Book Review: Monsters and Miracles (The X+Y Files) by Wayne A.D. Kerr

Title: Monsters and Miracles (The X+Y Files #1)
Author: Wayne A.D. Kerr
Genre: Middle grade paranormal adventure
Age Group: Middle Grade
Rating: 4 stars
Buy: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Is the local legend of survival truly a miracle?
Why do his mother’s brownies taste so good?
Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

Xander Bookman already knows the answer to one of these questions.  With the assistance of his adventurous cousin, the seventh grader embarks on a quest to learn the truth about the other two.  When Yzzie mysteriously disappears, Xander must find his way through a pitch black labyrinth, face monsters both real and imagined, travel across a strange secret world and get some help from some very unusual new friends to rescue her.

Join Xander and Yzzie on the adventure of a lifetime.  The truth defies imagination.

In Monsters and Miracles, Xander is being bullied at school after he told his friend he saw a mysterious light one night. Now everyone thinks he’s seeing things, and they’re already calling him names like “Xander the Space Commander”. His parents decide to sent him to the ranch of his aunt and uncle out of town, where he meets his adventurous cousin, Yzzie. When Yzzie goes missing, Xander sets out to find her, a quest takes him to a pitch black labyrinth filled with monsters where he gets help from the most unusual of friends in order to find his cousin, and he finds out he’s much braver than he thought he’d be.

Think “The X Files for kids” and then you’re almost right. Monsters and Miracles offers a story that will appeal to both boys and girls, and middle schoolers as well as an older audience. Even as an adult, I was surprised by the many twists and turns I could find in this gem of a book. The writing started out a little slowly, but quickly found its grounding, and then started moving at a faster pace.

Imaginative and creative, this book is a great start to a brand new middle grade series and manages to catch the right tone for middle graders. I look forward to reading the sequel.