Trash Heap of Terror

Joe McGee, Ethan Long

• Publisher: Aladdin
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781534487420
• eBook ISBN: 9781534487444

The Junior Monster Scouts take out the trash when a new villain comes to town in the hilarious fifth chapter book of the Junior Monster Scouts series! The Junior Monster Scouts have a new grump in town to contend with: Baroness Von Grumpier! A cousin of Baron Von Grump, she's even grumpier, and even more diabolical! And her sidekick is a toad…a very warty, always frowning, not-ever-happy toad. Baroness Von Grumpier has come to visit while her cousin goes on vacation. She wants to tidy up his windmill, but when she takes out all of his garbage and dumps in into one big, stinking trash heap, it comes alive! Can the little monsters save the townspeople from the ruthless rubbish?

CHAPTER 1

BARON VON GRUMP STARED AT the letter in his hand.

“This can’t be right,” he said. “This can’t be right at all.”

“Caw?” asked Edgar, his pet crow.

“Yes, here!” said Baron Von Grump. “To this very place. To our windmill!”

“Caw?”

“When?” said Baron Von Grump. “Why, I haven’t the slightest idea. She could show up at any moment. She could be almost here. She could be passing through the village at this very second!”

“Caw!” said Edgar. He flew to the windowsill and peered out over the village.

Baron Von Grump stared at the letter again.

“An extended stay,” he moaned. “To visit the countryside.”

He collapsed into his favorite chair and groaned.

“Caw?” asked Edgar.

“That’s it!” said Baron Von Grump, jumping out of his seat. “That’s exactly it, Edgar! We’ll pack up and leave. We’ll hang a sign on the door that says, ‘Not home, gone away.’ Why, she’ll have no choice but to turn around and go right back to her noisy, busy, hustle-and-bustle city. Hurry, Edgar, we must be quick. There’s no telling when she might—”

Three loud knocks at his front door interrupted him.

“Arrive,” grumbled Baron Von Grump, falling back into his chair.

---

But wait, what about the Junior Monster Scouts? Where are they? Why are we reading about Baron Von Grump? This book series isn’t called the Baron Von Grump series, is it? No, of course not! It’s called the Junior Monster Scouts series, and that’s who we really want to read about. What’s that? You want to know who is knocking at Baron Von Grump’s door? All in due time, but first let’s see what our favorite Junior Monster Scouts are up to on this nice sunny day.

---

“Okay, Little Junior Monster Scouts,” said Vampyra, “let’s try the scout oath.”

“Repeat after us,” said Franky.

“After us,” said Wolfy’s little sister Fern and the rest of the cubs.

“No, repeat what we say,” Wolfy said.

“What we say,” said Fern and the cubs.

“No, repeat the oath,” said Vampyra.

Fern scratched her head.

“But we don’t know it,” she said.

Wolfy rolled his eyes.

“That’s what we’re trying to teach you,” he said.

“This is very confusing,” said Fern.

As you can see, Vampyra, Franky, and Wolfy were trying very hard to teach the newly created Little Junior Monster Scouts the scout oath. Perhaps you and I could recite it together? After all, by reading these books, you are an honorary scout. Yes, of course you are! It doesn’t matter if you don’t have fur, or claws, or pointy teeth. What matters is that you are kind, and helpful, and follow all the other Scout Laws that are at the back of this book. But first, let’s start with the oath. Ready? Okay, repeat after me:

I promise to be nice, not scary. To help, not harm. To always try to do my best. I am a monster, but I am not mean. I am a Junior Monster Scout!

CHAPTER 2

BARON VON GRUMP DID NOT answer his door right away. He hoped that if he ignored the knocking, whoever was at his door would go away.

Knock, knock, knock.

He knew exactly who was at his door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

And he knew that she would not go away, no matter how much he hoped she would.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

But he tried anyway. It didn’t work.

“Oh, cousin,” called a voice from below Baron Von Grump’s window. “I know you’re in there! I’ve come such a long way to see you, and it would be very nice if you would OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!”

Baron Von Grump jumped out of his seat. Edgar flew straight up into the rafters and bumped his head. Baron Von Grump rushed down the stairs and threw the door open. There, standing on his NOT WELCOME mat was none other than his cousin, the very frightening, always scowling, super-stern—

“Baroness Von Grumpier,” said the baron, “how… nice… to see you.”

Baron Von Grump smiled at her as best he could. It was really the tiniest of smiles. No more than one twitch of one side of his lips. It was really the best he could do.

Baroness Von Grumpier did not smile back.

That’s rather rude, don’t you think? Most people at least smile back when you smile, even if it’s a little smile. Let’s try it. Is there anyone around you now? Try smiling at them. Tell them it’s nice to see them. Did they smile back? They probably did. It’s a nice thing to do. If they didn’t, well… I’d keep your eye on them if I were you.

“Take this suitcase,” said Baroness Von Grumpier. She thrust a large piece of luggage into Baron Von Grump’s hands. “And this one. And this satchel. This trunk. These bags. And this box.”

Baron Von Grump could not even see over the pile of bags and boxes and satchels and suitcases. Why, it was a wonder he could even fit through the door. But fit through the door he did, and Baroness Von Grumpier followed with empty hands. Almost empty. She held a large, warty, frowning toad in one hand.

“Croak,” said the toad.

“I quite agree, Wilma,” said Baroness Von Grumpier. “This place is even worse than it appears from the outside. You live in quite the dump, cousin.”

Baron Von Grump gritted his teeth. He flared his nostrils. He tugged at his ears and pulled on his beard, but he did not say anything back. At least not anything that might make his cousin even crankier than she already was. He dared not do that. Baron Von Grump knew better. Baroness Von Grumpier was known among all the Von Grumps as being the crankiest Von Grump there was.

Instead, he forced another smile, this one with a twitch of both corners of his lips.

“Care for some tea?” he said.

Baroness Von Grumpier’s eyes narrowed, and her lip curled.

“I hate tea,” she said.

“Milk?”

“I’d rather drink pond water,” she sneered.

Baron Von Grump twisted the ends of his mustache. He was not feeling well at all.

CHAPTER 3

“SO WHAT ELSE ARE WE going to do today?” asked Fern. Fern was Wolfy’s little sister. She and the rest of the wolf cubs had just recently become Little Junior Monster Scouts. Little Junior Monster Scouts were Junior Monster Scouts in training. When they got bigger, they could be full scouts, just like Wolfy, Franky, and Vampyra! They had recently learned the scout oath. It had taken them several tries, but hey—practice makes perfect, right?

“Today,” said Vampyra, “we are going to clean up the Crooked Trail.”

“Som...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Map
• The Scouts
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Junior Monster Scout Handbook
• Acknowledgments
• ‘The Haunted Mustache’ Teaser
• About the Author
• Copyright