middle school – One Chapter

Puzzled: a Memoir About Growing Up With OCD by Pan Cooke

3 stars Nonfiction

I had been looking forward to reading this graphic novel. This is the author’s true account of growing up with OCD which was supposed to be heartful, honest, and funny. I appreciate that the author shared his experience and was honest about it. There were parts that made me smile, parts that I felt sorry for him, and parts that were ok.

I think what really hit home with me in this book was the countless times that anxiety took over for Pan. Pan knows that he has issues and he tries desperately to ignore them. He tries to act normal (or what Pan feels is normal) but before he knows it, he becomes overwhelmed with a puzzle that is floating around inside his head. Pan must solve that puzzle! He feels compelled to solve it before doing anything else. Unfortunately for Pan, once that puzzle is solved, another puzzle pops up inside his head and the process begins again. Pan wants out! It’s too much. Pan just wants to be like his peers as this constant roaming, attention seeking activities are consuming his life.

I appreciate the author sharing his story with us, but I felt I was missing something. I didn’t feel any connection as the story felt like the worst of times. Having OCD affects your life but I felt like the book showed the worst of times whereas every aspect of his life, his OCD takes over in the worst way. I didn’t understand where this all began or when things started to occur or what a typical day is like. The book is great to show someone that they are not alone in this diagnosis and to help others understand this condition. I really do appreciate the author’s honesty and time to open himself up so others can understand. 3 stars

Eerie Education: Scary Schools and Libraries (Where You Dare Not Go) by Dinah Williams

4.25 Stars Nonfiction

I’ve read quite a few of these Where You Dare Not Go books. I like the short little stories that go with each stop, as they take you around the globe, hitting on a few of the most particular and interesting places that pertain to each of the books in this series. Each book features actual pictures that accompany each story, a captivating tidbit highlighted in a eye-catching bubble, and in the back of each book, the author expands upon the books theme. This week I read 2 of the books in this series. Eerie Education was filled with 18 stories of ghosts. This must be the reason why each of these individual places are the way they are, right? Ghosts! Ghosts with unfinished business, ghosts who just like to make noise, and ghosts who like to cause some mischief.

In California, there is a high school that is said to be haunted by three, yes, I said 3 ghosts! It’s a very old all-girl school, where three different ghosts roam the premises. To me, that sounds like somewhere I would like to visit. I wouldn’t mind running into the white, glowing spirit of a nun floating around the library. Since she is seen most often in the library, she must be a quiet spirit, but I wonder what her story is. Why does her spirit still remain? If you hear a piano playing in the school, see if you can find the source. Most likely, you will not be able to find one. That is ghost #2. Ghost 2 likes to play the piano, but you will not find it or the piano. There had to be piano in the school at one time, wonder why it’s so connected to it. Ghost #3 might be an issue for me. Careful when swimming in the pool at this school. Years ago, there was an accident where a girl drowned. Sometimes, individuals swimming feel that someone is pulling on their legs. Yep, that would freak me out.

What about the school who built their bell tower on the grounds of an old cemetery? Think that went, ok? What about the college student who was pledging for a fraternity when the members took him to some railroad tracks? Call it unexpected, call it total trust, I call it insane. When the fraternity brothers came back, this college student was dead. Now, his spirit is seen every year in the fraternity house he wanted so badly.

I found that this book is my least favorite so far. I think because all the stories dealt with ghosts and the stories were very tame in nature. Most of the stories had closure, they weren’t creepy in nature, and the spirits were not evil.

I really like the map feature on the back. In the back, there is A World of…… Eerie Education. On this 2-page spread, the author marks each of the places that was featured inside the book on the map. All the places in this book were in North America, from coast to coast. In the back is also a great glossary and index. There’s a page of Read More which gives the reader 4 more books they can read to gather more information about this subject matter. On this page, there is also Learn More Online which features a QR Code to scan (if you like) or a web address that you can go to that links you up to a lot more information. It’s a entertaining book to read about some schools in North America which individuals believe are haunted with ghosts. 4.25 stars.

Horror Healing: Scary Hospitals and Asylums (Where You Dare Not Go) by Dinah Williams

5 stars Nonfiction

I’ve read quite a few of these Where You Dare Not Go books. I like the short little stories that go with each stop, as they take you around the globe, hitting on a few of the most particular and interesting places that pertain to each of the books in this series. Each book features actual pictures that accompany each story, a captivating tidbit highlighted in an eye-catching bubble, and in the back of each book, the author expands upon the books theme. This week I read 2 of the books in this series. Horror Healing was filled with 18 stories of creepy, haunted, and/or famous hospitals and asylums.

Many were for individuals who were fighting diseases, some had “doctors” who were “practicing “ on their patients, and some lived their whole lives inside a building because of their health.

