A funny scary story in a graphic chapter book format.
Phyllis and Sheldon live in a ramshackle Victorian house, but they are no ordinary roommates.
Phyllis, a ghost, and Sheldon, a green and orange rattlesnake, are great friends, enjoying books and playing Snakes and Ladders and catch (somewhat difficult for armless Sheldon). Life goes smoothly until a human family buys the house. The father is a musician, the mother is an artist, oldest son Charlie is a great reader, and Bebe, an infant, wails all night long. (Dad is light-skinned, Mom is brown-skinned, and the little ones are tan-skinned.) These humans disturb the original inhabitants in every way, and the two become determined to scare the people off, but either the ghost and the snake aren’t really scary, or the family members are just too blasé to notice their efforts. There’s a lot to pay attention to here—the main text, panels full of details and visual humor, and the speech bubbles. The cartoonish, digital art is appealing. The snake and the ghost make lots of onomatopoeic noises (hence the title), and the humans do, too. Kids who read this aloud to themselves will chuckle, although occasionally a joke may elude the intended audience, like “When does a joke become a ‘dad’ joke?” “When it becomes apparent.” Somewhat sophisticated, able young readers are the best audience, as the format makes it a difficult read-aloud.
A funny scary story in a graphic chapter book format. (Graphic chapter book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2545-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A warmly reassuring tale for those who prefer their scares on the lighter side.
Bash is back for another session of Scare School.
This second series installment sees the young ghost tasked with completing a group project that requires him to learn about a terrifying place in or around the school. Bash is assigned to work with Wes, a shy but gentle and artistic werewolf, and Vicky and Vlad, two prickly vampires. The group decides to research the spooky forest. Bash is nervous about exploring the forest; plus, he must contend with teammates who don’t pull their own weight (Vicky and Vlad goof off in the gym while Bash and Wes wait for them in the library). But Bash eventually finds a way to confront his fears as he and the others complete their project. Despite the premise, this tale’s more sweet than spooky. Endearing Bash frets about new experiences but proves eager to jump in. He has a delightful, supportive friend in his roommate, Itsy the spider; her tiny knitted socks are an especially charming detail. The characters’ realization that fear can sometimes hold us back will resonate with readers. The plot moves at a steady clip, while stick figure illustrations and comic panels break up the text, giving the tale an appealing, Wimpy Kid–esque vibe.
A warmly reassuring tale for those who prefer their scares on the lighter side. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665922128
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
Series fans won’t be disappointed, but young readers and listeners who know only the original ditty may find this a touch...
Having eaten pretty much everything on land in 13 previous versions of the classic song, Colandro’s capaciously stomached oldster goes to sea.
Once again the original cumulative rhyme’s naturalistic aspects are dispensed with, so that not only doesn’t the old lady die, but neither do any of the creatures she consumes. Instead, the titular shark “left no mark,” a squid follows down the hatch to “float with the shark,” a fish to “dance with the squid,” an eel to “brighten the fish” (with “fluorescent light!” as a subsequent line explains), and so on—until at the end it’s revealed to be all pretending anyway on a visit to an aquarium. Likewise, though Lee outfits the bespectacled binge-eater with a finny tail and the requisite bra for most of the extended episode, she regains human feet and garb at the end. In the illustrations, the old lady and one of the two children who accompany her are pink-skinned; the other has frizzy hair and an amber complexion. A set of nature notes on the featured victims and a nautical seek-and-find that will send viewers back to the earlier pictures modestly enhance this latest iteration.
Series fans won’t be disappointed, but young readers and listeners who know only the original ditty may find this a touch bland. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-12993-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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