Introduction

Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.Wyatt Baldwin's senior year is not going well. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An ongoing debate with his best friends Melvin and Howard Drucker over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance. But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can interact with vampires in Vampire Village, be chased by werewolves on the River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

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Excerpt

Chapter 1
THE EVERGLADES


The fire Billy created burned bright, rabbits roasted on a spit made from hickory, the juices dripping to hiss in the flames. Seven of his hairy friends lay in scattered repose, enjoying the late afternoon lull—two napped, the others tossed a stuffed fur in the form of a ball around the clearing, hooting with amusement when it rolled into the brush. They traveled in a pack, his group, his makeshift family, foraging together, hiding in plain sight. It had been that way for generations. But the glades were getting smaller, the humans invasive. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. What are the parallels between the “vitality-challenged” zombies in MONSTERLAND and real-life victims of AIDs or other diseases or disabilities?

2. Do you see parallels between Vincent Konrad and current political figures today? What qualities make his character particularly powerful and terrifying?

3. Though a novel for young adults, MONSTERLAND features an adult hero, Carter White. How does his character defy the stereotypical stepfather? What qualities make Carter especially appealing to teens, as well as to parents?

4. Another horror at the core of MONSTERLAND is economic depression. How does the author tap into the realities and fears at the heart of small town America for the depiction of Copper Valley, CA, and its residents?

5. Monsterland revolves around real-world horrors, starting with a pandemic. In the wake of Ebola and Zika, how plausible is the threat of a global plague? With advances in medicine, why do you think the spread of a virus remains a source of terror?

6. Let’s talk about MONSTERLAND’s true hero, 18-year-old Wyatt Baldwin. Would you describe Monsterland as fundamentally about his coming of age?

7. On a lighter note… In the novel, two of Wyatt’s friends continue the debate inspired by the Twilight saga. Are you a fan of team werewolf or team vampire? And why?

8. In what ways did the author humanize or humorize the depiction of monsters?

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