awful but it was great to see them get a taste of their own medicine...I mean, what better way to out a bully than to make them face themselves at gargantuan levels? Am I right?

A great read for Middle Grade Fiction fans and beyond filled with adventure, danger, monsters (both cute and decidedly not), and a dose of reality you weren't expecting.


***copy received for review… (mer)

The author of the popular Zombie Chasers series has created a new series. This is the second installment of Monster’s Unleashed. It is a hilarious, action packed duology. Freddie Linddle thought that nothing was worse than monsters. He gets a rude awakening when the town is overrun with disgusting, slimy, self-replicating human eating bugs! The bugs were printed on a 3-D printer by Freddie’s classmate Trevor. It is up to Freddie, his friends including his monster friends to stop this before the whole town is overrun with giant bugs. I would recommend this for any collection owning the first in the series and it would be great for reluctant readers as well.… (mer)