Hi there!
Welcome back to the SPOOKIEST place to be in the blogosphere on a day like today...Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Now, if you're wondering WHY it's the spookiest place today then you might need to check your calendar because today is the day that's all about the CANDY CaNdY cAnDy CANdy CANDY...as Garfield the cat would say. What's that? You don't know WHAT on earth I'm talking about? Oh come one! You've had to have seen the Garfield Halloween special...or wait, maybe some of you haven't. Man...I feel old now. -_- No matter; young or young at heart, you can appreciate this animated holiday special so if you've seen it, you're in good company...if not, it's on DVD (and probably BluRay at this point) so seriously, seek it out! You'll be glad you did. Now, back on topic...
Today's pick was a HARD decision. I mean, I knew it had to be something spooky, something creepy, and hopefully something on my growing read-but-need-to-review stack (pile...mountain...whatever - don't judge, it's not nice) but it also had to be a perfect fit for the day. *think think think* EUREKA! In a moment of pure brilliance, also known as reviewing the titles IN the stack (hehe), I discovered just what the book of the day should be. Can you guess? Have you any inkling? Okay, okay...Mr/Mrs Smarty-Pants...rereading the title at this point is SO cheating! For the sake of time, I'll forgive you, just this once...don't let it happen again! (^_^) Dim the lights and grab some extra flashlight batteries, today's book of choice is...
Scary Tales
Book 1: Home Sweet Horror
by
Illustrated by
Feiwel & Friends
9781250018861
The short of it...it's SCARY but appropriately so with a unique twist at the end that you only sorta see coming while it both startles and warms your heart. The long of it...well, that could fill another book on its own, but let me see if I can condense it for you so that you can check out this read THIS Halloween as opposed to next. Deal? Here goes...
This is the first installment in a planned series (entitled Scary Tales), of which the next two are already on a bookstore shelf as we speak, and introduces young readers (and those young at heart) to the joys of SCARY literature. It's not scare-the-pants-off-you bad but it definitely turns up the creep factor and once you add in the illustrations, you have a well rounded read fit for a campfire gathering or Halloween night.
As the synopsis shares, Liam Finn and family have just moved into a new house...well, a new-to-them house...and it's showing MAJOR signs of having more guests than themselves. Add in a well timed (or perhaps ILL-timed) game of Bloody Mary and you're definitely inviting more in than you bargained for...that is if you believe in all that stuff. Which of course, I don't. ~looks around...turns on more lights~ Ahem. Things get a bit hairy with ghastly glows, possessed drawings, missing dogs, and somewhat sinister messages left using the fridge magnets (you know, the alphabet ones?) and I'm not talking about "honey, I left for work" either. One thing leads to another which reveals the history of the house and an explosion of gasp worthy magnitudes...the likes of which they would be lucky to escape, if in fact they do. Dun dun dunnnn...
Yes, sorry my friends, but I shan't be spoiling the ending for you now or later...you'll just have to read it. I will say that Liam is a great kiddo, his sister is too. He has a loving family both near and "far" who only want the best for them all. He's been through a lot and the move to a new town and new home are merely the least of it but even with the monkey wrenches thrown in the works, he has persevered...a feat at twice his age.
In the end, a great read for this time of year or any time for that matter when you're looking for something to give you a little start. Young readers will easily identify with either child, enjoy the dark illustrations perfectly in tune with the tale and experience some trembles from the SPOOKY mystery interjected...after all, MOST have heard of Bloody Mary at some point or another, but not all have stayed to tell the tale. (Mwuahahahahahaha!) Older readers will thrill in the overall story from startling start to haunting finish and appreciate the appropriateness of the read for a wider audience. It's hard to find a haunted story that has a good balance of spook and content...this one hits the mark dead center. Oh, I didn't shouldn't have said dead.... *-*
ARC for review courtesy of Ksenia at MacMillian Children's Publishing Group. (THANKS!) For more information on this title as well as their complete catalog, be sure to stop by their official site, friend them on Facebook or follow along on Twitter.
Until next time....HAPPY HALLOWEEN....and happy reading!
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