Rhonda Smiley

Monty and the Monster Rhonda Smiley

When seventh grader Monty Hyde moves for the fourth time in two years, it's the same old story. New neighborhood, new school, new bullies, no friends. With his dad working all the time and his older brother too popular to notice, he's the lonely outcast yet again. That is, until he finds a mysterious human replication serum in his basement and decides to make a friend. From scratch.

But when his creation turns out to be a revolting, hairy eight-foot-tall monster that might be eating the neighborhood kids, Monty knows he needs to put a stop to it. STAT! Problem is, despite its insatiable appetite and stinky BO, the monster fast becomes the best friend he's ever had.

From award-winning writer Rhonda Smiley comes the humorous and heartwarming story of a boy trying to make sense of life when he's uprooted yet again since his mother's death. But to his surprise, his secret friendship with a real-life monster sets a harrowing journey in motion that brings his family closer together.