Fans of the movie may enjoy it.
A demon catches four young teens on Halloween, intending to turn them into monsters.
This middle-grade series kickoff features teens Beth, Kellen, Luke, and Nicole, white except for Asian-American Nicole. Kellen yearns for childhood friend Beth, Nicole seems to have a crush on Kellen, and Luke cares only about cracking jokes. ’Tis the season, and Dr. Hysteria arrives in town with his Hall of Horrors, supposedly holiday entertainment for the town. But Beth takes a wrong turn inside the attraction and realizes that the monsters are real. When she stumbles on the titular cabinet, she finds not only a girl who went missing a year ago from another town, but also many others, some in historical clothing. She realizes that Dr. Hysteria is a demon and that he has trapped her friends…and perhaps also has trapped her. Adapting the book from the screenplay for the 2015 film R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls, Ferguson keeps the creep factor high and the originality factor low. Befitting its status as a movie tie-in, the book contains glossy photos of the characters in a four-page inset. While the story starts with some unrequited romance, it quickly begins to focus on suspense and horror, with beautiful, blonde Beth as the star trying to save herself and her friends.
Fans of the movie may enjoy it. (Horror. 8-12)Pub Date: July 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-338-03252-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
An appealing if sometimes structurally shaky celebration of the explorer's spirit. (Fantasy. 8-12)
The Creature Keepers return to wrangle the mighty Sasquatch (Creature Keepers and the Hijacked Hydro-Hide, 2014).
Abbie and Jordan have been counting the days till their summer vacation, when the pair can return to Florida, where they'll continue their training as Creature Keepers. But when the time comes, Abbie and Jordan are needed elsewhere: the Canadian Pacific Northwest. The elusive Sasquatch—Syd—calls this land home, and a reality television show's flashy host and his fanatical followers are hot on his trail, intent on capturing Syd. Adding to the chaos, Keepers all over the world are abandoning their posts, and an unidentified menace is turning creatures against humans; it's clear Abbie and Jordan will have a pretty busy summer. This ambitious, three-pronged approach to the narrative works in fits and starts, and the strain of juggling three different interwoven plotlines is sometimes noticeable. There are moments where everything clicks together nicely, but they're few and far between. The book ends up feeling very episodic. The novel's strength is the love it has for the weird and bizarre creatures of lore. Nerdy kids that go into the woods to find weird bugs and hunt for Bigfoots will surely enjoy this world. As further installments in this franchise are expected, readers will hope they’ll improve with each outing.
An appealing if sometimes structurally shaky celebration of the explorer's spirit. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-223645-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A worthwhile read about a strong girl who embraces the power of knowledge but also heeds Gran’s advice to “trust your gut.”...
Take bits from the worlds of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Nancy Drew, and set the story in New Orleans, and you’ve got this compelling tale of Evangeline.
Descended from a long line of haunt huntresses—women who aid people plagued by supernatural beings—Evangeline Clement will soon turn 13 and eagerly awaits the appearance of her animal familiar: confirmation of her destiny. Evangeline has lived with Gran, also a haunt huntress, since her mother was killed by a werewolflike rougarou when Evangeline was a tiny baby. Evangeline assists Gran with gathering herbs, mixing potions, and eradicating harmful supernatural creatures. On the current mission, Gran travels to the Midsomers’ home to save Mrs. Midsomer from transforming into a rougarou at the next full moon. Evangeline befriends Julian, the Midsomers’ son, who helps save his mother but who also exhibits characteristics that suggest he’s on the spectrum and that make him a difficult companion. Julian refuses to believe anything about why Gran and Evangeline have come…until he sees with his own eyes. Readers will enjoy learning about the magical creatures Evangeline encounters and will appreciate the challenge of foreseeing what Evangeline can’t. The closing glossary of haunts is amusing in its own right. The book adheres to the white default.
A worthwhile read about a strong girl who embraces the power of knowledge but also heeds Gran’s advice to “trust your gut.” (Supernatural mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-268034-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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