horror – creatures – One Chapter

Startling Stay: Scary Hotels and Inns by Natalie Lunis

5 stars Nonfiction Middle School/YA

They can check out anytime they want, but they never really leave. Welcome to a book devoted to some of the mysterious hotels and inns in North America and Europe. One of the first things that came to my mind when I picked up this book was that individuals still flock to the historical hotel where Stephen King’s The Shining took place. I loved this movie and I would definitely love to stay at this hotel, perhaps someday I just may book a room, take a tour, and maybe, hopefully, I might see something. This book touches on all the senses: do individuals see a vision, hear an unexplained noise, smell something that’s not physically there or do they feel something in close range when nothing is there.

In one hotel, management has tried to keep individuals from experiencing any of these feelings. They have physically locked one of their room doors to from curious minds so the dead spirit that is contained inside can’t harm them. Now, that is one hotel boss who cares about his customers. The story of Robert the Doll was a good one for me as I like creepy dolls. A life-sized cloth doll was given to a painter’s son who lived in this beautiful large home. Gene named his doll, Robert. Strange behavior was recorded by others surrounding Robert. When Gene got older, he left home for schooling but returned years later with his wife. Robert behavior continued as the community’s awareness continued. After Gene’s death, Robert was placed in a museum where his behavior continues. Want to go see him? Be nice and don’t take a picture unless you ask.

Each 2-page spread in the book features a destination. Each destination features why it is creepy, strange, or even spooky. A destination you’ll want to visit or stay clear from. Tales from the years gone past or ones not too long ago, these stories are interesting and exciting.

This book gave me the basic facts on specific destinations. I liked how the book provided where the destination is, what it consists of, and how things went dark. The story continues with how individuals experience these strange happenings and the author tries to shed some light on the subject. With realistic photographs and art, each destination becomes its own eerie destination. There’s just enough detail to make the reader aware of the destination and the history behind it.

I really liked this book. It’s a children’s nonfiction book covering about 18 different destinations but it’s a great one in my opinion. This is one book in the series, which I grabbed the rest of the series the library had while I was there. The Index in the back of the book was very good and there is also a list of 4 other Read More books at the back which the author listed. There is a Learn More Online site which includes a QR code which I scanned. This scan led me to more resources which listed more destinations which I could read about. There was a www. Site for those who can’t or don’t want to scan the code and/or you can even scan the cover of the book to see other websites. There is also a Glossary which is helpful for young readers. I liked the detailed map, A World of the Startling Stays, which shows the world and points out each of the different sites which was mentioned in the book. Check out this book!! 5 stars

Hauntings at Home: Scary Houses and Farms

5 stars Nonfiction Middle School/YA

What the heck! These stories were just craziness. Take Annie for example. Annie built a dungeon in the middle of her house to imprison her workers who tried to run away from her. That’s one cruel, evil woman. This is Annie and this is the early 1800’s. Annie lived in a large mansion. Annie was later known as the White Witch of Rose Hall. An owner of a sugar plantation, she liked to have her workers beaten and tortured for fun. Annie was married three times, and it’s been said that she killed all of them. She later had her eyes on another gentleman, but this gentleman had his eyes on one of Annie’s workers. So, yeah…..Annie wasn’t going for that. So, Annie put a spell on the girl (The White Witch part of her name) and the girl died days later. A relative of the girl got his revenge, and he put Annie to rest, forever. Ha! Her beautiful home, she still is in control of it. She haunts the grounds and it had to be turned into a museum as it could no longer be a home. Crazy! What about the farm in Germany where the whole family was killed including the housekeeper. Who did this and why? Still today, over a hundred years ago, the police have never been able to solve this case. It’s the events leading up to this day that make this crime bizarre. Were those events just coincidence or were they something else? Makes you think. You’re bound to find something inside this book to make your sense come alive.

Each 2-page spread in the book features a destination. Each destination features why it is creepy, strange, or even spooky. A destination you’ll want to inquire more about or one you’re glad you know about. From mansions, to estates, to the famous Amityville House, this book will get you going,

This book gave me the basic facts on specific destinations. I liked how the book provided where the destination is, what it consists of, and how things went dark. The story continues with how individuals experience these strange happenings highlighting the senses within them. With realistic photographs and art, each destination becomes its own eerie destination. There’s just enough detail to make the reader aware of the destination and the history behind it.

Monster Makeovers by Jonathan Emmett

5 stars Halloween Children’s Picture Book

We read this book over and over again. It’s Halloween and the monsters line up for their chance to sit in the chair. A chance to be groomed in the only way a monster can be groomed.

This is not a beauty salon no; this is just the opposite. It is Uglymug’s job to make each monster’s scary and ugly – to make them perfect for Halloween. Tease their hair, color their face, need more spiders, or do you need more goo coming out your nose? You’ve come to the right place. He’ll work his magic on you.

A funny, kid-laughable book. The grandkids laughed over all the different things that the monsters had done and of course, they wondered how he was able to get everyone fixed up, who was lined up in the illustration, on Halloween.

