Book Review: 'Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story' by R. L. Stine

✰✰✰½  Rick Scroogeman thinks he's the life of the party. He likes to joke around with his friends, but can't understand why they don't appreciate his humor. That's because Rick is a twelve-year-old bully. He thinks teasing his fellow classmates at Oliver Twist Middle school is funny just as long as the joke's on them.

Rick doesn't tolerate it when other people tease him. Take Christmas, for example. Every year the other kids get their chance to get back at Rick when the class watches the classic old movie, A Christmas Carol. All the kids start calling him Scrooge, and Rick gets all prickly about it.

This year Rick is ready to retaliate with even more teasing. What he doesn't know is that things are going to be different. Just like in the movie, Rick is haunted by three ghosts who whisk him away to different eras and try to teach him a lesson. Will Rick change his bullying ways, or is he a lost cause? Only time will tell as Rick tries get back to his family in time to celebrate Christmas.

The Bottom Line: This ghostly retelling of a holiday classic (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens) features a scary twist with a modern lesson to learn. Middle grade readers will identify with the characters on both sides of the bullying issue. Recommended seasonal reading for young fans of horror.

Details: Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story by R. L. Stine. hardcover published by Square Fish in 2016. 208 p. ISBN: 978-1-250-12955-0

Book Review: 'Pennybaker School is Headed for Disaster' by Jennifer Brown

✰✰✰ Thomas Fallgrout is an ordinary kid, whose hobby just happens to be magic. So when he gets accepted to Pennybaker Academy for the Uniquely Gifted, everyone is surprised. It seems his knack for magic is an unique gift. Life at the new schools takes some getting used, of course, but Thomas manages to make a few new friends. Just when he starts to fit in, the statue of the school's most beloved math teacher disappears. Naturally everyone points their finger at Thomas and his ability to do magic. Thomas insists he is innocent, but not even his parents believe him. It's up to Thomas to clear his name by relying on his magic skills and believing in himself.

The Bottom Line: This quick read for the middle school set focuses on diversity and finding your own special gift. Along the journey of solving the mystery, the main character must learn self-reliance and forgiveness. Just an average weekend read.

Details: Pennybaker School is Headed for Disaster by Jennifer Brown. Advance Reading Copy published by Bloomsburg in 2017. 320 p. ISBN: 978-1-68119-174-4

Book Review: 'Who Let the Ghosts Out?' by R. L. Stine

✰✰✰½ Max is just your average eleven-year-old with the same problems as any kid. However, he has one problem that you probably don't. His bedroom is haunted by two ghost kids. When the ghosts were alive, they used to live in Max's house. They have returned looking for their parents. Unfortunately, they don't live there anymore, and no one knows what happened to them. 

The only one who can see and talk to the ghost kids is Max. So it's up to Max to help them. Unfortunately, in order to find out what happened, Max must battle with the most evil spirit of all, Phears. Will Max be able to help the ghost kids find their parents and get his bedroom back?  Only time will tell. Pick up this quick read at your library today! 

The Bottom Line: This is the first book in the series. It will appeal to kids in upper grade school and middle school as the main character, Max, has the typical problems of any eleven-year-old. This is a fast-paced read. 

Details: Who Let the Ghosts Out? (Mostly Ghostly) by R.L. Stine. Hardcover published by Delacorte Press in 2004. 144 p. ISBN: 978-0-385-74663-2 

Book Review: 'Substitute Creature' by Charles Gilman

✰✰✰✰½ Middle school students Robert Arthur, Glenn Torkells, and Karina Ortiz, the school ghost, have returned in the fourth installment of the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series. Lovecraft Middle School is not just any ordinary school. It was built upon the remains of Tillinghast Mansion, the home of renowned mad scientist Crawford Tillinghast. The school grounds contain hidden portals to other dimensions, and the school itself is teeming with demons, monsters, creatures, and an assortment of creepy crawly insects. While seventh graders Robert and Glenn have survived several near-death experiences over the past few months, nothing can prepare them for their current adventure.

