I love the original Bailey School Kids books, but I did not care for this new graphic novel. The art style is too cutesy. And is it just me or is therI love the original Bailey School Kids books, but I did not care for this new graphic novel. The art style is too cutesy. And is it just me or is there an added character here? I don't remember this character at all, and they barely say two words in the graphic novel. It was confusing for me at first because I'm so used to just those core characters. Anyway, I wish this had gotten a better graphic novel like Magic Tree House did. The Bailey School Kids deserve more. Still, I'm giving it two stars for staying close to the original story. I just wish the art style was different....more
When I go to work on the Bookmobile and I forgot my book at home, I always pick Bunnicula off the Bookmobile shelf and start reading. It's always the When I go to work on the Bookmobile and I forgot my book at home, I always pick Bunnicula off the Bookmobile shelf and start reading. It's always the first book I reach for, and it is still just as charming as the first time I read it. Love!...more
3.5 stars. Not my favorite Trixie Belden book in the series, but I liked it a whole lot more once I got past the first half. The last half of the book3.5 stars. Not my favorite Trixie Belden book in the series, but I liked it a whole lot more once I got past the first half. The last half of the book was pretty great for me!...more
This was another revisit for me. I'm happy to say I still have my exact copy that I originally ordered from the Scholastic book orders in third grade,This was another revisit for me. I'm happy to say I still have my exact copy that I originally ordered from the Scholastic book orders in third grade, so rereading this felt extra special. What can I say, it's a Horrible Harry book for third and fourth graders. Just a cute little Halloween story that reminded me of the excitement I felt for my school Halloween parties....more
I hadn't read this since I was in elementary school, so in September I picked this up off the Bookmobile shelf at work and gave it a read. So cute! I I hadn't read this since I was in elementary school, so in September I picked this up off the Bookmobile shelf at work and gave it a read. So cute! I always loved this spooky-themed Berenstain Bears books. There are quite a few more that I would like to revisit. 3.5 stars...more
This... just didn't work for me. I didn't like the artwork or the stories. Even though I am a huge Halloween kid, I was left feeling bored and not satThis... just didn't work for me. I didn't like the artwork or the stories. Even though I am a huge Halloween kid, I was left feeling bored and not satisfied. :(...more
While it threw me off to see the kids with cellphones, this more recent addition to the Boxcar Children series was just as charming as the older booksWhile it threw me off to see the kids with cellphones, this more recent addition to the Boxcar Children series was just as charming as the older books. I just love the cozy, wholesomeness of this series. Combine that with the headless horseman, and I'm there!...more
Oh... wow. Upon reading Tech Fury (another book in the Spine Shivers series) and disliking it, I didn't have very high hopes for the other books in thOh... wow. Upon reading Tech Fury (another book in the Spine Shivers series) and disliking it, I didn't have very high hopes for the other books in this series. I decided to try one more to see if some are better than others, so I went with The Grin in the Dark. I found the cover to be genuinely creepy, even though I am not usually afraid clowns. But the story itself shouldn't be scary, right? After all, this is a middle grade Goosebumps throwback and I am a grown man who is completely jaded by horror. It isn't going to be actually scary.....
Turns out, I was wrong.
This book follows a kid named Hamid who is babysitting for his twin cousins one night when he sees an alert that an escaped maniac is on the loose. It doesn't help that his cousins are telling stories about a scary clown coming into their room at night and staring at them. Of course, they're just scared because their mom collects clown memorabilia, and that life-size clown doll in their parents' room is kinda scary looking. Its eyes even seem to follow Hamid wherever he goes...
Anyone familiar with that urban legend knows exactly where this is going, but damnit, if this book didn't retell it really well. This was nightmare fuel. I read this before bed and regretted it. Scary stuff. I loved it....more
Ohhh, man! This was fantastic! After reading and loving The Halloweeners, the second book in the Monsterstreet series, I was really excited to read thOhhh, man! This was fantastic! After reading and loving The Halloweeners, the second book in the Monsterstreet series, I was really excited to read the third book. A Halloween carnival? Yes, please!