There’s the state hospital in Illinois where individuals lived and died. A patient who had worked as a gravedigger for the hospital passed away. As they lowered his coffin into the ground, they heard crying from a nearby tree. In years pass, this would be the gravedigger who was crying for the other patients who have died but now, the gravedigger is the one being laid to rest. As the grievers looked towards the tree, they saw the deceased individual crying. Then, there is the story inside a Massachusetts’ state hospital where a patient came up missing. When her purse was found, they discovered an axe inside it. She had been killed with that ax! She had been killed by another patient, but how did she get that ax inside her purse?

There are many stories of hospitals that were being used to treat individuals for diseases. Thinking about all the chaos and death inside the hospitals – it’s so sad. How to keep the patients who are trying to get well separated from all the death around them had to be stressful and emotional. One hospital used rail cars to transport the dead outside to awaiting hearses. Designing a 500-foot, pitch-black chute, this body chute secretly transported the dead bodies to the outside world.

I found that this book very interesting. From Gettysburg, Singapore, Florida, and onto New Zealand, this book covers the world. Some stories are creepy, ghostly, and/or haunting, so think about the reader before giving this book to a small child. I really like the map feature on the back. In the back, there is A World of…… Horror Healing. On this 2-page spread, the author marks each of the places that was featured inside the book on the map. The places in this book cover North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, Hawaii, New Zealand, Singapore, and Italy.

In the back is also a great glossary and index. There’s a page of Read More which gives the reader 4 more books they can read to gather more information about this subject matter. On this page, there is also Learn More Online which features a QR Code to scan (if you like) or a web address that you can go to that links you up to a lot more information. It’s an entertaining book to read about some hospitals and asylums around the world which are not doing any healing. 5 stars.

One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram

4.5 stars YA

It only took one word. One single word to send everything off balance. One single six lettered word had such a rippling effect upon everything in its path. From the lives of the individuals in its path, to the chemistry and environment it hit along the way, this word had a life of its own. Can they ever recover from its effect? Will the volume ever go down surrounding this event?

Dayton was hungry. He was promised the money, and that was all that mattered to him. It rang throughout the gym and there was no going back after the word left his mouth. It was just one word, six letters, which he thought wasn’t supposed to be a thing, but it was. That word packed a punch. There was no going back. The implications of that one moment caused individuals to do some soul-searching, reflecting upon every detail of their life.

I really enjoyed this book and the implications that it addresses. Although Dayton may not have thought about his actions at the time, the author shows just how far reaching something like this can extend. External and internal difficulties and feelings are addressed by different individuals so the whole story can be told. Interesting novel which is perfect for our society today. 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King

5 stars Children’s Fairy Tale

I liked this new interpretation by Stephen King of the old classic. Make sure you read the introduction at the beginning of the book as it sets the stage for this children’s picture book, and I felt it helped me appreciate the story more. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, King took the illustrations and wrote this book based on the whimsical drawings contained inside the book. King used some of the original sentences from this classic fairy tale within the story, but King also added his own touch creating a story that is more elaborate than the original.

Hansel and Gretel lived with their father and their stepmother at the edge of the great dark forest. Their father is a poor broom maker, and the stepmother is a spoiled wicked woman. The family is running out of food so the wife convinces the husband that in order to survive, they must take the children out deep into the forest and leave them. She convinces him that God will care for them and they will be safe in the forest. Now, father was not convinced that leaving his children out in the wild forest but she kept at him, convincing him nonetheless.

Hansel had overheard the plans and started making a plan. Gretal was upset after learning what her parents were planning to do but Hansel convinced her that it would be okay. As they slept, they both had dreams. You can imagine how different their dreams were from one another. The next morning, father and mother walked off with their children into the forest. It was just like the parents had planned, only they didn’t know that Hansel had a plan of his own in the works. The personalities of both the parents were felt and seen as this scenario played out.

The parents returned home alone as the children found refuge with each other inside the dark forest. Imagine the stepmother’s surprise when the children knocked on their door the next day! Ha – surprise! Time passed and food was still scarce. The woman again convinced her husband that the children had to go. They had to leave them deeper into the dark forest this time! Oh, she was wicked!! Just like before, father needed to be convinced, Hansel heard the plan, he thought of a different plan, Gretal was scared, and the dreams came back. They journeyed into the dark forest. When the parents returned home, they were alone and the children had fallen asleep in the dark forest. Hansel had put his plan to work. When the children awoke, they were surprised to find that Hansel’s plan had failed. Stuck in the dark forest, would the children ever make their way home again?

I liked how King wrote the story to match the illustrations. These were definitely Maurice Sendek’s signature illustrations. From the candy cottage in the forest, to the twisted trees swallowing up the pages, and the children’s dreams materializing on the page, Sendek and King worked their magic on this classic. There’s harmony with the text and illustrations, each of them sharing the spotlight. What a great combination. 5 stars

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.