This would be a great book for an activity in which children would then create or color their own monster, as they have been exposed to all the different ideas presented inside this book. The illustrations were colorful and bright and the text rhymed so that created a lively atmosphere.

Fright School by Janet Lawler

5 stars Children’s Holiday Picture Book

We liked all the interesting Halloween creatures that were included inside this book.

There were lots of fun cartoon creatures practicing how to be scary at this school as their teacher gave them different tactics. I liked how the book was filled with action and the individuals in the book were not all standing around or sitting but they looked like they were in motion on the pages.

The characters were all having fun with one another, which made the book enjoyable to read.

A rhyming book, this book only had a few sentences per page, so it wasn’t’ heavy with text. A fun, lively holiday story with a ending that I knew was coming but the grandkids did not.

The Haunted Scavenger Hunt by Steve Patschke

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Super fun and funny story. My grandson wanted to read this book repeatedly. It’s not so much a scary story as the front cover suggests but it’s the anticipation of what each turn of the page will bring that makes this story so fun. The ending brings it all together making it a funny story.
Friends Sammy, Jenny, Sara, and Pete are out on Halloween. It’s interesting but looking at the illustrations, none of the children have costumes on nor is there any mention of trick-or-treating. It’s a spooky night nevertheless and they discover a strange box. There are words written across the top of the box which draw their attention. “Don’t look at it! Don’t touch it! Don’t open it!” The friends talk amongst themselves about what they are going to do with the box. The author then, asks the reader, “So what did the friends do?”

Turning the page, you discover that YES! They looked, they touched, and they opened the box! HA! So much for listening to what the box said. Now, what did the friends find inside that box? A key. A key with a message that again tells them what NOT to do. So, “what did the friends do?”

Yup, they did exactly what you think they would do. If this wasn’t funny enough, the characters in this story start to disappear. Yes, they are here in the story and then, suddenly they’re gone. The grandkids enjoyed the laugh when the characters weren’t listening to what they were supposed to do and they loved chiming in when the author asked them questions. So, where does this all lead them to? A great ending, where again…….”Don’t look at them! Don’t touch them! Don’t open them!”

I think this a great for a first and second read through. I would then put the book away for a while and then bring it back out, so it’s entertaining again. I can see this story becoming boring if read repeatedly as the anticipation could be memorized and not so much fun. We loved the illustrations and the text was simple yet, entertaining. I loved the facial expressions on the characters and the anticipation that grew throughout the book. Fun story. 5 stars

Boo the Library Ghost by Becky Paige

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Stay away from this library! This library is haunted by a ghost who likes to scare all who enter while causing chaos inside the walls of this structure. Children are his favorite, frightening them so much that they run out of the library and head home. Boo does it all, from throwing books to ripping out the pages of the books, to making spooky scary faces on the walls. You have been warned.

Boo meets his match when Poppy walks into the library. After all of Boo antics, Poppy remains in the library. Poppy even asks Boo to calm down as she’s reading a book and he’s distracting her. This makes Boo mad, so he becomes more destructive. Wow, Boo is really tearing up the library! Poppy tries to stop Boo’s behavior and that’s when she realizes why Boo is really acting out.

Boo is reluctant to warm up to Poppy as she talks to him. He’s listening but he’s scared. Poppy’s patience and loving words warm Boo’s heart and they connect. Poppy is the perfect advocate for the library and soon she has Boo on board.

It’s a great story and I liked Boo’s transformation. Boo’s behavior was caused by something deeper and Poppy discovered it and helped Boo. I liked how she became friends with Boo. The illustrations were busy, colorful and they complimented the text. I enjoyed the text, but it did get a bit too long for my 3-year-old grandson. A fun book about books and the power of reading. 5 stars

The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason

4.5 stars Children’s

Cute book with the premise that it’s okay to be different. Little Ghose didn’t like being different as he didn’t fit in with the other ghosts that were just like him. Little Ghost wasn’t white like a sheet, he was a patterned quilt. A heavy patterned quilt that could not fly carefree in the sky, like the other ghosts. When Little Ghost attempted such a feat, it would end in disaster.

Playing in the park with his friends one day, Little Ghost couldn’t hide fast like his friends, when they heard someone approaching. What happened at the park that day would change the life of Little Ghost. It would soon be Halloween, Little Ghost favorite day of the year, and he decided that he would do something different this year. No longer would he watch the trick-or-treaters from afar, Little Ghost wants to see them up close.

Little Ghost wants to be brave yet it’s scary doing something different. Little Ghost goes on a new adventure filled with uncertainty and unease, but the experience is well worth it.

I really enjoyed this book and how the story plays out. I liked how Little Ghost wants to try something new and how he attempts it, but he doesn’t go how he anticipated it would. Rather than getting upset or discouraged, he goes with it and waits to see how things play out. It’s a great story for children, I think.

“Everything that had happened was because he was a little bit different. Everything had happened because he was a quilt.”

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

4 stars Children’s Fiction

Blended, that’s what it is. When I think about this book, blended comes to mind as this word describes exactly how the characters are. They’re a group of individuals whose stories need to be told, for they each are different, yet they all need each other. It’s a story that you won’t forget, one that will leave you smiling and one that might have you grabbing the tissue box.

