AND BOO TO YOU TOO!
Halloween is creeping up on us yet again. And you’re experiencing the changes Autumn brings to us. Cooler weather, greyer skies, and colorful leaves floating to the ground. Make a big pile of them and jump on in.
I love spooky stories, don’t you? Especially if I’m tucked under at comforter with a mug of something hot. The stories in this first review are just the right amount of scary and silly.
Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories
Max Brallier
Illustrated by Letizia Rubegni
Mister Shivers receives a box wrapped in brown paper and containing a tree branch, a doll’s eye, a piece of an old quilt, and a toy’s rusty head. Beside the box is a dead rat. The note that he finds in the box asks Mister Shivers to share the stories. Since he loves scary stories. Here’s what he wrote. In the first story, a boy is challenged to spend the night in the town’s haunted house. He finally convinces his sister to go with him. They search house and find nothing scary until they get to the attic bedroom. Underneath is something staring at them. Read to the story to find out what’s there. In the second story a girl ends up with a hair stuck in her throat all the way to her stomach. Since it doesn’t go away after several days her mom takes her to the doctor who pulls it out, only to discover that it’s not a hair. What is it? The third story tells of a boy who doesn’t heed a warning to leave on the ratty quilt wrapped around an ugly statue his mom bought. Guess what he does? In the third story, Oliver always forgets to bring his toys in from outside. One night during a fierce storm, the toys get even. The final story is about something scratching on a girl’s window. Her parents keep telling her to just go to sleep because it’s only a tree branch. Is it? Funny scary stories make this a good fit for a beginning reader who likes to be given the shivers. The illustrations are just right for the book. Teachers will have fun sharing these stories with their reading level 1 students.
BIBLIO: 2019, Acorn/Scholastic, Ages 5 to 7, $4.99.
REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan
FORMAT: Early Readers
ISBN: 978-1-338-31853-1
The next story is a bit more sophisticated, but still fits the bill of being scary and sweet.
Midnight Beauties
Megan Shepherd
Fantasy lovers won’t be able to put this book down. The sequel to Grim Lovelies is full of intrigue, danger, romance whether welcomed or not. The main character, Anouk, is a beastie, the lowest form of entity in this world. She can be switched from her owl form to that of a human. Other of her beastie friends are a mouse, a wolf, and a cuddly dog. Though beasties do seem to have specific special powers, Anouk is rare in that she possesses the ability to perform magic. Other creatures in this world are humans or pretties, goblins, and the “haute,” a.k.a. “shadow rulers” who control the others and possess magic. Then there are the “snow children,” who only appear when it snows. They also are magical, but it’s best not to kiss them. And let’s not forget the witches, because they’ve made a mess of things, which means that evil forces are taking over the world, killing everything they touch. Anouk sets off to save everybody by going through the trials it takes to become a witch, but before she goes, she turns down a prince who rules the world. He thinks that as a married couple they can save everybody, but Anouk doesn’t trust him. Lots of trials and tribulations later, our heroine and her stalwart friends contain the evil power, but not without much peril and damage. There are a number of parallels to the current state of our world to be inferred from this delightful book.
BIBLIO: 2019, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, Ages 14 +, $17.99.
REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan
FORMAT: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1-328-81190-5
Yeah, yeah, I know I said these stories would all be scary, but I figured I’d scared you enough. So, we’re finishing with something sweet.
Poppleton
Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Mark Teague
Part of the Scholastic/Acorn series for early readers, the audience follows the plights of Poppleton, the pig. In the first story the reader learns ways to be a good neighbor, helpful, but not overbearing. Poppleton moves from the city to a less densely populated suburb. He meets his new neighbor, Cherry Sue, who brings him flowers as a welcome present. Then she invites him over for oatmeal and later for cheese toast and later still for spaghetti and sauce. This is very nice at first but even kindness can be overdone. Finally, Poppleton gets so tired of having the spend so much time with Cherry Sue, he squirts her with his hose. She’s horrified until Poppleton apologizes and explains he likes to be by himself every once in a while. Cherry Sue, it turns out, is delighted. She likes quiet time herself. Poppleton’s next adventure is at the town library, his favorite place to go on Mondays. Here he spends the day quietly reading a book. It might be an engrossing book. Or a sad book, for which he’s glad he brought tissues. Whatever he reads, he stays there all Monday and is happy as a hog in slop.
Poppleton’s last adventure for this book is about the pig helping his friend Filmore who’s sick in bed. The only way Filmore will take his pill is if it’s hidden in one of Cherry Sue’s delicious cakes. But Filmore can’t know what slice of cake the pill is in. His friend drive Poppleton to distraction until they’re both sick in bed. Guess how many cakes they go through until they feel better? Beginning readers will find these stories charming.
BIBLIO: 2019 (orig. 1997,) Scholastic, Ages 5 to 8, $4.99.
REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan
FORMAT: Early Reader
ISBN: 97813386566673
ISBN: 97813386566680
ISBN: 97813386566796
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