Alarming Afterlife: Scary Cemeteries and Graveyards by Alex Giannini

5 stars Middle School/ YA

Cemeteries? A whole book devoted to cemeteries and graveyards. This looks very interesting. I thought the Angel of Death from Iowa City was interesting when I had read about it so a couple years ago my husband and I got into the car and visited her. What an interesting site that was. I never thought I would be intrigued by a statue inside a cemetery, but the story was interesting and the statue, that was even more impressive. This book was fun and I liked the variety of stories. This book touches the globe. The United States, Europe, Africa, Australia, and even South America. Each 2-page spread in the book features a destination. Each destination features why it is creepy, strange, or even spooky.

Although most of the destinations inside this book are about hauntings or issues from beyond, not every story carries that tune. Some explain why that particular destination became famous, the history behind the stories. I found most of these stories very interesting. The Last American Vampire, The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Ghost Town Graves, and The Haunted Road and the Hanged Man just to name a few. I thought it was interesting how some of these stories reminded me of a few stories that I have read, in a lighter tone, in a children’s holiday book.

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 it originally was structured. It goes on, in the story, explaining how the destination became more disturbing over time. With realistic photographs and art, each destination becomes its own creep show. There’s just enough detail to make the reader aware of the destination and the history behind it.

Information from the book: The late 1700’s in Paris. Graveyards were getting crowded and individuals were no longer able to bury their dead underground. So, what did they do? They started to bury them on top of each other above ground. Yes, above ground! Stacking them “almost 10 feet high inside the cemetery walls.” Visualize this for a moment. Just like anything stacked too tall, the corpse’s weight started to cause these tall towers to fall, spilling the rotten corpses out onto the streets. Eventually, the city workers had to dig up some of the corpses and remove the rotting ones from the streets and rebury them in underground catacombs the city had created. I find this pretty interesting and gross. Imagine digging them up and reburying them under the ground. You must remember that this was over 200 years ago, the technology and advancements that we have now, were not available to them. There were 180 miles of catacombs! That’s a lot of corpses and work!!

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 and thankfully, 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 used. This scan led me to more resources which listed more destinations. 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 Alarming Afterlife”, which shows the world and points out each of the different sites which was mentioned in the book. Check out this book!! 5 stars

Petrifying Playtime: Scary Amusement Parks and Playgrounds by Joyce Markovics

5 stars

When a place of fun and entertainment turns into something sinister, what happens to it? From Hawaii to Nebraska, from Massachusetts to Louisiana, this nonfiction book covers the United States. Each 2-page spread features a destination. Where once this destination was a fun way to spend some time, it has now turned into something dark and dreary.

It’s not all about ghost hauntings. There are some places that have been abandoned, rediscovered, or for some, they just shut the doors and never opened them back up. Some of these stories were very interesting and I would like to follow-up on them later. This book gave me the basic facts on specific destinations. I liked how the book provided how each of the destination sites came to be, what happened to cause it to fall from its days of glory and what the condition of the site ended up being. There wasn’t a lot of detail but just enough to provide the information and intrigue the reader or to make the reader aware that such a place exists. The pictures provided were historical and most of them were real photographs. I think the author choice of words in the title is misleading for some as not all the stories as “scary” per say. Sinister, creepy or disturbing would be a more accurate description, I think.

Krug Park in Omaha, Nebraska, the Big Dipper roller coaster brought in the crowds in the 1930’s. For 17 years, this park thrived and was loved by all. Then, unfortunately, things tumbled. An accident occurred on the Big Dipper, which marked the beginning of the end of Krug Park. What’s left of this park? Check out the book.

Whose Feather is That? by Stan Tekiela

5 stars Nonfiction Children’s

A fun, educational book for kids and adults too. I saw this book in the children’s new section at the library, and I thought my grandkids might like to try their hand at guessing since we have a lot of birds in our backyard. We have read this book many times switching up the way that we read it, making this book work, a multiple different ways.

It’s a book that is read horizontally which works very well for this nonfiction book. The first two-page spread of a particular bird gives a couple sentences that describe the bird and the corresponding page shows the feather of that bird and a Hint. Turning the page, the next two pages show a realistic picture of the bird and some interesting facts about the bird. The birds featured are a hummingbird, a house sparrow, a bluebird, a cardinal, a downy woodpecker, an American Crow, s Canada Goose, a northern flicker, a wild turkey, and a great horned owl. At the back of the book, there are more interesting animal facts about each of these birds.

“This bird lives in small groups, often close to people’s homes. It’s small, brown feathers might be in your yard.” “Whose feather is that?” “Hint: This bird likes to build its nest atop the side of a house.” With bold text fonts against colorful backgrounds, the information is presented and a brown feather is presented. Turn the page after you have guessed.

What I enjoyed about this book was the ease of the text, simplicity of the flow, and how fun it was to learn. Stan makes this book educational and fun. The littlest of learners can follow along with the oldest as they learn characteristics of the birds.

I was very impressed with this book and after reading About the Author and looking up information about Stan Tekiela, I can understand why this book is so fantastic. Stan has written more than 190 field guides, nature books, children’s book, etc. about the different species in the United States. Stan has also received many awards for his photography and books. After reading this book many times, I am interested in reading the other books that Sam has written, for both children and adults. 5 stars