Month: October 2022

What’s Your Next Great Read? Book Reviews with Ms. Cecily

- Jen Adorno

Are you looking for great adventure in far off lands? Interested in a beginner chapter book? Maybe you are somewhere between? No matter your reading level or interest the library has something waiting for you!

Eerie Elementary: The School is Alive! by Jack Chambert
Sam Graves finds out on his first day as hall monitor that his school is ALIVE! He must defend himself and his fellow students against the evil school. Will he be able to save himself, his friends, and the school play before the school eats them all? If you enjoy this spooky tale, try the rest of the series. 		J CHAAges 6+
The Visitors by Greg Howard
Hollow Pines doesn’t like visitors. A lonely twelve-year-old boy is “stuck” at the deserted plantation with no recollection of his name, no memory of how long he’s been there, and no idea how to leave. Things don’t change much for the lost souls at Hollow Pines and time is strange when you’re dead. When visitors from the living world arrive for the first time in a long while, the boy feels a spark of hope. They seem to understand more than others that the plantation is not just spooky or eerie, it’s a sad place. Maybe they could help him uncover the dark secrets of his past and help him find a way to move on. 		J HOWAges 11+
Healer and Witch by Nancy Werlin
Travel back to the 1530’s. Can Sylvie learn to manage her magic powers? Can she claim her gift without being declared a witch in the time of inquisition? Sylvie and her mother and grandmother are beloved, trusted healers in their medieval French village. There were some whispers that fifteen-year-old Sylvie and her grand-mere might be a bit…witchy! After her grandmother dies she tries to heal her mother’s grief, but her newly acquired gifts need training. Sylvie leaves her village with her friend Marti in search of a teacher. The journey subjects her to strange alliances, powerful temptations, danger, and deceit. Who can Sylvie trust? Beautifully crafted, powerful story for young readers. 		J WERAges 10+
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch’s hat, bow, and wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items. The animals all hitch a ride on the broom…but is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes….		E DONAges 3+
The Mary Celeste Ghost Ship by Anita Amin
The story of Mary Celeste from 150 years ago and the disappearance of the captain, his family and crew of eight who have never been seen or heard of again. But, the ship was found abandoned six weeks after it should have arrived in Italy! Fun non-fiction!
J 910.916 AMIAges 8+
Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol: The Haunted House Next Door by Andres Miedoso
Fun, easy to read ghost story. Meet Desmond Cole, a fearless ghost buster who looks for ghosts everywhere. His new neighbor Andres has moved into a haunted house! There’s no job too spooky for Desmond and Andres. Seems cool, right? There’s only one problem…Andres is afraid of everything. Perfect book for emerging readers who are ready to move onto a chapter book. 		J MIEAges 5+
The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting
In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things begin to happen. Then, on Halloween night, Fred vanishes! A Halloween favorite good for the whole family. 		E BUNAges 4+
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Scratch, scratch, scratch, click, click, click. Caroline gets sucked into the other world. There are others who have been sucked in. Her parents are suddenly missing. Her fake parents with button eyes offer her delicious food and a lovely room, but for how long? Will Coraline find her parents and her way back home? Enjoy the thrills and chills. You will be on the edge of your seat or hiding under your covers from the first turn of the page!		J GN GAIAges 8+
The Haunted Library: The Ghost in the Attic by Dori Hillestad Butler
Perfectly scary story for young chapter book readers! Learn how to carry your pet ghost outside so he can help you solve ghostly mysteries all over town.
J BUTAges 6+
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Twelve-year-old Seven Salazar is waiting to be placed in a powerful coven (think Harry Potter houses) but then she isn’t placed in any coven. She’s a spare! She tries to form a new coven and it doesn’t work! She’s stuck as a witchling and will lose her magic. How will Seven and the other spares survive? Maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all. Girl power vibes on every page. 		J ORTAges 8+
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
A Chicago ghost story centered around Graceland Cemetery. Tessa has just started seventh grade when her parents yank her out of school in Florida and move to Chicago in October. They bought their Near North Brownstone cheap. It needs a lot of updates and there is a not so friendly ghost haunting Tessa’s room and bathroom. When it starts bothering her four year old brother and mother, Tessa’s new friends help her solve the mystery and how her around the city. 		J CURAges 9+
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. She then happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book in the water. Ollie doesn’t think, she steals the book and runs away. In the slender book, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a strange deal made with “the smiling man”. The next day the field trip bus breaks down….and with that a deliciously creepy adventure begins!		J ARDAges 10+
Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie
Claire has no interest in the Paranormal. She is a scientist! She can’t think of anything worse than having to help her dad on one of his ghost themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she’s made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he’s gone. Claire tries to brush it off, but then the scratching starts. Claire tries to find out why she is being haunted before it’s too late!		J CURAges 10+
Eva Evergreen Semi Magical Witch by Julie Abe
Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic…Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test. The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets sunburn instead of calling down rain. Find out what happens when she lands in a tranquil coastal town and sets up a magical repair shop to prove she’s worthy. 		J ABEAges 8+
Calendar Mysteries: October Ogre by Ron Roy
It’s Halloween and there’s a haunted house in Green Lawn! The Shangri-la Hotel has been transformed into a haunted house. The kids are ready for some scary fun, but they notice that none of the kinds who have gone to the hotel have come back out. What’s happening to them? Ogres, ghosts, and witches aren’t real….right?		J ROYAges 6+
Camp Creepy Lake: A Campout in the Haunted Woods by Laurie Friedman
A creepy lake and a haunted wood! When your skeleton counselor gives you a tent and pushes you into the haunted woods, how will you and your fellow campers survive? 		J FRIAges 6+