School's back in session: Lovecraft Middle School: Substitute Creature by Charles Gilman

Hi there!

Welcome back to the site that keeps it fun, keeps it fresh, and never DID learn how to say no to a book that dazzled my senses (perish the thought!)…Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we’re glancing back at a book I read last month that just didn’t have it’s time in the reading spotlight.  *sigh*  What can I say?  So many reads to share, so little time!  No worries though.  It wasn’t forgotten, merely placed “in waiting”, but today…it waits no more!  Ready to don your school uniforms and step back into the CREEPIEST middle school that ever was and hopefully shan’t actually be?  Let’s do this then!  Today’s book of choice is…

Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, Book 4:

Substitute Creature

By

Charles Gilman

Illustrations by

Eugene Smith

Quirk Books

9781594746406

From the back cover…

It’s Valentine’s Day and a monstrous blizzard has descended upon Lovecraft Middle School, trapping twelve-year-old Robert Arthur inside the building!  He and his companions have no choice but to spend the night – while snacking on cafeteria food, sleeping on the gymnasium floor, facing off against a sinister substitute teacher, and thwarting an army of abominable beasts.

Can you imagine this being YOUR seventh grade year in school?  I mean the worst things I remember were worrying over an upcoming test or if you’d be invited to that party or perhaps even catch the eye of that guy you had a crush on.  Stopping a force of Old Ones from taking over the school without even knowing who or what you’re dealing with (except that Crawford Tillinghast is behind it naturally)…now that’s a whole other kettle of fish.

The best part of this series, aside from the fact that each one is JUST as good as the last, is that each story picks up right where the last one left off and yet you can still start it at any point and have JUST as much fun!  Pretty cool, right?  Right…though I highly suggest starting at the beginning since it will bring you THAT much more entertainment plus you build a relationship with the characters making it even MORE real.  Anywho, let’s get back to this particular adventure, also known as how-Robert-Glenn-Karina-and-Pip-and-Squeak foil the plans of the long passed (sorta), uber creepy and sinister Crawford Tillinghast…

Long description?  I know…but it also fits it to a “T” and ends in a SURPRISE, bigger than you might imagine.  Let’s see, there’s the unseasonable weather, the hordes of Old Ones waiting to take over the school, a substitute teacher that smells like her name, a bratty child who gets a punishment no one deserves, and a dream that comes true.  Ha!  Caught you by surprise didn’t I?  Didn’t expect a dream come true in there now did you?  Well, if there is ANYTHING you learn about these stories and this school, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, not that you actually could, but try to at least. Nothing is too weird or too wild to put past the likes of Tillinghast as he seeks to make his reality, ours.  Oh, and speaking of the old man, he makes an appearance in this one!  Yep.  A special one on one with Robert about…well, a deal he can’t refuse (so to speak).  Will he take it?  Will he thumb his nose at him and high tail it out of there?  Will it be carried out anyway despite his lack of answer?  All good questions, that shall remain unanswered for now…you’ll just have to read it.  (Hehe. ^_^)

So, in conclusion, a grand old time with the friends we’ve grown to love over these past three adventures with an introduction to some new baddies as well as allies.  We see Karina and Robert getting closer as only seventh graders can, Glenn sticking to his new found goodness, and Ms. Arthur (Robert’s Mom) getting a glimpse into the actual goings on at this state of the art school and reminding us that things are not always what they seem.  Take a step back into the hallowed halls of an intellectual institution that sits on the brink of an abyss it simply can’t see nor seemingly avoid.  Good thing they have Robert, Glenn, Karina, and of course, Pip and Squeak…whether they know it or not.

ARC and finished copy, with SUPER COOL lenticular cover, received courtesy of Eric at Quirk Books!  (THANKS!)  To discover more about this book as well as their full catalog of quirky fun, pay a visit to their site, or follow along on Twitter.  For more information on this title as well as the ever growing series, be sure to stop  by the official site or like them on Facebook…after all, they are always looking for new enrollments.  (MuwhahahahahahahaHA!)

Until next time…happy reading!