Because I enjoyed the second book so much, I did not expect to like this one even more. I did, though. Carnevil was a phenomenal read full of Halloween vibes, a quick pace, real emotion (I even cried at the end of this, what the hell??), and an insane amount of darkness which threw me for a loop. I couldn't believe just how dark this got. Wow.
This is a bit Goosebumps-y, yes, but each entry in this series is definitely larger in scope and a lot darker. This may be a new favorite series of mine....more
This is my first read in the Spine Shivers series, and I didn't really care for it. It just took too much time to get into the action, and when it finThis is my first read in the Spine Shivers series, and I didn't really care for it. It just took too much time to get into the action, and when it finally did it was over in a minute. I'll still be reading another in this series though. This one may have just been a dud....more
Like book three in the Frightville series (The Haunted Key), I really enjoyed the fourth book. Night of the Mask -- not Keep the Lights on as the GoodLike book three in the Frightville series (The Haunted Key), I really enjoyed the fourth book. Night of the Mask -- not Keep the Lights on as the Goodreads page suggests -- is about a young boy who buys a mask from the Frightville store to wear to his friend's birthday/costume party. As it turns out, the mask allows the wearer to see things that are otherwise invisible to the human eye, and he soon discovers after arriving at his friend's party (in a big, spooky house, no less) that he is able to see strange creatures haunting the home, creatures that begin to follow him wherever he goes.
This was not what I expected, and that's okay. I was expecting a Haunted Mask style tale, but instead I got something that actually reminded me a lot of the 1970s TV movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. The little creatures, while not as creepy as in that film, were very similar and actually offered plenty of humor to the story.
I also loved our main character Ben, who is resourceful, kind, and just a good kid overall. He also happens to be in a wheelchair which was so refreshing to see. The book doesn't make a big deal about it, nor does it treat him as "a kid in a wheelchair" and leave it at that. Ben has lots of interests, many friends, and is excited to play the Cowardly Lion in his school's upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz. He's a normal kid, as all kids are, and I think kids with the same disability as Ben will really appreciate seeing a character like them, a kid who happens to be in a chair but still does all the things he loves and is able to resolve the conflict all on his own. This is what we need to see more often in books.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this spooky and humorous story, and I hope the Frightville series continues!...more
After liking the first Frightville book and disliking the second one, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Haunted Key. It could have gone either wayAfter liking the first Frightville book and disliking the second one, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Haunted Key. It could have gone either way, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this is the best book in the series so far, and just a solid read in general.
It is about a girl and her father who move into a big, old house to turn it into a bed and breakfast. As it turns out, there are over a dozen beds in the attic which served as a sick room for children with... I believe scarlet fever? I don't have the book with me at the moment so I can't check. And, of course, the room is haunted... as every spooky attic in a creepy old house should be.
This was a nice, creepy-cozy ghost story with likable characters and a lot of heart. I especially liked the relationship between father and daughter, and there was also a gay couple who ran the ice cream stand in town. The book didn't make a big deal about them or anything, it just treated them as any other old married couple which I really appreciated.
Don't expect to get scared while reading this, but do expect a fun, breezy read that can be enjoyed with a hot cup of tea....more
After reading and liking the first book in the Frightville series, I was excited to continue on. So far, it's brought me back to the days of GoosebumpAfter reading and liking the first book in the Frightville series, I was excited to continue on. So far, it's brought me back to the days of Goosebumps and those wonderful knock-offs that came with it. This makes sense considering Mike Ford is also the author of the Spinetinglers series, a Goosebumps knock-off that I read in the '90s. Frightville feels very similar to that series in that it has its highs and lows. I would call the second book Curse of the Wish Eater a low.
