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Book Review: The Loch Ness Punster (43 Old Cemetery Road) by Kate Klise, illustrated by M.Sarah Klise

The Loch Ness Punster (43 Old Cemetery Road) by Kate Klise, illustrated by M.Sarah Klise

HMH Books for Young Readers (April 7, 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-0544313378

Availability: Hard cover, Paperback

This is the seventh book in the series 43 Old Cemetery Road. The series is about an abandoned kid named Seymour Hope, a ghost named Olive C. Spence, and a grumpy author, Ignatius B. Grumply, who live together in a haunted house. What makes this series special is that there are exciting new characters introduced in every sequel. The format is fun; it is based on letters, postcards, newspapers, and drawings rather than straight narrative. The author uses comical language and wordplay coupled with true adventure. The plots are exciting and keep the reader guessing. No two books in the series are alike.

In The Loch Ness Punster, we find out why Iggy is so grumpy all the time. A childhood memory continues to haunt and anger him. He is sent to a Scottish castle he inherits from his uncle Ian, who makes lots of bad jokes, so is called a “punster.” Seymour, the main character, inherits the castle from Iggy’s uncle, but he must protect it from a villain who wants to change it into an amusement park so he can become a knight by winning the Queen’s competition to bring tourists to the region.

With ghosts, bizarre pets, and mysterious appearances and disappearances, the reader is caught in a complicated but wildly fun adventure. A storm is brewing, literally and figuratively, and has the cast of misfits running around until the reader has no clue what will happen next. Throw in a sweet romance, and you have a winning series populated by characters who are written with depth and humor, and a way of attaching themselves to your heart. Mysterious and unique, you will have trouble putting this book down. I loved this series and recommend that you read the books in order. Highly recommended for children of all ages.

Contains: N/A

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by the Goblin Girl

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Kirsten, Reply

Book Review: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie and Alyssa Sheinmel

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie and Alyssa Sheinmel

Weinstein Books, 2015

ISBN-10: 1602862729

ISBN-13: 978-1602862722

Sunshine and her mother have left the comfort and warmth of Texas for the damp and chilly world of Washington State, a beautiful if isolated place. She and her mom have a tight relationship, with little of the typical YA angst. Their relationship is tested and strained when the house turns out to be haunted, and only Sunshine can sense the ghost.

At first, Sunshine is intrigued by the laughter in the attic, but soon things become problematic. The ghost’s mood swings and temper tantrums start to worry Sunshine. Then the ghost sets its sights on her mother. Darkness seeps in, souring everything, and threatening the life of Sunshine’s mother, who shows increasingly erratic and violent behavior.

The requisite love interest shows up, but in a satisfying twist, has a dark side which may cause Sunshine and her mom more harm than good.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl originates from an ongoing YouTube webseries created by Paige McKenzie and hosted by The Haunting of Sunshine Girl Network, which has over 200,000 subscribers. With this novel, McKenzie, a teen prodigy, has entered publishing with a platform other authors would kill to have, with the assistance of Alyssa Sheinmel’s adept ghostwriting skills to guide her. The incredible success of the series means that fans already have expectations, and the book has to satisfy both fans of the show and readers who love supernatural fiction who know nothing about it: a difficult challenge. Rather than merely rehashing the plot of the show, McKenzie and Sheinmel’s approach meets the challenge, honing in on the story between the pages, and Sheinmel polishes the book into a slick, enjoyable read.

While this isn’t the most original tale, it is done very well. While common tropes appear frequently, they are twisted and turned in fresh ways. In addition, it’s interesting to see how the transmedia element was pushed front and center, with emphasis on the web series. While the idea is not new anymore, it’s fascinating to see how experiments in multiplatform technology in children’s and YA fiction is are playing out. This book appears to be the start of a series, and, even without the emphasis on other media, is gripping enough to send readers unfamiliar with the web series on to looking for the next book.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Kirsten, Reply

Help a Reader Out: A Haunted Boarding School

Amy writes:

I read a book in the early 80’s about some girls who go to a special boarding school for the arts. One girl is a painter, one a writer and one is a musician. At night, they are possessed by the ghosts of famous artists (one is T.S. Eliot) but are unaware of this. They find out the teachers are using them to get more works out of the dead artists. Do you have any idea what book this is? I have no idea of the name or the author. Thanks.

Ooh, I know this one!