Book Review: 'Doll Bones' by Holly Black

✰✰✰✰ Poppy, Zach, and Alice have been friends since they were just little kids. Together they have always played elaborate fantasy games with the girls using their favorite dolls and Zach using action figures. However, now that the trio is in middle school, things are changing rapidly. Zach is involved in sports, and Alice has theatre leaving little time for fantasy play. As they try to finish one last game with their toys before they grow up, Zach suddenly stops playing. He won’t even give the girls a reason.

In a last ditch effort to finish the game and get Zach to play, Poppy kidnaps a doll called the Queen. The Queen is an antique china doll that is integral to all their stories. She sits in a locked glass cabinet and is strictly off limits. However, as soon as she is released, the Queen appears in one of Poppy’s dreams as a ghost girl. It seems that the doll is made from the bones of a real little girl who died a tragic death. According to Poppy, the ghost wants her bones to be buried properly. If Poppy doesn't help her, the Queen promises to make her sorry. While Alice and Zach aren’t entirely convinced of the ghost story, they agree to help Poppy. Sneaking away during the night, they set off to discover the ghost’s true story and find her grave. With clues to guide their journey, they find themselves on a real quest instead of a fantasy. The friends discover that they must work together as a team to overcome several obstacles and see the quest through to the end to give the Queen the eternal rest she yearns for.

The Bottom Line: After a slow start, Doll Bones turned into a real page-turner; it’s a tale of adventure, friendship, and growing up. The story is filled with middle school tension as the characters face the uneasy transition from childhood to adolescence. The friends argue with and challenge each other, as they try to work together to complete the task. As with all quests, the participants change along the way. The characters learn that they don’t need to fear growing up, and even when things look bleak, they still have their friendship.

I have never been a fan of antique china dolls, and Black’s story justifies this dislike. These dolls are just plain creepy, and the Queen in this story is eerie and a bit sinister. This is a quick read that ends rather abruptly. Nonetheless, it’s a spooky tale that middle grade readers will enjoy.

Details: Doll Bones by Holly Black. Hardcover published by Margaret K. McElderry Books in 2013. 256 p. ISBN: 978-1-4169-6398-1

Book Review: 'On the Day I Died' by Candace Fleming

✰✰✰½ Mike Kowalski is just your average high school teen with a midnight curfew. Glancing at his car's dashboard clock, he realizes that he is running late again. Ignoring his ringing cell phone, he steps on the gas. Suddenly his car's headlights spotlight a girl standing directly in his path. Slamming on the brakes, Mike narrowly misses her. That's when things begin to get strange. The pale girl is wet, cold, and needs a ride home. What is Mike to do? He can't just leave her there.

After dropping her off, Mike notices her brand new saddle shoes on the floor of his car. He returns to the girl's house only to be told by her mother that she died many years ago. If Mike wants to return the shoes, he'll have to go to White Cemetery, a place just for young people. When he arrives, the cemetery seems forgotten and abandoned, but soon he realizes he's not alone. One by one the ghosts emerge all around him. Mike is horrified to discover that he cannot leave until he hears their stories...their death stories. Before the night is through, Mike will have heard them all, but will he be allowed to leave or will he become one of them?

The Bottom Line: This collection of short ghost stories takes place in the Chicagoland area; some are even loosely based on well-known urban legends and lore. Since Fleming's characters span different decades from 1853 - 2012, each short story is like a time capsule. While Mike's character is used to bind the stories together, each ghost has a unique voice. Thus, the short stories could easily stand alone; you could even skip a story or two without missing beat.

Although some of these stories are more original than others, all are fun and creepy. This quick read is recommended for kids in middle school who enjoy horror, paranormal, historical, and even science fiction. The characters are almost evenly divided between male and female characters appealing to both boys and girls. And don't forget, short ghost stories are always a hit around Halloween. Also, for those interested in Chicago urban legends, the author includes a notes section.


Details: On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming. Hardcover published by Schwarz & Wade Books (an imprint of Random House) in 2012. 208 p. ISBN: 978-0-375-96781-8

Book Review: 'Mouse and Mole, A Perfect Halloween' by Wong Herbert Yee

✰✰✰✰½ Mouse and mole are the very best of friends, but they are also opposites. While Mouse likes Halloween; Mole does not. For Mouse, Halloween is full of fun and adventure. There is so much to do like decorating, carving pumpkins, and scaring friends. On the other hand, Halloween is scary and frightening for Mole. Fortunately, there's one activity that's not too scary. Both Mouse and Mole decide to enter the Halloween pumpkin carving contest. Both pick out the perfect pumpkin, but who will win? And how will they get their pumpkins home? After all, the road will be dark and scary. When Mouse realizes that frightening Mole wasn't such a good idea, she comes up with a plan to help her friend by reading a Halloween story.

The Bottom Line: This Early Reader contains four chapters for beginning readers in Grades 1 & 2. This gentle series highlights the theme of friendship. In this book, Mouse helps Mole overcome his fear of Halloween so they can enjoy the holiday together. In fact, my favorite part of the book was when Mouse reads a Halloween story to Mole; it's like there's a book within a book. The gouache and litho pencil illustrations feature soft, earthy tones perfect for Autumn. Enthusiastically recommended for beginning readers everywhere.

