middle grade books | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Book Review: Night of the Living Toilet Paper (Alien Survival Guide #2) by Kevin Garone

Night of the Living Toilet Paper bookcover

Night of the Living Toilet Paper (Alien Survival Guide #2) by Kevin Garone

Temor Press, 2025

ISBN: 9788991328449

Available: Hardcover, paperback, ebook edition (pre-order)

The irresistible, alien-chasing young scamps are back! Thankfully, author Garone thought his prior book, I Know What UFO Did Last Summer, was good enough to continue the story. Night, while a bit different in scope, has all the charm and enchantment of the original.

In Night, original members Marvin (code name: Gold Leader), Jace (code name: Baller One) and Nora (code name: Space Cadet) all return, and they have expanded their ranks to include Kenji Kowahara (code name: Pyro). You can guess what his specialty/obsession is!

The story finds the four of them trying to destroy a giant animated mass of toilet paper, which is under control of a Sleech, one of the creatures from the first book. It’s a good story and written as well as the first: it’s just a bit smaller/more focused in scope. The first book had the team in a few different places, (woods, a super secret lab) and tackling a few different related problems. This time, it’s pretty much the team vs. the paper monster in their neighborhood: that’s the crux of almost all the story. Does it work? Yes, very well, it just isn’t as broad of a plot. Think of it as a smaller version of the original, but just as good (kind of like those downloadable expansions they do for video games these days).

There are some good modifications from the first book. For one, the kids really don’t get any help this time. It’s up to them alone to use their ingenuity and make the right decisions to outwit the creature, and that’s what makes the characters and their specialties stand out. Marvin and Jace are still good as team leader and tactics officer, respectively, but Nora’s character plays a bigger role this time, with her developing abilities as a backyard mechanic proving critical to the team. Kenji also has a big part, as his fire obsession comes in very handy when the team is on the defensive against the TP monster. As before, it’s the comradeship between them all that carries the story. The author may be planning ahead, as there are some very slight hints that the kids may be starting to mature. They have to deal with the actual loss of a person– a minor character– but a loss nevertheless, and there are a couple other subtle hints.

Bottom line is, if you liked the first one, you don’t want to miss this. It has all the characteristics that made the first one such a pleasant surprise. Whether they are trying to use an inflatable mattress as a boat, or riding motorcycles while spitting flames, it’s hard to avoid loving the antics of Marvin and his team. Certainly recommended!

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Book Review: I Know What UFO Did Last Summer by Kevin Garone

I Know What UFO Did Last Summer by Kevin Garone

Temor Press, April 2025 (not yet released)

ISBN: 9798991328401

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org

Part adventure, part sci-fi, and all childlike charm, this book is for young readers, but perfect for young-at-heart adults. With its irresistible characters, it’s a reminder of a time when you were young and could believe in anything with all your heart, no matter how outlandish it might have been. Simply put, this is magic.

It’s the three pre-teen lead characters, Marvin (code name: Gold Leader), Jace (code name: Baller One) and Nora (code name: Space Cadet) that make the story such a joy. The author clearly knows kids and how to write them. His insights are so good, you’ll wonder if the book was written by a teen with advanced writing skills. The main character, Marvin, truly believes aliens will one day infiltrate the earth, so he spends his spare time searching and preparing for them, along with his less enthusiastic friends. Jace and Nora don’t really buy into Marvin’s obsession, but searching the night sky during campouts and building an anti-UFO catapult is fun for them. That’s what buddies do: go along with the ideas of each other, in the name of friendship.

Things change when the three of them do find something unusual in the woods. It isn’t actual aliens, but it does somewhat fit into Marvin’s beliefs. The author wisely doesn’t hide the fact that it isn’t an extraterrestrial invasion, but he has Marvin play his role to the end, and that’s where a lot of the story’s charm comes from. It’s hilarious when adults in the book occasionally ask “what’s wrong with this kid?”” when Marvin accuses them of being from another planet. The answer is, nothing at all. He isn’t written as crazy or stupid, but as a kid who believes, wholeheartedly, in aliens coming to earth. It makes the character interactions between the three kids more powerful than a laser bolt from Han Solo’s blaster, as Jace and Nora are perfect foils to Marvin. Jace has fun with the whole alien thing, but would rather play basketball, while Nora is new and town and just needs a friend.

The storyline is quite good: call it sci-fi light. There are a few weird creatures and a bit of teleporting, plus, of course, an EEEEVIL mastermind behind it all. There are some stock elements, but they are used extremely well. A few characters do get chomped by something, but nothing messy. This book is perfect for grades four through seven, roughly. (I’m basing that on my teaching experience)

However, since this review is mainly for adults, the bottom line is, this is perfect for those who haven’t let the world dampen the joy of imagination. It’s a good reminder that magic of a sort still does exist, if you still believe. Often, that magic is found in the friendships you make, as the book’s characters discover during their adventure. Most definitely recommended!

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson