Come for the ghost. Stay for the pirates
A class of school kids on a field trip gets an infusion of piratical machinations in this latest book in a series, following Gargoyle Hall (2015).
Living in a boarding school is the best thing ever to have happened to Araminta Spookie. And when the class field trip turns out to be to creepy Skeleton Island, she has no difficulty filling her classmates in on the mysterious pirate ship that sank beneath the seas nearby. A run-in with two nefarious girls leaves Araminta and her best friend, Wanda, stranded on the island, where they have the particular misfortune to run into bat guano, ghost girls, and skeleton pirates with a sweet tooth for buried treasure. Araminta is not particularly nice to Wanda, but it’s intriguing to watch her use her brains to get the two of them out of sticky situations. Kelly’s black-and-white illustrations temper the tiny traces of scary material, leaving the book appropriate for younger ages, though they appear to depict an all-white cast. Skeleton pirates are nothing new, and Araminta offers the usual goth-girl-in-a-jam formula. Still, there are enough piratical high jinks to keep young readers on their toes.
Come for the ghost. Stay for the pirates . (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: July 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61963-945-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair.
Fifth graders get into a hairy situation.
After an unnamed narrator’s full-page warning, readers dive right into a Wolver Hollow classroom. Mr. Noffler recounts the town legend about how, every Oct. 19, residents don fake mustaches and lock their doors. As the story goes, the late Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an “unfortunate black powder incident,” but, somehow, his “magnificent mustache” survived to haunt the town. Once a year, the spectral ’stache searches for an exposed upper lip to rest upon. Is it real or superstition? Students Parker and Lucas—sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency—decide to take the case and solve the mustache mystery. When they find that the book of legends they need for their research has been checked out from the library, they recruit the borrower: goth classmate Samantha von Oppelstein. Will the three of them be enough to take on the mustache and resolve its ghostly, unfinished business? Whether through ridiculous plot points or over-the-top descriptions, the comedy keeps coming in this first title in McGee’s new Night Frights series. A generous font and spacing make this quick-paced, 13-chapter story appealing to newly confident readers. Skaffa’s grayscale cartoon spot (and occasional full-page) illustrations help set the tone and accentuate the action. Though neither race or skin color is described in the text, images show Lucas and Samantha as light-skinned and Parker as dark-skinned.
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair. (maps) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8089-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
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A cutely grotesque tale with thrills and heart.
A stitched-together creature discovers his purpose.
Fulbert Freakfinder’s Traveling Carnival of Unnatural Wonders has arrived in the village of Grubbers Nubbin, but the show doesn’t wow the jaded audience. Suddenly, howls fill the air, sending the villagers scurrying indoors, and Freakfinder follows the sounds to a dark castle on a hill. Meanwhile, in the castle, Stitch Head, the first creation of Mad Professor Erasmus, hides in the rafters, forgotten for decades, watching his maker animate yet another almost-alive creature. As with past endeavors, Stitch Head is prepared to stop this new creation from bringing harm to the village—and to keep the villagers from destroying the castle in revenge. Freakfinder soon arrives to find new wonders for his carnival, and Stitch Head must decide if he wants to find fame with the carnival or take a chance at new friendships in the castle where he’s lived a lonely life protecting the best friend who forgot him. Young readers looking to move beyond early chapter books will enjoy this silly, creepy story, while older readers will recognize the deeper themes of loneliness, friendship, being forgotten, and looking beyond the surface to discover that the real monsters are sometimes human. Reminiscent of Edward Gorey’s and Charles Addams’ art, the dynamic black-and white illustrations convey characters’ emotions and offer fun details. Human characters are pale-skinned in Williamson’s art.
A cutely grotesque tale with thrills and heart. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781664340626
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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