Spooky Stories : Halloween Book Reviews

Looking for something super-scary to read this Halloween? We’re reviewing the newest and most ghoulish books to spook you sill this season! Check out The Stone Child, A Good Night For Ghosts (which comes with a non-fiction Magic Tree House Research Guide), The Poisons of Caux: The Hollow Bettle and Billy Bones: The Road To Nevermore.

The Stone Child By Dan Poblocki

There’s much more spook to this book than the haunting cover, which shows an image of a stone (statue) girl holding an open book in her hands – at her feet is some kind of winged creature. Inside, the book tells the story of Eddie, whose parents move him to a small town that, he discovers, used to be (or still is!) the home of his favorite author, who mysteriously disappeared 13 years earlier. Now it’s up to Eddie and his new friends, Harris and Maggie, to solve the mystery of the coded manuscript that was left behind by the missing author. It’s a great story about a chilling mystery, making friends and being different. We loved this story’s ability to make us giggle at some points and hold our breath in fear in others.

The Stone Child Rating:

A Good Night For Ghosts By Mary Pope Osborne (and Ghosts: A Magic Tree House Research Guide)

This book is part of the Magic Tree House Series; it’s actually Book #42 in the series, so if you like reading it there are tons of other Magic Tree House stories for you to enjoy. In this novel, Jack and Annie – the main characters in the series – travel all the way to New Orleans where the run into some real, live ghosts – and discover the world of jazz when they meet a young Louis Armstrong! Not only is it a great way to learn about the past, the book is accompanied by a non-fiction Magic Tree House Guide to Ghosts, which includes fun facts, photos, illustrations, definitions and much more to help you learn the facts behind the fiction of ghosts.

A Good Night For Ghosts Rating:

The Poisons Of Caux: The Hollow Bettle By Susannah Applebaum

The first book in The Poisons Of The Caux series, The Hollow Bettle (you read it right – it’s Bettle, not Beetle) introduces you to the kingdom of Caux, which is currently ruled by the evil King Nightshade who believes the law of the land is poison or be poisoned. You’ll also meet 11-year-old Ivy, whose uncle, a famous healer, has mysteriously disappeared. It’s a book that will definitely keep you on the edge of your toes, full of herbs and magic, tasters and poisoners. Watch for two more books to complete this terrifying trilogy.

The Poisons Of Caux Rating:

Billy Bones: The Road To Nevermore By Christopher Lincoln

This book follows Billy Bones and his cousin Millicent as they set out to explore the world beyond their mansion home. But when their uncle, Grim, is captured and taken to the hidden world of Nevermore, Billy faces a supernatural adventure beyond anything he ever bargained for. What he finds could stop time – and start a whole lot of trouble. But who cares what we say? Watch the trailer for the book and be convinced!

Billy Bones: The Road To Nevermore Rating:

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