by Joe McGee
13
AFTER THE CELEBRATION, WOLFY, VAMPYRA, and Franky said good-bye to Peter and Shadow.
“We have to get home,” said Wolfy.
“Tonight is our Junior Monster Scout meeting,” said Franky.
“But we’ll be sure to visit you!” said Vampyra.
They crossed the covered bridge that led out of the village. They passed the Gloomy Woods. They climbed the hill where Wolfy had practiced his howling. They marched past the old graveyard and back to Castle Dracula just in time to grab their Junior Monster Scout merit badge sashes and make it to their scout meeting.
“So, what did you do today?” asked Franky’s dad, Frankenstein.
Wolfy, Vampyra, and Franky took turns telling about how they had helped Peter find Shadow and about leading the rats out of the village.
“And into my basement,” mumbled Dracula.
“That sounds like great teamwork!” said Wolfy’s dad, Wolf Man. “I think you three earned your Teamwork Merit Badge!”
“Really?” asked Wolfy.
“We did?” asked Franky and Vampyra.
Frankenstein opened the Junior Monster Scout handbook. “You worked together to do something you could not have done individually. Wolfy, you led everyone through the woods to Shadow.”
“Vampyra, you flew up and found the branch she was on,” said Wolf Man.
“And, Franky, you used your head and your height so that you all could get Shadow out of the tree,” said Dracula.
“On top of that, all three of you made a new friend. A human friend. Congratulations, junior monsters,” said Frankenstein. He pinned their new badges onto their uniforms.
“One more thing,” said Dracula. “Wolfy, that was a great howl. I heard it all the way from the top of my castle!”
“Sounds like someone earned their Howling Merit Badge!” said Wolf Man.
Wolfy and Wolf Man leaned way, way, way back and howled at the moon. Dracula, Frankenstein, Franky, and Vampyra joined in.
“Now let’s say the Junior Monster Scout oath,” said Frankenstein.
The junior monsters held hands and said together, “I promise to be nice, not scary. To help, not harm. To always try to do my best. I am a monster, but I am not mean. I am a Junior Monster Scout!”
CHAPTER
14
BARON VON GRUMP GLARED OUT his window. He grumped and he glared. He glared and he grumped.
Edgar perched on his shoulder and glared as well.
“Junior Monster Scouts,” he grumbled.
“Caw-caw caw-caw caw,” grumbled Edgar.
Baron Von Grump put his eye to his telescope and peered out over the village, over the covered bridge, beyond the Gloomy Woods, past the old graveyard, and to the top of the hill. There, in the great stone castle, Dracula’s castle, the monsters were celebrating. They were celebrating how they had foiled him. Him, Baron Von Grump! That would never do.
Why, the monsters were the very reason Baron Von Grump had never been recognized for his musical talent! Ever since that day when he was just a young lad, onstage at the village talent show, prepared to play the song he had practiced over and over and over so that he might win the trophy . . . those meddling monsters had come in and scared everyone. Scared him so much that he’d pulled the bow across the strings in a terrible, earsplitting screech. No one had wanted to hear him play after that. No one would listen.
Oh, how Baron Von Grump hated monsters. He hated monsters more than he hated smiling, talking, breathing, “good mornings,” or gum-chewing.
“Laugh now, you pesky monsters,” he growled. “You may have won this round, but you have not seen the last of Baron Von Grump!”
“Caw! Caw!” said Edgar.
Baron Von Grump pulled his shutters closed . . . right onto his telescope. The telescope spun around and slapped into his big, bushy, black eyebrows. Baron Von Grump fell back onto the floor with a loud THUMP.
“I meant to do that,” he said, rubbing his eyebrows.
JUNIOR MONSTER SCOUT • HANDBOOK •
The Junior Monster Scout oath:
I promise to be nice, not scary. To help, not harm.
To always try to do my best. I am a monster, but
I am not mean. I am a Junior Monster Scout!
Junior Monster Scout mottos:
By paw or claw, by tooth or wing, Junior Monster Scouts can do anything!
Never say “never” when friends work together!
By tooth or wing, by paw or claw, a Junior Monster Scout does it all!
Junior Monster Scout laws:
Be Kind—A scout treats others the way they want to be treated.
Be Friendly—A scout is open to everyone, no matter how different they are.
Be Helpful—A scout goes out of their way to do good deeds for others . . . without expecting a reward.
Be Careful—A scout thinks about what they say or do before they do it.
Be a Good Listener—A scout listens to what others have to say.
Be Brave—A scout does what is right, even if they are afraid, and a scout makes the right decisions . . . even if no one else does.
Be Trustworthy—A scout does what they say they will do, even if it is difficult.
Be Loyal—A scout is a good friend and will always be there for you when you need them.