It’s Valentine’s Day and the school has a special treat for the students; it’s a surprise concert. When Glenn notices that the choir robes look mysteriously like the garments worn by Tillinghast’s servants, they find themselves stepping through another portal and into a new adventure. Just then a blizzard suddenly descends upon their town trapping Robert and a few others inside. Faced with freezing temperatures, little food, and no electricity, the trio of friends must confront a mysterious substitute teacher and the most frightening monsters they have encountered so far. Before all is said and done, Robert will be faced with the most difficult choice of his life, and their lives will be changed forever.

The Bottom Line: The fourth book in the series is just as fun and full of adventure as the previous installments. Authentic characters and dialogue make this book appealing to both boys and girls in grades 4 – 7. Author Charles Gilman expertly weaves the themes of friendship and teamwork into the story. While illustrator Eugene Smith’s black and white pencil drawings are spot-on.

Although there are references to the previous adventures, young readers can dive right into this installment without having read the other books in order. This very quick read is highly recommended for kids who enjoy monsters, horror, and adventure fiction.  For more creepy fun, check out Lovecraft Middle School.

Details: Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #4: Substitute Creature written by Charles Gilman & illustrated by Eugene Smith. Hardcover published by Quirk Books in 2013. 176 p. ISBN: 978-1-59474-614-7 Note: I received a copy from Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review. This was made possible by the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing.

Book Review: 'Hocus Pocus Hotel' by Michael Dahl

✰✰✰✰½ When geeky middle school student, Charlie "Hitch" Hitchcock receives a note from Tyler "Ty" Yu, the school bully, he knows that he must face the music or be humiliated by his peers. Charlie goes to the address written on the dreaded note and finds himself face-to-face with Ty. But looks aren't always what they seem. You see, Ty lives in the mysterious Abracadabra Hotel, a kind of retirement home for magicians. It just so happens that one of the retired magicians, Mr. Madagascar, is missing. He simply disappeared into thin air one day. Poof! Now Ty desperately needs Charlie's help to find the AWOL magician. As the hotel manager's son, it's Ty's job to collect the rent money. If he doesn't collect the rent, he won't get paid. And if he doesn't get paid, he can't purchase the Tezuki Slamhammer 750, Edition 6, in cherry-pop lightening red. 

But that's not all. The Abracadabra Hotel was been built by a famous magician many years ago. While there are surprises around every corner, things have been a bit more odd than usual around the old hotel. It seems there are strange disappearances, blackouts, and maybe even a ghost. Following a trail of missing objects, the bully and the geek secretly team up to find the missing magician and discover who or what has been stealing from the hotel. With the help of the mysterious elderly elevator operator, Brack, who has a knack for appearing (and disappearing) at appropriate times and Charlie's acute visual memory, this unlikely duo form something resembling a friendship and solve puzzles along the way.

The Bottom Line: Hocus Pocus Hotel is the first book of a clever and entertaining new series that is sure to please kids. It contains two mysteries, but each is solved separately so that readers will not get confused. Kids will love the insight into how magic tricks are done, and it teaches reasoning skills along the way. Additionally, there are plentiful color illustrations and diagrams to illustrate the magic tricks. This is a fun and fast paced book; even reluctant readers will want to give it a try. Highly recommended for kids in Grades 3 - 6. I can't wait to read the next installment; The Return of Abracadabra is scheduled to be out February 1, 2013.