It’s the end of fifth grade and Emma, a.k.a. Ferris, is about to have the most memorable summer she’s ever had. Emma house is full. It houses her immediate family and other members of her extended family. Grandma Charisse lives with them and according to grandma, there’s also a ghost that’s a resident in the house. Ferris claims she hasn’t seen the ghost, but Boomer seems to have as the dog’s behavior has been questionable when grandma states the ghost is present. Her Uncle Ted lives in the basement where he is working on his painting. Ted has split up with his wife and this “painting’ is consuming his life. Like everyone else, as Ted talks about this world history painting, I’m visualizing an amazing masterpiece. When we’re finally able to gaze upon his work, my expectations fell. Pinky, is Ferris’ little sister and she is just hilarious. Her spunk and demeanor made me LOL, as she acts mature, but her ambitions and desires are not typical for a six-year-old child. With a desire to be an outlaw, Pinky language and tactics are comical and get her into some difficult situations. Ferris’ best friend Billy loves music, which is great, but he plays the same song over and over. It becomes comforting and he fits right in with the rest of Ferris’ unique family.

I found that I liked Mrs. Mielk, she was one of Ferris’ teachers who had them memorize words and the different parts of them. Ferris frequently uses “Mrs. Mielk words” in his daily life, as he finds them useful and helpful in his life. Little did Mrs. Mielk know how much of an impact she was making on the future lives of her students. Life is what happens inside this book. Ferris wants to help his grandma with the ghost and he’s also trying to understand what is going on with his uncle in the basement. The little outlaw in his family and his best friend, the talented musician, adds excitement and drama to the household. It’s a family affair, comical at times but always with love. Does anyone have 40 candles? Ha.

“I think that’s where the music from. From her singing to me. And that’s why I don’t feel lonely for her. Because she’s here all the time. In the music.”

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

4.5 stars Suspense

I’m not a winter person. I lived in a state that experiences four different seasons and winter is the one that I detest the most. It amazes me why individuals would board a bus in winter, for a getaway and not be more prepared in case something went wrong. It’s just plain crazy, in my world! I also wonder how these individuals got together. Did they find a great deal? It must have been a great price, as a VRBO could have been a better option and more isolation. Think about this next time you plan a vacation.

There are eight strangers on the bus. On the road ahead, a tree has fallen, and it has blocked the road. No problem, Brian the guide has a chainsaw, and he will move it. This has eliminated problem #1. The vacationers were supposed to stay close to the bus while Brian removed the tree but nope, two individuals decided to take a walk and they haven’t returned. Problem #2 Problem #3 is the precipitation which amounts to a snowstorm and when they return to the bus after searching for the couple, they discover that the bus won’t start. I can’t even keep up with all the problems this group of travelers encounter as this should be Problem #4 but as the remaining individuals locate a boarded-up cabin to take refuge in, they discover that the shelter has some issues of its own. Keep your wits about you as things are about to get crazy.

This cabin is rustic, and I mean, rustic. It does provide them with shelter, but it doesn’t have running water, food, or electricity. As one of the missing individuals returns to the group, there’s still one unaccounted for out in the snowstorm. Resuming their search for this person, it doesn’t take long to discover why they never made it back. They never could have made it back in the condition they were in. Who did this to them and why? I guess I better start paying attention as I thought everyone was accounted for, so did one of the vacationers sneak off and do this evil act?

This was the first victim, the first of many. The vacationers start disappearing one-by-one and when the others find them, they think they discover a pattern. What can the remaining individuals do to stop this? Keeping watch over each other, they’re like hawks, but the dead bodies keep popping up. Are they missing something?

What a fun and entertaining read. This book definitely had my attention, and I felt as if I was watching each character waiting for them to slip up so I could catch them in the act. The cabin carried a vibe of its own and the weather helped create a feeling of isolation and despair. This book reminded me of another book that I had read but that was okay. 4.5 stars.

All Hallows by Christopher Golden

5 stars Thriller

Now, that was creepy good! I enjoyed the intensity of the two storylines as they slowly built-up steams and I loved the intensity that swelled within this book once the festivities began. I fell back in time as I read this book, back to the day when everyone living on your block was on a first name basis and most neighborhoods were safe as help was just a few feet away. As one father and his daughter finished up preparations for their annual Halloween haunted woods, the rest of the neighborhood is getting ready for the annual Halloween block party. Candy is stocked at the door for the trick-or-treaters and it seems like everyone has their night planned out, so they won’t miss a thing.

Enthusiasm and excitement filled the air as this was a big night. The haunted woods grew more extravagant every year and they were eager to see what awaited them this year. The block party was a time for the neighborhood to come together and enjoy each other’s company, or at least that’s what this party had been in the past. As the children start the night with their trick-or-treating, they encounter some costumed children they don’t recognize. Could it just be the costumes that throw off who these individuals are or are these children not from around there? It’s when these children start asking the neighborhood children for help that warning flags when off in my head.

Sorry folks, your fun evening with your neighbors just got interesting. What a thrilling read! I loved so much about this book – 5 stars