Junior Monster Scout badges in this book:
Flying Merit Badge
Howling Merit Badge
Teamwork Merit Badge
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS •
Much like Doctor Frankenstein, standing before his creation, I want to shout, “It’s alive!” For this book and this series are very much alive. But it would not be so without some amazing people who have encouraged, supported, guided, and believed in me along the way. Without them, this book would not be in your hands, and I might just be another mad scientist with an even madder idea.
To my wife, my love, my best friend, Jess—together, we have built the life we always wanted; a life filled with love, writing, and adventure. You inspire me. You challenge me. You encourage and celebrate me, and I know that I have been able to accomplish what I have accomplished so far because of your love and support. I’m glad we’re not both vampires, because our mortality makes every moment count. I love you and I am so grateful to have you by my side.
Linda—thanks for your vision and for seeing the potential in these books. I appreciate you challenging me to grow my idea.
Karen—you are a rock star! I am beyond lucky to have such an insightful, supportive, and visionary editor. These books howl at the moon because of you. Thank you for believing in me, for loving my stories, and for taking me under your wing. I cannot wait to see what else we do!
Mom—remember that time we were watching The Fog, in Pittsburgh, and you asked me to go outside in the FOG and check on the dog? Remember when you and Dad tried to make me go in that crazy haunted Brigantine Castle? Well, thanks, I’m scarred (joking). But seriously, thanks for always feeding me books, for taking me to the library, for encouraging my imagination. It was more important than you’ll probably ever realize. Dad, thanks for always working hard to provide for us and for letting me chase dragons . . . even when you didn’t understand.
To the late George Romero—thank you for bringing the walking dead into mainstream media culture. And thank you for taking me and Cam to see Empire Strikes Back and for dinner. You encouraged a young mind to pursue his passion for storytelling and for monsters.
To the late Gary Gygax—thanks for Dungeons & Dragons. Your game (and a thousand others since) developed a passion for storytelling in me from when I was ten years old and sat, spellbound, listening to local teens battling skeletons in a damp, subterranean tomb.
Kathi Appelt, Sharon Darrow, Tom Birdseye, Amy King, and Lisa John-Clough—you taught me so much about my writing, about the craft, about myself. I will forever be indebted to you.
To my Allies in Wonderland—thank you for your friendship and for sharing this crazy writing life. We have read
, laughed, cried, and created together. We have supported one another. We’re all mad here.
To my VCFA family—you are magical people in a magical place. You changed my life. Thank you.
To my SNC family—I love you all. I never thought I could find a place that would fill the hole left by Vermont. I didn’t . . . I found something else entirely: a writer’s paradise where my heart sings by being around each and every one of you. I am honored and proud to be a part of such an amazing program, inspired by the talented students, and humbled by the masterful faculty. Brian, thank you for making me a part of your magic and for your friendship. Shannon, thank you for making me feel like a needed and integral part of our program.
Eric, I value your friendship so very much and I look forward to writing, creating, and gaming together. Funny when you find a kindred spirit in the middle of life.
Pablo, my brother—thank you for standing by me from the beginning. For your friendship, your love, and always looking out for Jess and me. And hey, thanks for marrying us, Padre Cartaya!
Becca, Josh, Lena, and Maddie—wow, just wow. So much love and thanks for truly being there. For embracing me and loving me and being my family. Thank you. You’ll never know how much your kindness has meant. I love you! 10-3 club!
To our amazing children, Zachary, Ainsley, Shane, Logan, Braeden, and Sawyer—I love you all more than you can imagine. Thank you for not grumbling too much when we pulled you to all of those signings and events and book festivals. You’ve all been so wonderful in this crazy writing life that Jess and I have chosen. I know it has not always been easy, but thank you.
To Donna and Erica—thanks for your insight and great feedback. It’s nice to have a smart, supportive, honest, and fun critique group!
To the Frenchtown community—as I write this, we are about a month from the tragic fire that destroyed our home and two beloved businesses. In the midst of this chaos, of losing everything we had (except our lives and computers), you rallied around us and provided everything from kind words and hugs, to clothes and toothbrushes, to food and a place to stay. You supported us. You loved us. You rallied around us and made the nightmare manageable. Without you, I’m not sure I could have finished my revisions on time, let alone functioned like a normal human being. So thank you all, especially you, Caroline. You are a treasured friend and The Book Garden will always be a special place for us. Kandy, the Art Yard, Brad, Ben, Rosella, Carolyn, The United Way, Peter, Dawn, and a hundred other people I may have neglected to mention but have not forgotten, thank you!
And to my brother, Jack, who would have been in his twenties now. Who laughed hysterically every time I read Fox in Socks faster than humanly possible, who taught me to appreciate life—every fleeting, fragile moment of it—I love you. You are not forgotten. You have never been forgotten and I love you, little brother. I miss you.