Details: Hocus Pocus Hotel written by Michael Dahl and illustrated by Lisa K. Weber. Hardcover published by Stone Arch Books in 2012. 216 p. ISBN: 978-1-4342-4253-2

Also available as 2 library bound editions: Out the Rear Window (978-1-4342-4038-5) and To Catch a Ghost (978-1-4342-4100-9)

Book Review: 'The Templeton Twins Have an Idea: Book One' by Ellis Weiner

✰✰✰½ Fraternal twins John and Abigail Templeton are in for an adventure when their father, Professor Elton Templeton, takes a new position at the Tickeridge-Baltock Institute of Technology, otherwise known as Tick-Tock Tech. Before the Templetons and their ridiculous dog, Cassie, even have a chance to settle in, things get interesting when an incredibly handsome former student, Dean D. Dean, accuses the Professor of stealing an idea.

Now the Professor is known far and wide for his inventions, so no one believes Dean D. Dean's claim. In order to force the Professor to admit that he stole the idea to put the Personal One-Man Helicopter (POMH) in a knapsack, Dean and his twin brother Dan D. Dean kidnap the twins and their ridiculous dog. However, the Dean twins may have underestimated the Templeton twins. You see, each Templeton twin is very clever in their own way. However, John and Abigail must find a way to work together to outwit the evil Dean twins and save their father before he signs over all ownership of the POMH to Dean D. Dean. Unfortunately, with time running out, it doesn't look good for the twins, their father, or their ridiculous dog.

The Bottom Line: After a slow start, The Templeton Twins Have an Idea really took off. This book is a little different from others due to the narrator who injects himself into the story quite often. At times the narrator is a bit too snarky and "talked" to the reader just a tad too much. However, the narrator does play a role in explaining things along the way. The narrator also provides Questions for Review at the end of each chapter; these "questions" were hilarious and fun.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the first book of this new adventure series. The author's emphasis on family, teamwork, and following through with ideas make this a worthwhile read. Additionally, Jeremy Holmes' illustrations were spot-on and fun to look at. This is a nicely packaged product that is humorous and fun to read. Kids in middle school will enjoy the snarky commentary. Recommended for boys and girls looking for a quirky new series to follow.

Details: The Templeton Have an Idea: Book One written by Ellis Weiner and illustrated by Jeremy Holmes. Hardcover published by Chronicle Books in 2012. 232 p. ISBN: 978-0-8118-6679-8 Note: I received a complimentary copy from Chronicle Books in exchange for an honest review. This was made possible by the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing.

Book Review: The Bad Apple (Merits of Mischief) by T. R. Burns

✰✰✰½ Seamus Hinkle is just an average kid in an average middle school. Unfortunately, things go terribly wrong for Seamus when an eager new substitute teacher, Miss Parsippany, foils his plans on Fish Stick Tuesday and ends up dead in the lunchroom cafeteria. It was a simple accident, but Seamus' well meaning parents enroll him at the  Kilter Academy for Troubled Youth in the hopes of reforming his errant ways.

Expecting severe punishment, Seamus is surprised to discover that things are a little bit off at Kilter Academy where troublemakers are nurtured. Rather than being rewarded with gold stars, students aim to earn demerits instead. In order to advance to the next year, students must complete certain tasks, like pranking teachers, which other kids would get grounded for. Despite Seamus' insistence that Miss Parsippany's death was just an accident and that he doesn't possess any real troublemaking skills, he soon finds himself swimming in demerits. As the end of the first semester draws near, all Seamus wants to do is go home, but before he can, he and his classmates must pass the final exam. In their mission to complete the Ultimate Troublemaking Task and make the director cry, Seamus and his friends learn about teamwork, friendship, and loyalty.

The Bottom Line: Merits of Mischief is a new series for kids in grades 4 - 6. It's a fun read featuring kids who excel in troublemaking. Along the way the characters learn the importance of friendship and teamwork despite all the trouble that they are encouraged to create. There are a few loose ends left at the end of the first book, but I'll definitely pick up the next installment to see what Seamus and his friends are up to. Recommended for kids looking for something a little bit different and quirky to read.

Details: The Bad Apple (Merits of Mischief) by T. R. Burns. Hardcover published by Aladdin in 2012. 352 p. ISBN: 978-1-4424-4029-6