Details: Mouse and Mole, A Perfect Halloween written & illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee. Hardcover published by Houghton Mifflin in 2011. 48 p. ISBN: 978-0-547-55152-4

Book Review: 'Twelve Haunted Rooms of Halloween' by Macky Pamintuan

✰✰✰✰½ Set to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas, this vibrant picture book features 375 spooky items for kids to find. Follow the little bear as he peeks into each haunted room to find what's hidden throughout the house. You'll have to look closely, especially at the large foldout page at the end, so you don't miss any of the fun. Illustrator Macky Pamintuan brings to life bats, cats, ghosts, zombies, spiders, and much, much more.

The Bottom Line: Little ones will pick up this book time and time again. Just when you think you've found all the items, you notice something new. Macky Pamintuan's illustrations are colorful and friendly, making this perfect for younger kids in Preschool and Kindergarten. This counting book is so much fun; I just wish there had been a thirteenth room.

Details: Twelve Haunted Rooms of Halloween by Macky Pamintuan. Hardcover picture book published by Sterling Children's Books in 2011. 28. p. ISBN: 978-1-4027-7935-0

Book Review: 'More Than Midnight' by Brian James Freeman

✰✰✰✰✰ Relinquish your imagination to five tales of horror by master storyteller Brian James Freeman. Included in this collection is a demon waiting to escape, a music teacher gone temporarily mad, monsters taking over the world, an escape from an asylum, and phone calls from the other side. These stories contain abandoned buildings, creepy basements, stormy nights, supernatural forces, and lots of darkness.

This is horror at its very best. These vivid tales were written to scare the reader, and they do. You will be compelled to get up in the middle of the night to check the doors and windows and make sure there’s nothing hiding under the bed or in the closets. Best read on a dark, stormy night, this is a very quick read that will leave you longing for more.

The Bottom Line: All of these short stories have been previously published; however, the stories complement each other so well they were meant to be together.  Each story takes the reader on a short journey into darkness where your imagination takes over and gets the better of you. Freeman builds suspense like few authors can, and Glenn Chadbourne’s pen and ink illustrations heighten the horror. Read this collection for your enjoyment and fright. Very highly recommended for fans of horror.

If you have not read any of Freeman’s work before, I would highly recommend starting with this collection. Also, check out my review of The Painted Darkness, which is one of my favorite reads.

Details: More Than Midnight by Brian James Freeman. Advance uncorrected proof published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2012. 175 p. ISBN: 978-1-58767-331-3

Horrorfest of Books 2013

The days and our shadows are slowly getting longer while the leaves are changing to hues of gold, red, and orange reminding us that Autumn is here. With the arrival of this special season, Mini Book Bytes Book Reviews is once again pleased to present a carefully chosen selection of books focused on Autumn, Halloween, and horror. We'll be taking a look at books that feature black cats, ghosts, hauntings, pumpkins, recipes, and spooky short stories.

Some of the 13 titles we will be reviewing include:

• More Than Midnight by Brian James Freeman
• On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming
• Betty Crocker Halloween Cookbook
• The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E. B. Hudspeth
• Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes

These books feature spooky fun for readers of all ages. So settle in with a hot apple cider and some roasted pumpkin seeds and dig into a scary read for a spooktacularly good time. Oh, and don't forget to leave the light on! You'll be glad you did.

Happy Reading &

Note: The free Halloween clip art is from Squidoo!

Book Review: 'Prisoner 88' by Leah Pileggi

✰✰✰✰ Life hasn't been easy for ten year old Jake Evans. There's never enough food on the table, and his father doesn't even care about him. After committing a crime, Jake finds himself locked up in a prison for adult offenders, since juvenile facilities did not exist back in the 1880s. Although being locked up is frightening at first, Jake makes a few friends. One of the men begins to teach him to read, and Jake even gets a job on the outside helping a pig farmer. Little by little the prison becomes Jake's home. As the days turn into months, Jake begins to grow up. He reaches a turning point when he must decide between doing the right thing at personal risk to himself or looking the other way. Jake shares his story simply, and we are left to wonder what ever happened to him.

The Bottom Line: Writing in the voice of a ten year old boy, author Leah Pileggi's debut novel is a very quick and engaging read. The theme of friendship shines through this sad, yet hopeful, story. Prisoner 88 is loosely based around the true account of James Oscar Baker, the real prisoner 88, who was sent to the Idaho Territorial Penitentiary back in 1885 at the age of ten. While there is no information about Baker's daily life in prison, Pileggi does a fantastic job of describing what life might have been like for him in this novel. Teachers looking for a book of historical fiction to read and discuss in class should check out this out. This would be an appropriate choice for kids in grades 4 - 8.

Details: Prisoner 88 written by Leah Pileggi. Published by Charlesbridge in 2013. 142 p. ISBN: 978-158089-560-6 NOTE: I received an Advance Reading Copy from Charlesbridge at the 2013 ALA Conference in exchange for nothing.