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Summer Reading Is Killing Me, Part One

You know it’s coming up soon. The summer reading lists from school, the summer reading programs at the library (and in other places too– my kids’ tae kwon do studio holds a summer reading program, if you can believe it)!

What to do for the kid who wants a scary book for his summer reading? On the Indiana K-2 state recommended reading list, the only book that probably qualifies is Where the Wild Things Are. So is there anything out there that didn’t win the Newbery Award that a monster-loving kid could get into? Of course there is!

Between the point where all reading is grown-ups reading aloud to kids, to the point where kids are fluently reading chapter books, is a transitional category of books called easy readers. Easy readers were pioneered by Dr. Seuss and Else Holmelund Minarik and have been a blossoming category of books ever since. They’ve come a long way since Margaret Hillert’s Happy Birthday, Dear Dragon.

 

 

And here are a few books that might catch your early reader’s interest.

 

There Is a Bird On Your Head! (Elephant and Piggie) by Mo Willems

Before getting specific to monsters, chills and thrills, first I have to recommend above and beyond almost any other easy reader the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. They are so absurdly funny that you probably won’t mind reading them over and over again and again. And your first grader will probably be able to read them to you, too.  There Is a Bird on Your Head! won a Geisel Award, and for good reason. You just cannot go wrong with Mo Willems. Unfortunately, once you’ve read all of the books, you will find there really isn’t anything else like them. I asked the librarian at our library, and she couldn’t come up with anything. If you do find something that measures up, I want to know!

 

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Maybe you never considered this interpretation, but a lot has been written about the creepiness of  this book, with a giant intruder breaking in to the children’s house while their mother is gone, and causing havoc.

 

Spooky Hayride by Brian James (Level 1)

Who spooks who?  How spooky IS the hayride, anyway? This book uses very simple and limited vocabulary and still tells a story with wit.

 

Looking for Bigfoot by Bonnie Worth (Level 4)

Kids transitioning to easy chapter books may miss out on some of the more complex easy readers. Looking for Bigfoot is aimed at kids who can read paragraphs independently and is as long as some of the shorter chapter books, at almost 50 pages. This is more of a nonfiction title about the mysterious cryptid than a scary story, but monster loving kids may still get into it.

 

Beastly Tales:  Yeti, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster (Eyewitness Readers) by Malcolm Yorke (Level 3)

When it comes to Bigfoot, there’s no such thing as too much, at least in this house.

 

In a Dark, Dark, Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz (Level 2)

Alvin Schwartz’s name should be familiar: he’s the guy who compiled the classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its sequels. We get questions here every once in awhile where someone who can’t remember its name describes a story from this book. It may have been around long enough for you to remember reading it as a kid yourself, but it never gets old.

 

Ghosts! Ghostly Tales from Folklore by Alvin Schwartz (Level 2)

Alvin Schwartz collects together ghost stories for early readers.

 

No More Monsters for Me! by Peggy Parrish (Level 1)

This is a classic I Can Read story.  Minneapolis Simpkin desperately wants a pet, and when she encounters a monster, she sneaks it into her house. Sneaking a monster into the house, she discovers, really is not a good idea.

 

I Spy A Scary Monster (I Spy)  by Jean Marzollo (Level 1)

It’s I Spy–you can’t go wrong! You can read this with the earliest readers. The objects they are supposed to find in the photographic spread  on the page opposing are pictured next to the clue, so words can be matched with pictures, and then discovered in the photo.

 

Amanda Pig and the Awful, Scary Monster (Oliver and Amanda) by Jean Van Leeuwen (Level 3)

Amanda overcomes her fear of bedtime monsters when Oliver helps her build a monster trap.

 

The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low (Level 4)

Alice Low wrote several children’s books with witches as characters. According to a reviewer at Publisher’s Weekly, this is “an irresistible way to add joy to the scarey fall holiday.” But you can also read it as a way to add joy to your summer holiday.

Three Claws in the City (Meet the Monsters of the World) by Cari Meister (Level 3)

This is one of a series about some monsters that are more funny than frightening. Their look: cartoony. Their names: Snorp, Ora, Moopy, and Three Claws. The publishing imprint, Stone Arch, also published the early graphic novel series Monster and Me by Robert Marsh.

 

Don’t Go In The Water! (Easy-to-Read Spooky Tales) by Veronika Martenova Charles

This book is also part of a series of ten books, and the books, while labeled “easy to read,” have not been leveled. They are 56 pages long, which is long for an easy reader, but the books, depending on the child, are readable by first and second graders. Each book has three ‘spooky tales,’ loosely related to a folktale, and the ending of the last story is open ended. These would probably be appreciated most by the kids who REALLY are looking to be spooked, and not just those who want a mildly funny monster story.

