Book Review - The Ghosts of Rathburn Park

Courtesy of Random House

Halloween is just around the corner and we're all looking for a scary read to get us in the mood. The Ghosts of Rathburn Park promises ghost dogs and haunted mansions that inhabit a mysterious forest in Matthew Hamilton's new town, Timber City. But does this book live up to all the Halloween hype?

The Ghosts of Rathburn Park begins with an interesting theme. Eleven year-old Matt Hamilton and his family have just moved to Timber City, where Matt's dad is about to begin as the new city manager. When a picnic is held in his dad's honor, Matt quickly takes off on an adventure in the forests of Rathburn Park, where the rest of his family continues on with their picnic, never noticing his disappearance. Matt is on a quest to find the supposed haunted Rathburn mansion but instead finds himself lost in the woods, his only companion a mysterious, ghost-like dog.

Instead of being spooky, or even charming, The Ghosts of Rathburn Park is confusing and painful to get through. For some reason, every sentence seems to be accompanied by an afterthought by Matt that has nothing to do with the actual story. This makes for a frustrating read that does anything but put you in the Halloween spirit.

If you are looking for something that'll give you a good fright, pass over The Ghosts of Rathburn Park and check out www.randomhouse.com for some better examples of terrifying tales.

Rating:

Related Stories: