Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter?

by C.L. Colyer

Nothing frightens Atticus Everheart more than monsters, thanks to his older brothers, who often threaten to feed him to the beastly creatures.
Fearing that’s what they will do if he doesn’t replace the book he accidentally ruined, he takes a job tutoring a boy in his neighborhood.

Although nervous about the job, Atticus soon discovers there’s a lot more in store for him than teaching. Never in a trillion years would he have imagined he’d be hiding from monsters, working with ghosts, or searching for werewolves and witches. He’s not brave, and he has no plans to change.

Until he’s forced to.

Genres: Fantasy

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2022

About the author

C.L. Colyer (Cherie Colyer) is an award-winning author of fiction with a paranormal twist. Her published works include books for children through adults.

Cherie Colyer on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/CherieGR
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jQelPo
Facebook: https://bit.ly/CherieFB
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3vYlMZt
Pinterest: https://bit.ly/3mr22dZ
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/CherieBB

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a jam, Atticus takes a tutoring job, not realizing he’d be surrounded by things that typically scare him.

I love a good old-fashioned fantasy adventure, kudos if the author throws in odd characters, funny dialogue, and a mystery. In this book, you have a typical kid dealing with an odd yet humorous situation. The result is a hilarious piece of fiction I read in one sitting.

The plot is peppered with kid-friendly dialogue and situations. The story moves quickly. The conflict propels the story.

The characters, though, are what make this a classic monster read for kids. Atticus has many flaws, but his heart is in the right place. His fear of monsters takes him right into the one place where monsters reside. There’s a full cast of characters and each one is such fun to read.

The writing is clean, appealing to kids, and funny. The descriptive narration pulls the reader into the story. I got sucked in right away.

If you love quirky fantasy adventures, you’ll want to read this book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it.

My Rating: 5+ stars

Reviewed by: Teddy

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Kim Ligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful romp for middle schoolers but will keep the interest of adults. Atticus Everheart takes a tutoring job to make money quickly. He learns all monsters are not evil and that he is braver than he ever imagined. I highly recommend this fascinating story. I received a copynof this book through Netgalley.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atticus Everheart finds himself in a jam when he damages his brother’s most prized possession. On the hunt to make quick money before he returns home from a trip, Atticus takes a tutoring job for a family in the neighborhood. What Atticus doesn’t know is that his student is a vampire and his family is full of monsters.

This middle grade fiction knocks it out of the park with its spooky, fun mysteries and the friendship formed between Atticus and Draco wholesome and sweet…even if Draco is a vampire. The antics and funny situations they find themselves in constantly made me laugh and made it a real page turner!

I think this is a great addition to the middle grade shelf but it’s also sure to be a pleaser for the whole family!

I received a copy as part of a book tour in exchange for a feature. This review is my own thoughts and opinions.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tutoring isn’t always as easy as it looks.

Ms. Colyer has a smooth writing style that makes her work a joy to read. She knew exactly when to explain things in a way that would make sense to her target audience as well as when to leave other details a little vague for the amusement of older readers or later chapters when all would be revealed. I appreciated her sense of timing and her willingness to allow some of her readers to be a little confused for a while in order to build tension for future scenes. This was my second time reading one of her books, and I hope to have many more adventures with her characters in the future.

In a review of a previous work of hers, I had mentioned wishing the author had spent more time on world building. It was delightful to see exactly that happen this time around. The plot didn’t require the characters to dig too deeply into why half-vampires existed in their universe, to share but one example, but it did give me exactly enough information about what sorts of supernatural creatures existed here and how ordinary humans reacted to the idea of them. Would I have liked to know even more? Yes, but it wasn’t strictly necessary for the storyline, and I walked away pretty content with what I did know. Sometimes it’s better to leave an audience wanting more, after all.

Kids don’t always interpret our world the same way grownups do, and that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy middle grade fiction so much. There’s something magical about seeing a character attempt to figure out an unusual and rare social convention or discover the meaning of a complex word for the first time. I had plenty of opportunities to do just that in this tale, and I relished every miscommunication and misunderstanding Atticus faced as he attempted to earn the money he needed to replace his brother’s book. Those moments were as funny as they were necessary for everything else that was about to happen to him.

Speaking of that, I was also impressed with how focused the writing was on its target audience. While adults can enjoy it, too, it truly was written for middle grade readers from the first scene to the last one. This isn’t something I see nearly as much as I’d like to in this genre, and it was refreshing to read a story that knew exactly who its audience was and never wavered from speaking to them in ways they’d best understand.

Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter? was a spooky and delightful read.

[Kris Reguera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great middle grade for any time of year!
I received an ARC copy and enjoyed every page of this book. I’d say it’s perfect for avid readers in elementary school and even younger middle schoolers. It came out in October which was perfect as a kind of Halloween read but I believe kids would love it any time of year. Atticus is adorable but also a strong character and we fell in love with Drago. A very imaginative story we will keep in our classroom and recommend.

[Carolyn Bragg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atticus needs money to replace something he "borrowed"--without even intending to ask--and it was thoroughly ruined. So to replace the item, Atticus needs a job that pays well. Quickly.

There's an ad for a student tutor, and Atticus gets the job! He just needs to teach Drago some spelling, history, and math. Harder than he expected.