 

The Vampire Bunny (Bunnicula and Friends) by James Howe and Jeff Mack (Level 3)

Who knew that James Howe’s classic middle-grade novel Bunnicula would spawn so many sequels and spin-offs? This is one of an entire series of Level 3 easy readers starring the characters from the original novel. This one follows the plot of the book fairly closely.

 

Hope that gets your early reader started for summer reading! Enjoy!

 

 

 

Posted on May 7, 2013 by , Reply

It Happened At Halloween- Scary Books for the Middle Grades

There’s an awkward age between 10 and 14, where picture books don’t seem to be enough anymore, but some kids (or maybe their parents or teachers) aren’t quite ready for the intensity and content of YA fiction. There are some great books for kids this age, though, with pivotal scenes that take place at Halloween, so if you’re looking to mix it up a bit and add some books for this age group to your Halloween display, check the shelves for these titles.

 

Bunnicula by James Howe

This will fall at the lower end of the age range in terms of reading level, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed by older kids. Really, how can anyone resist a cute, cuddly vampire bunny? There are several sequels and another spinoff series, Tales from the House of Bunnicula, for younger readers.

 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

This book starts with a major character, Turtle Wexler, taking a dare to enter a haunted house on Halloween. Of course, the dead body she finds inside is just the beginning of a complicated puzzle of a mystery. The Westing Game is an award winning book, and rightfully so. Kids who liked Chasing Vermeer will probably also like The Westing Game.

 

Horror at the Haunted House by Peg Kehret

When Ellen Streeter signs up to participate in the historical society’s haunted house fundraiser, she doesn’t expect to encounter a real ghost. Kids who like fast-paced horror and mystery will love this book. Peg Kehret is a fantastic writer who has written dozens of books with plenty of mystery and suspense, including a series called Frightmares, so once kids are hooked, they can keep going with her books for a long time!

 

The Ghost Witch by Betty Ren Wright

Jenny moves into a house haunted by the ghost of a local witch, who is delighted to have the opportunity to scare children again at Halloween.  This book falls in the lower end of the age range, as it is aimed at grades 3-5, but Betty Ren Wright has written some gems of ghost stories for kids who are slightly older as well, including The Dollhouse Murders and Crandall’s Castle.

 

Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck

There aren’t too many narrators in children’s literature that are as memorable as Blossom Culp. Blossom is from the other side of the tracks, too smart and outspoken for her own good, with a crazy mother who works as a psychic. Also, she can see ghosts. On the Titanic. Peck hits all the right buttons to grab kids this age with this book, and the outhouse scene that takes place on Halloween is hysterical. There’s a previous book, The Ghost Belonged To Me, where she plays a secondary role, and a sequel, The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp, which is terribly dated now (although still a fun read), but this is Blossom Culp at her best.

 

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keately Snyder

When April moves into Melanie’s apartment building the two girls form an unlikely friendship as both are swept away by April’s imagination. Together they find an abandoned yard where they can create their own world of ancient Egypt as authentically as possible. If that doesn’t sound scary, just imagine it at night, on Halloween, with a killer on the loose. The main characters here are mostly middle schoolers, so it’s probably best to hand it to kids reading at that level. The story does feel a little dated, but that answers the obvious question of why the kids aren’t carrying cell phones.

 

The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson

The six Herdman children are a constant source of chaos for their town. They’ve caused so much trouble on Halloween in the past that the mayor cancels trick-or-treating in favor of a Halloween celebration at the elementary school. Of course, nothing can slow down the terrible Herdmans…  can Halloween be saved after all? This is the third book starring the Herdmans, who first appeared in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, followed by the less well-known The Best School Year Ever. All three books are funny and suspenseful, and this one also has some scares. The Best Halloween Ever is a good choice for kids reading on a lower level, and older kids may enjoy it too.

The Grey King by Susan Cooper

Most of the books I’ve mentioned are solidly set in the “real world”, be it contemporary or historical. The Grey King is far removed from anything resembling that. This is the story of Will, a boy who is sent to convalesce with relatives in rural Wales after a serious illness. Except that Will is much more than a boy, and he’s in Wales to do much more than heal. The Grey King is the fourth book in Susan Cooper’s high fantasy series The Dark is Rising, but stands alone beautifully, and of all the books, I think this is the most readable and most memorable.  I was assigned it in sixth grade, and it has always stuck with me, maybe because of the riddle that begins it:

On the day of the dead when the year too dies

Must the youngest open the oldest hills…

It’s part of a long, cryptic, and graceful poem that foreshadows the entire plot of the book… if you can figure it out. The day of the dead part, though, should be obvious. This is not the easiest read, as there is a lot of Welsh in the text, and it’s impossible to identify or pronounce most words in Welsh, but it is completely worth it.