I just didn't find this book to be very spooky or entertaining. A kid buys a pair of toy chatter-teeth from the Frightville store. The toy is said to grant your wish if you write it on a slip of paper and feed it to the teeth. It turns out to be true, and naturally things go awry. You've seen it before. It's a common plot, especially in children's books, and its not that it's badly written or anything. It's just what you would expect. It does do something new in the climax, but this twist served to make the story feel a bit silly.
Kids will probably dig this one, but adult readers such as myself who have seen these tropes again and again may be bored by it. Fortunately though, the third book in this series more than made up for this one. The Haunted Key feels like a completely different book....more
A big thank you to Mike Ford for sending me the Frightville series in exchange for an honest review.
Being a kid in the '90s, I had a front row seat whA big thank you to Mike Ford for sending me the Frightville series in exchange for an honest review.
Being a kid in the '90s, I had a front row seat when Goosebumps mania broke out over the entire population. Everything was Goosebumps; books, action figures, board games, school supplies, alarm clocks, bedding, t-shirts, tennis shoes... I'll stop there, otherwise I'll never stop. But one of the things I loved most were the many Goosebumps knock-offs that hit bookstore shelves everywhere. These little series, while not as good as Goosebumps, served to hold me over until the next R.L. Stine book came out. (Back then, you didn't have to wait long, as he was releasing three or four a month.) And then, almost as fast as it came, Goosebumps left, and kids moved onto other things. With it disappeared the many Goosebumps knock-off books that I loved.
But, wouldn't ya know, as soon as Stine started writing Goosebumps once more for modern day kids, the knock-offs (or, as I like to put it, "throwbacks") came back! There are many to choose from, but one of the more recent series is Frightville by Mike Ford. Don't Let the Doll In is a nice start to this spooky new series.
It is about a young girl named Mara who is building a dollhouse with her mom, but before the dollhouse can be considered finished, Mara needs one more important piece: a doll to live in the house. Well, a store by the name of Frightville just opened in town, and they have just the doll for Mara, one that may be host to the spirit of a young girl.
This book definitely gave me Annabelle vibes, though I will say the spirit residing in this doll is far less dangerous. This wasn't a scary book by any means, just a quick, cute read that I think young kids will enjoy. The writing is simple, easier to read than a Goosebumps book even, and has a very simple plot. Most adults probably won't care for this... unless you are a weirdo like me and enjoy a mindless Goosebumps throwback. There are plot holes, yes, so I had to deduct a couple of stars, but I enjoyed this overall. I will definitely continue reading the series.
3 stars. Good cemetery reading material. (Yes, that's a thing for me.)...more
YES! I absolutely loved this entry in the Monsterstreet series by J.H. Reynolds. The Halloweeners is an adorably spooky love-letter to Halloween and tYES! I absolutely loved this entry in the Monsterstreet series by J.H. Reynolds. The Halloweeners is an adorably spooky love-letter to Halloween and the kids (and adults) who love it.
This book brought me back to the late '90s when I was just a little kid dressed in my Ghostface costume, going door to door begging for candy in my Midwestern town. Ever since then, I have had an intense love for Halloween and all things spooky, going as far as to start my own horror show on YouTube (Library Macabre) and writing my own Halloween-themed book. To say I, myself, am a Halloweener is an understatement, so you know I mean it when I say this is a wonderful Halloween adventure for the monster-loving kid in us all....more
I recently read One for Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn and thought it was a decent ghost story for middle grade readers, but it made me nostalgic for HahI recently read One for Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn and thought it was a decent ghost story for middle grade readers, but it made me nostalgic for Hahn's older work. I read Wait Till Helen Comes way back in sixth grade. I remembered loving it and always categorized it as a favorite, so I figured it was the perfect book to revisit, especially in February during women of horror month. Happily, this was just as good as I remembered it being. So much nostalgia! It's creepy, dark (for a children's book), masterfully paced, cozy, and gothic, but it's also a great summer read. The descriptions of warm nights and green fields glowing with fireflies made my heart long for those bright, sunny months even more.
Yep, this one is still a favorite! 5 stars....more