THE MUTANT MUSHROOM TAKEOVER

A budding scientist battles an insidious, glowing fungus.

When friends Maggie and Nate decide to investigate paranormal activity in Old Man Bell’s woods, Maggie hopes to take the perfect photo so she can win a contest that would allow her to meet with the board of the company that pretty much runs the small town of Shady Pines and convince them to rehire her father. The two friends have been through a lot together, but neither one is prepared for giant, neon bioluminescent mushrooms. Beautiful at first, deadly on further inspection, Maggie and Nate’s fungal discovery leads them on a hair-raising race against time to save Maggie’s brother, everyone in Raccoon Creek Trailer Park, all of Texas—heck, maybe even the world—from the mutant mushroom takeover! Written from Maggie’s first-person perspective, with exaggerated characters and occasionally gross humor, this tale is reminiscent of a larger-than-life monster movie. With giant spiders, zombies, and a satisfyingly stinky solution, Maggie’s adventure is packed with creepy, disgusting action. Some characters lack dimension, but Maggie herself is compellingly complex. The small-town setting allows for a contained cast, with White main characters. An author’s note separates compelling science fact from fiction. With an abundance of STEM content, this book could easily springboard classroom discussion or library programming.

Packed to the gills with fun.