 

Set these out for your 10-14 year old readers, and give them a chance at a spooktacular Halloween read!

 

 

Posted on September 30, 2012 by , Reply

Moms vs. Zombies, Mother’s Day Edition: Mother May I?

Welcome to the final entry in our Mother’s Day lineup. Today our zombie editor, Michele Lee, shares with us her thoughts about building a culture of reading and writing when you’re a horror-loving mom.

Michele Lee is the author of Rot and mother of budding writer Rose Lee. She is also a book reviewer in addition to her role as zombie editor for MonsterLibrarian.com.

Mother May I?

By Michele Lee

As if it’s not bad enough that we parent these days in the spotlight of public scrutiny,  there comes a point where you hear the dreaded words “You read what?”

It’s hard to avoid zombies, werewolves, vampires and ghouls these days. The kids even have their own versions, the Poison Apple books from Scholastic, Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie by David Lubar, The Zombie Chasers, Zombiekins, and. of course, Zombie Butts from Uranus by Andy Griffiths. This isn’t a new thing. In my younger days we had There’s a Batwing in my Lunchbox by Ann Hodgman, Bunnicula by James Howe and The Little Vampire.

We grew up with it. While those a generation older than us teethed on Stephen King, we blossomed from elementary monsters to R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike and Richie Tankersley Cusick. Don’t forget that L.J. Smith and her Vampire Diaries were ours first. On our side of things we wonder how the Jason and Freddy-loving teens became the same parents who sneer at our zombie T-shirts and look at us with suspicion when they see us reading the latest Brian Keene in front of our kids.

As parents, we’ve already been there, wondering where’s the limit for our adorable little spawn. Of course we don’t let them watch a Saw marathon. We don’t read Laurell K. Hamilton to them before bed every night either. But the nature of kids is to idolize us adults (which is at once one of the most awesome, and scariest parts of being a parent) so of course, things bleed.

Two years ago now (almost to the day) while I was editing Rot for its launch, my daughter decided she was going to write a zombie story too. She even asked me how to spell zombie, so she could write it on her to do list (and you better believe I have pictures of that in her scrapbook). Rot is not in any way at all appropriate for a kid to read, and I’d been very careful not to let her hear me reading it out loud. But she knew, and had seen the illustrations, and she wanted to write a zombie book too.

What came out was a most excellent story, that I promptly paid her a dollar to let me publish on my blog (because money flows to the writer). Enthusiastic, she pitched me a sequel (with evil ballerinas!). Write it, I said. And she lost interest. She was five.

Does she still know about zombies and vampires and what kind of things I write? Sure. She can grab the books my work is in, stare down the occasional meat puppet on the cover and wave it at me, exclaiming “This is your book, Mom.” But she doesn’t see terrifying tales of torture and sickness and blood-curdling terror. They’re things Mom has done that we all should be proud of, like her spelling tests and her brother’s artwork.

Kids get scared, but they are not adults and they do not think the same way. Scary and gross to kids are snot monsters that swallow hamsters (who are later saved by people wearing underwear and capes). Scary is something the world teaches them.

My daughter, accidentally one night, saw most of Repo: the Genetic Opera. She woke up in the middle of the night, and I was watching it and didn’t see her sitting in the doorway, fascinated. Ask her what it’s about and she’ll say there’s a pretty, blind woman who sings songs and tries to help a girl who finds out her dad is a bad guy. It’s not the blood, the repossessing of organs, the corporate greed, the hedonism or the addiction that scares her. And the bit where Paris Hilton’s face falls off? That’s just silly. Really, she doesn’t think the movie is that scary at all, just sad. The bit that resonated with her was the girl holding on to her dad crying because he wasn’t what she thought he was.

When kids are scared, it’s personal. Generally, they aren’t scared of monsters and blood, they’re scared of mom and dad abandoning them, or letting people down themselves. You know how kids always assume if something bad happens then they must have done something wrong? They aren’t scared of the same things we are because they haven’t connected with the real scary things in the outside world. My daughter wasn’t scared about 9/11 because she had no clue what it was, but I don’t know an adult who wasn’t.

When you’re a horror-loving parent, the wicked, inhuman beasties remind your kids of you, a person they trust and love. I don’t advocate having a popcorn and showing-of-Chucky night for family time, but if your kids want their own scary stories, how is sharing time, and a small piece of something you love with them, so wrong?

Besides, they need to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse too, right?

Posted on May 8, 2011 by , Reply