Curse at Zala Manor

Monster Moon Series

by BBH McChiller

(Lynn Kelley, Kathryn Sant & Maria Toth)

Curse at Zala Manor, Monster Moon mysteries, Lynn Kelley, Lynn Kelley Author, BBH McChiller

“This tale will rattle yer timbers, squiffie,

and chill ye to the bone!” ~Vlad

Book 1 in the fun, spooky Monster Moon mystery series for ages 8 – 12. It’s almost Halloween, and twelve-year-old AJ Zantony’s world is threatened by an ancient curse that releases wicked pirates who had been trapped for centuries in his Aunt Zsofia’s creepy mansion, Zala Manor.

The pirates–a vampire count, a pegleg skeleton, and a zombie–have three goals: to find a lost treasure, unleash the restless dead from their graves, and to settle a very old score by destroying the Zantony bloodline.

AJ has to stop them before midnight during Aunt Zsofia’s annual Halloween party. Except he has a big problem–monster phobia! He’s scared to death of monsters. But if he doesn’t act fast, the streets of Craggy Cove will be crawling with zombies.

Will AJ overcome his fear and stop the monsters or bail out? Will Craggy Cove become Zombie Central? Who will be alive when midnight tolls?

Available in:

Paperback:  Amazon
Hardback:  (First edition) Available at a discounted price (especially for bulk orders). Email me at: contact@lynnkelleyauthor.com
eBook:  AmazonBarnes & NobleSmashwords (formats for all e-readers)

 Book reviews of Curse at Zala Manor:

“…Fast-paced suspense…Chapters are short and language is simple enough for reluctant readers.” ~School Library Journal

“In the vein of “The Goonies” and “There’s a Batwing in My Lunchbox” comes Monster Moon: Curse at Zala Manor….This book has it all: secret tunnels and talking animals, mad science and real monsters. Perfect for in-class reading in elementary schools and early middle schools. Equal parts scary, mysterious, gross and silly, it’s pure fun. Definitely recommended for all collections aimed at fostering a love of reading.” ~Monster Librarian

“Funny…creepy, gross kiddo read.”
~Michele Lee, Booklove

“The Zantony family has a long history in the old pirate town of Craggy Cove. AJ Zantony knows he is different, but he never expected his premonitions of ghosts and zombies to lead to fulfilling his family legacy.

As his Aunt Zsofia prepares for her annual Halloween party at Zala Manor, AJ unlocks the remains of a long-standing curse upon the Zantony estate. AJ and his science partner, Emily, must discover the secrets of the Zantony family history to end the curse before midnight on Halloween.

As if that was not enough to keep AJ and Emily busy, they are also pursued by Calvin, Dirk, and Runt, the class bullies. Acting like real-life monsters, the three bullies are determined to make fun of AJ and Emily at all costs. Their antagonizing becomes a major hindrance in the fight against the haunting curse.

However, the two are not alone on this mission; AJ and Emily are helped by a mysterious rat who leads them through the dank and dark history of the Zantony family and Zala Manor.

This is the first of the ‘Monster Moon’ series by

BBH McChiller, a trio of writers from California with varied backgrounds that add up to dynamic and vivid storytelling.”
~Children’s Literature Magazine

From Aghoo Review:
Monster Moon: Curse at Zala Manor
BBH McChiller    5 Stars for Story,
5 Stars for Cover Art,
5 Stars for Format/Quality,
5 Stars for Originality,
3 1/2 Stars for Read-Aloudability

Synopsis:
It’s almost Halloween, and twelve-year-old AJ Zantony’s world is threatened by an ancient curse that releases wicked pirates who had been trapped for centuries in his Aunt Zsofia’s creepy mansion, Zala Manor.

The pirates–a vampire count, a pegleg skeleton, and a zombie–have three goals: to find a lost treasure, unleash the restless dead from their graves, and to settle a very old score by destroying the Zantony bloodline.

AJ has to stop them before midnight during Aunt Zsofia’s annual Halloween party. Except he has a big problem–monster phobia! He’s scared to death of monsters. But if he doesn’t act fast, the streets of Craggy Cove will be crawling with zombies.

Will AJ overcome his fear and stop the monsters or bail out? Will Craggy Cove become Zombie Central? Who will be alive when midnight tolls?

This book is awesome! As a lover of the horror genre and ghost stories and mysteries this book really takes the cake. It has everything, from a creepy house to secret passageways, to ghost and zombies and more! I knew from page 1 that I would fall in love with the book. It is rich with family secrets that gives the reader an urge to keep reading.

My favorite series, even to this day, is Nancy Drew. I love when characters come together to solve mysteries and uncover hidden truths. The deeper and darker the secret the more interested I become. Books like this make me want to keep reading until my eyes are red and sore and I am so sleep deprived that the fiction of the book starts to seem real to me. I honestly can not say enough about how good the writing is.

The characters are very well defined. I like Aunt Zsofia and her curious vehicle of choice, a bright pink hearse. Even the last name, Zantony, is given depth as the kids journey to discover more about AJ’s lineage. I loved it. It truly had everything a person could want when reading a book. It lacked in nothing. Even the cover art is amazing featuring the two main characters in the book standing in front of a crypt that reads “Zantony”. This book is a must read!

Read more reviews on Amazon

 

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