One final thanks goes out to all of the teachers, librarians, and parents who go out of their way to encourage creativity and foster a love of reading. It was a Young Authors’ Day in elementary school, a one-day series of workshops designed to inspire and encourage young creative writers, that had me convinced I wanted to be an author “when I grew up”; that helped me believe that I could be an author when “I grew up.” Whether or not I actually grew up is up for debate, but I am an author. I did it. And you helped me believe I could. I thank those of you who do the same today for the writers of tomorrow. They need you. We need them.
Keep reading for a preview of
Crash! Bang! Boo!
by
Joe McGee
“Come on, Franky!” said Vampyra. “We’re missing all the fun!”
“It sounds like a howling good time!” said Wolfy.
“One more bolt to tighten,” said Franky. “There! Now my windup monster is all ready for the village’s first ever Monster Mash competition!”
The villagers had been so thankful for the Junior Monster Scouts helping them before, that the mayor insisted the Junior Monster Scouts join them for the village’s birthday celebration. To show the Junior Monster Scouts that the villagers were no longer afraid of the monsters (it had all been a big misunderstanding), the mayor declared a special contest: a Monster Mash competition. Whoever created the coolest, the craziest, the most wonderful windup monster would win the first place ribbon and a hand-carved cuckoo clock, made by none other than the mayor himself!
Franky set his wrench down and stepped back. His windup mechanical monster hopped up and down, clapping its claws and waving its tentacles.
“That looks great, Franky!” said Wolfy.
“First place ribbon, here I come,” said Franky. “That cuckoo clock will look great in my room!”
“Ribbon, schmibbon,” said Vampyra. “Party, here I come!”
“I can smell the popcorn from all the way up here!” said Wolfy.
“Smell it all you want,” said Franky. “I plan on tasting it! Oh, sweet butter, delicious salt . . .”
He closed his eyes and spun in a circle.
“Not if I get there first and eat it all!” teased Vampyra. She flipped her cape around herself and turned into a bat.
Vampyra, Wolfy, and Franky flew, ran, and charged down the road away from Dracula’s Castle, hooting, hollering, and howling. They were going to a party tonight, and they were very excited.
Parties are very fun. And birthday parties are even more fun. Only, this birthday party was not for just one person. . . . It was for the entire village! The village was one hundred fifty years old today, and they were having a great big birthday party. One hundred fifty is a lot of years, and so there was a lot of celebrating.
Do you know who was not celebrating? Do you know who did not like the pop, pop, POP of the popcorn machine? Or the bright lights strung from the tents and buildings? Or the marching band? Or the merry-go-round? Or the sugary scent of fresh birthday cake?
That’s right . . . Baron Von Grump. He did not like any of those things.
“Caw! Caw!”
And neither did Edgar, his pet crow.
Baron Von Grump folded his arms. He scrunched his big, black, bushy eyebrows. He glared out his window from the top of the rickety Old Windmill.
“Merry-go-round,” he muttered. “There’s nothing merry about it!”
He picked up his violin and set the bow to the strings, but when he tried to play, the popcorn POPPED!
He tried again. Pop-pop-POP! Then the music of the merry-go-round spun round and round, right in through his window.
He marched to the other side of the room, took a deep breath, set the bow to the strings, and . . . Pop-pop-POP! Merry-go-round music. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM and trumpets trumpeting, horns blaring as the marching band marched through the village.
“Noise, noise, noise, NOISE!” he bellowed.
A long, high-pitched whistling sounded outside his window, and before he could close the shutters, a single firecracker landed inside his room.
“This is the last—”
POP! BANG! WHIZ!
“Caw!” said Edgar, flapping straight out the window.
“Straw,” grumbled Baron Von Grump, collapsing into his chair.
Continue Reading…
Crash! Bang! Boo!
Joe McGee
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR •
JOE McGEE is the author of the picture books Peanut Butter & Brains, Peanut Butter & Aliens, and Peanut Butter & Santa Claus. Joe is on the faculty of Sierra Nevada College’s Writing for Children and Young Adults lowresidency MFA program and teaches writing at Rowan University in New Jersey. He is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults as well as the Rowan University Master of Arts in Writing program. He lives in a beautiful little river town with his wife (also a children’s author) and their puppy, Pepper. You can find him online at joemcgeeauthor.com and on Twitter @mcgeejp.
ALADDIN
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
Visit us at
simonand
schuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Joe-McGee
ALSO IN THE JUNIOR MONSTER SCOUTS SERIES
Book 2:
Crash! Bang! Boo!
Book 3:
It’s Raining Bats and Frogs!
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin hardcover edition September 2019
Text copyright © 2019 by Joseph McGee
Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Ethan Long
Also available in an Aladdin paperback edition.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.
For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Jacket designed by Karin Paprocki
Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia
The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.
The text of this book was set in Centaur MT.
Library of Congress Control Number 2019931561
ISBN 978-1-5344-3677-0 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-5344-3676-3 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-5344-3678-7 (eBook)
