Informational Resources:

Author/Illustrator Information:

https://www.korymerritt.com/

https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/middle-grade-novel-no-place-for-monsters-by-kory-merritt/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Monsters & Mythical Creatures

31 Mythical Creatures Used to Scare Children From Around the World

https://www.playgroundequipment.com/31-mythical-creatures-used-to-scare-children-from-around-the-world/

Chupacabra

https://kids.kiddle.co/Chupacabra

Ice Cream

There are many ice cream puns in this book. Look up more puns on this site and then create your own.

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-puns-for-kids.html

Create a tiny illustrated book of the ice cream puns in this book.

https://www.instructables.com/How-to-make-a-mini-booklet/

Arts & Crafts

Ink Blot Monsters:

http://www.ourlittleacorns.com/ink-blot-monsters/

Blow Art Monsters:

https://www.giftofcuriosity.com/blow-art-monsters/

Roll & Draw a Monster Game

https://activity-mom.com/2021/10/draw-a-monster-dice-game/

Coffee Filter Monsters

https://onelittleproject.com/coffee-filter-monsters/

Recipes

Make Ice Cream in a Ziplock Bag (2:58)

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=Ke9xVNRX-xI

Rice Krispie Treat Monsters

https://onelittleproject.com/rice-krispie-treat-monsters/

Chocolate Swamp Monsters

https://kidgredients.com.au/chocolate-swamp-monsters/

MakerSpace Activities:

Build A Monster STEM Challenge:

https://www.steamsational.com/engineering-activity-monster-craft/

Creepy Monster Science Experiments:

https://www.steamsational.com/monster-science/

Make a milk carton monster house.

https://redheadmom8.wordpress.com/2016/10/20/how-to-make-a-milk-carton-monster-house/

Monster Slime Recipe

https://fun-a-day.com/glitter-monster-slime-kids/

How To Make Monster Eggs

https://www.steamsational.com/halloween-experiments-monster-eggs/

Discussion Questions:

What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?

Describe the differences between Cowslip Grove and Levi’s former home.

Have you ever moved to a new city? If so, describe your experience.

How were The Mushpits different from all of the other neighbors?

On pg. 68, Mrs. Mushpit says, “There’s a reason we keep a fence around our garden.” Why did she say this?

How would you describe the relationship between Levi and Twila? Is your relationship with your sibling the same? Explain.

Levi created “Levi’s Cafe” to make his sister feel better. Describe something you do to make someone else feel better.

What was the first major event that signaled all was not right in the town of Cowslip Grove?

How do you think Levi feels in the illustration on page 101? What is the author trying to convey?

Summarize the story Mrs. Mushpit told Levi and Kat (“Back when the world was wild…”). Did Levi and Kat believe her? Why or why not?

What do you think is scarier, being kidnapped by monsters or being forgotten? Support your answer with details.

Nothing is as it seems in Cowslip Grove. What are some things in this book that aren’t really as they seem?

Why do Kat and Levi remember the forgotten people when others don’t?

In chapter 20, Levi won’t free Willow. Explain why he won’t let her go.

Mr. Frosty says that things hiding in plain sight are dangerous. Do you think things hiding in plain sight are more dangerous than things hidden deeply? Why or why not?

Kat said if they got out of the mess that she would stop fighting and lying and make changes. Did she stick to her word? Do you think people can change? Explain your answer.

.

Describe how Mr. Frost gets the children to Slynderfell’s.

What was your favorite part of this book? What was your least favorite? Why?

Are there any stories, myths, or legends your family members share?

There is a sequel to this book. Will you read it? Why or why not?

Book Talk Teasers:

Watch the No Place for Monsters Book Trailer from Marion & Clarion Books (:40):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=Iebw5YxoMBU

Read Alikes:

Arden, Katherine. Small spaces. After eleven-year-old Ollie's school bus mysteriously breaks down on a field trip, she has to take a trip through scary woods, and must use all of her wits to survive. She must stick to small spaces. (NoveList Plus)

Auxier, Jonathan. The night gardener. When orphaned Irish siblings Molly and Kip arrive to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house, they discover that the house and its inhabitants are not what they seem. Soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and the secrets of the cursed house will change their lives forever. (NoveList Plus)

Baptiste, Tracey. Rise of the jumbies. Suspicion falls on half-jumbie Corinee when local children from her Caribbean island home begin to disappear, and she is forced to go deep into the ocean to seek the help of a dangerous jumbie who rules the waves. (NoveList Plus)

Gidwitz, Adam. A tale dark & Grimm. If you think of fairy tales as nice, pretty little stories to bore children to sleep with, A Tale Dark & Grimm will make you think again. Weaving the disturbing bits of several Brothers Grimm tales and plenty of his own mischief into a single story, author Adam Gidwitz tells his own version of the (often gruesome) adventures of Hansel and Gretel. (NoveList Plus)

Hermon, Daka. Hide and seeker. Joining his friends for a game of hide-and-seek at the welcome back party of a young neighbor who mysteriously went missing for a year and came back rather changed, Justin watches in horror as players are pulled into a nightmarish alternate world where they are terrorized by a mysterious Seeker. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Merritt, Kory. No Place for Monsters. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2020.

School Library Journal (September 1, 2020)

Gr 4-6-After several nights of dreams about a Really Tall Man, Cindy vanishes from her home and her family's memory. All of her things are gone, and her family doesn't remember her when they wake up. The story cuts to new kid Levi, whose parents recently divorced. Levi meets Kat, a mischievous classmate who becomes his partner on a project. Kat talks Levi into using an abandoned vehicle as their office on the edge of town. One evening when Levi comes home too late, he is chased by the dark shadow of a Really Tall Man. Levi's younger sister, Twila, falls victim to the same fate as Cindy. No one but Levi remembers Twila. As Levi and Kat work together to try to catch the monster, they camp out on a hill beside a farm and instead discover a chupacabra who may be able to help them find out who's taking children. By putting some clues together, Levi and Kat make their way to the local ice cream factory where they uncover an operation to cast sleeping spells on children and bring them underground. Levi's quick thinking and Kat's bravery rescue the children trapped in a dreamland underneath the factory. The copious illustrations and unusual page formats offer a varied reading experience, but at times the pacing is slow. VERDICT A story for persistent readers who are interested in fantastical mysteries with many twists, turns, and lively illustrations.-Lindsay Persohn, Univ. of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee © Copyright 2020. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal ©2021