Another difficulty; Frank, the butler, acts menacing, he doesn't like Atticus. Drago isn't as "slow" as the ad indicated, but he's distracted by the disappearances (or murders) of his former tutors.

Then Drago goes "poof!" And he's gone! Atticus is panicked! He can't involve the police or they would discover Drago's secret. He's 1/2 vampire! The entire household is peopled with monsters!

But things get worse! And for a quiet, book-reading sort of boy who prefers adventures in books, solving these problems by himself is going to be a nightmare (with humor)!

A fun story, but the ending was too rushed. I wanted to know more about Dr. Jekyll and his elixirs, and the other tutors.

4/5 Not enough clues to solve, things just "happened."

Thanks to The Wild Rose Press, Inc., and NetGalley for the temporary digital preview of this book; any review is voluntary and entirely my own opinion.

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[Ann Trader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to love in this endearing story about friendship, family…and a little monster hunting? Atticus is bright and imaginative, determined to make good on a mistake by answering a want-ad for a tutor. Drago is the unsuspecting student who’s more concerned about his former tutors who have gone missing than the spelling and multiplication Atticus keeps pushing at him. The two embark on a series of adventures that will keep you turning the page.

Ms. Colyer’s writing is fresh and realistic, and her dialogue just pops! This author has a winning way with crafting a story, and I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Wild Rose Press, and C. L. Colyer. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a 5th grader who is just starting to find his love of reading so when I saw this book available, I knew I wanted to check it out! My son and I read it together which was really fun. Atticus is a cute kid and the other supporting characters were interesting and funny. I could totally picture this as a movie! There’s more mystery than action so it’s perfect for kids who love a good mystery book.

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Atticus, according to his older brothers, “[he] ruins everything [he] comes into contact with.” If Atticus didn’t stop touching their things, he would be fed to the monsters outside. But his compulsive reading habits drew him back for his brother’s book copy of Sherlock Holmes. He just had to know how it ended for the magnificent hero. But then a page is accidentally torn from the autographed copy of Sherlock Holmes, putting Atticus in major trouble. Oh no! Solution: buy another rare copy from a bookstore. But with what money? The money he’ll make tutoring. Sounded like a good idea.

Mystery, adventure, and no monsters were the things he liked. How much trouble could he get into with tutoring? Who could’ve known that he was going to work in a monster house?

Story had an easy narrative with drawn-out detail that can slow down the pace. The detail is very descriptive in an amusing way, but it is long and does take some time to get through. For instance, Atticus doesn’t meet Drago, the boy he was to tutor, until the end of Chapter 5. Until then, we get all the details on the monster house.

Afterwards, most of the narrative revolved around lesson plans, which made sense since Atticus was the tutor, but it wasn’t too compelling to read. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Yes, there was some mystery and adventure, but they just seemed watered down in this book.

Overall, this was a fairly nice read.

[Jessica Gard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is so easy to absolutely fall in love with this story. Atticus Everheart is such a wonderful character, and I really hope for more adventures to come.

Nothing terrifies Atticus more than monsters. Makes sense, as his whole life he has been tormented by his older brother’s constant threats to feed him to one, especially when he’s been caught messing with their stuff. So when he accidentally damages one of his brother’s incredibly rare of books, a signed Sherlock Holmes novel their grandfather had given him, he has to find a way to make money to replace it, and fast.

When his sister finds a help wanted ad in the local paper asking for a “bright student” to tutor a “not-so bright” one, Atticus jumps at the opportunity to work and quickly gets hired to teach a reluctant student named Drago. Working at the creepiest house in town, Atticus comes to find there is much more in store for him than teaching, some of it quite monstrous indeed.

Filled with humor and mystery, the story of Atticus and his growing friendship with Drago was truly a joy to read. Perfect for late elementary to middle-grade readers looking for a bit of spook to go with their mystery.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and The Wild Rose Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for supernatural books and have been since before the age this book is earmarked for. I enjoyed meeting Atticus and Drago and following them on their adventure. As someone coming close to completing her 6th decade, I may have gotten more out of some of the detail than younger readers being really familiar with the many types of monsters and books referenced.

There was once or twice when the author seemed to fall out of the age bracket, using the term "slacks" (I can't recall the last time I heard some one use slacks instead of pants, especially a child) and Atticus' youngest sister seems awfully mature. These few elements didn't really detract from my enjoyment.

I'd look forward to reading another of their adventures.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Book Dragons TBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book during this spooky season! I loved Atticus, he’s such an amazing character! I think many kids will relate to Atticus, he’s so very believable. I thought the writing style was fluid and easy to read. Both adults and kids will enjoy the plot. I loved that his older brothers picked on him, it reminded me of my older brothers when I was younger. I also love that he finds a job tutoring another child. I hope that this book gets into many kids hands, because it’s truly enjoyable.

[Chaannttt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is middle grade and I am an adult I really enjoyed it. The surroundings are described well enough to get a good image in your head, such as of the houses. Some parts I guessed quickly as to what would happen next but it didn’t spoil any enjoyment of the book.

[TessaMcbessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love middle grade novels because I can just enjoy a fun adventure and relax! It was such a fun story, and I loved the creativity and the characters the I met throughout the story. I’ll definitely be recommending this to my kids and even some adults!