REVIEW: Zombie Dog by Clare Hutton

Title: Zombie Dog
Author: Clare Hutton
Series: A Rotten Apple Book #2
Pages: 192
Publisher:  Scholastic, Inc. 
Date Published:  August 1, 2012
Format:  Paperback
Source:  Bought

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Rotten Apple Books: Unexpected. Unforgettable. Undead. Get bitten!

Becky's family has moved right next door to the creepy, abandoned McNally house. Rumors fly around school about the ghosts and monsters that live there, and Becky isn't sure what to believe. Even her mischievous dog, Bear, stays away from it.

When Becky starts hearing mysterious howls coming from next door, paired with an awful smell, she starts to wonder if the rumors might be true. Snarls and glowing eyes confirm it--something is over there, and it's not happy. Worse, Becky's parents are blaming Bear for all the unexplained damage around their property. Can Becky stop this creature before it's too late?

The house beside Becky has rumors about monsters and ghosts.  Weird things start happening and then there is a rotten smell from next door.  Zombie Dog was a scary book.  I liked when they discovered the zombie next door.  Nate and Becky were trying to put it to rest.  They tried Bear's ball because Becky had thrown away the zombie's ball and the zombie was mad about it.  When they found the zombie dog I got nervous.  I think this book was really good and very scary.  I think anybody that hears about this book should read it.  They will probably get freaked out! 

Jessica - Age 8


Mom's Thoughts
Jessica loves Monster High, but the books are geared more towards middle/high school grades.  We picked this book up (along with book #1, Mean Ghouls) at the book fair thinking that it would be similar.  In reality, these books are more like Goosebumps or Fear Street books.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just an FYI.  I don't think Jessica would have chosen them had she known how spooky they would be, but she really enjoyed Zombie Dog!  I thought the story was great, too.  Jessica and I are looking forward to reading Mean Ghouls next.  I recommend these books to anyone that enjoys spooky stories.  I think they are aimed more towards girls, but I see no reason why boys wouldn't enjoy them, too.

Mikey's Review: Spongebob Superstar (Chapter Book # 5) by Annie Auerbach

Title: SpongeBob Superstar
Author: Annie Auerbach,  Mark O'Hare(Illustrator)
Series: Spongebob Squarepants
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Date of Publication: April 2001
Format: paperback,63 pages
Source: bought 










Mikey's Thoughts:

I love Spongebob Squarepants!  I watch the tv show all the time and I even get to watch it on Netflix too!  So I was even more excited to find out I could read about Spongebob too.

In this book, Spongebob gets to do a whole lot of stunts and it gets put on a T.V. special in Bikini Bottom.  He does many things like he paddles with his hands on the water;  he also makes krabby patties blindfolded.  

There are a lot of characters from the show in this book including, Mr. Krabs, Spongebob, Sandy, Squidworth, and of course Patrick.  We also get introduced to a new guy named Bailey who is trying to direct the show.  Bailey is a sneaky one too!
I liked this book a lot especially since I haven't seen an episode for this book yet.  
I think this book would be great for anyone 7 and up.  I am very proud because I read this book all by myself quietly.  
I hope you can pick up a copy of this for your Spongebob Squarepants library too!

Thank you very much!
Mikey 

Four Stars! 

Conner's Review: Goosebumps: Don't Scream by R.L.Stine

                       Title: Goosebumps: Don't Scream

            Series: Hall of Horrors # 5

Author: R. L. Stine

   Publisher: Scholastic

                 Publication Date: Jan.1, 2012

                             Source: library, paperback, 160 pages

Welcome to the Hall of Horrors, HorrorLand's Hall of Fame for the truly terrifying.

Jack Harmon finds a cell phone on the school bus. He raises the phone to his ear and hears a girl's voice: "Hi, Jack. Don't scream. I've been waiting for you. I'm your new friend." Jack thinks it's a joke. He tries to end the call, then turn the phone off, but the girl's voice won't go away: "Don't make me angry, Jack. I'm warning you." Jack is puzzled and a little frightened. He must obey her every wish. She appears in all sorts of electronic devices-he can't escape her. "Don't scream, Jack. I'm just a voice. But you're going to be my body." She begins to force him to do dangerous things like stealing a laptop from school. But Jack finally outwits the voice when she jumps into his wristwatch. The school bully has been after that watch all year, so Jack finally lets him have it.

-goodreads summary

Conner:  I really liked this book because of a lot of reasons.  One, it is a Goosebumps book and we are huge collectors of this series.   

I also liked this story because the boy in the story, Jack, finds a cell phone and hears a ghostly voice on it talking to him.  I can really relate to this book because I was walking with my Nana one day and I found a cell phone in the grass too.  

Of course no one mysterious talked to me on it but what if?  

I liked his little sister who likes macaroni and cheese.  She reminded me of my little brother who is crazy about mac and cheese too.  

This book isn't as scary as the other R. L. Stine books I have read.  I wasn't scared once reading  this.  

I would have to give this story five smiley faces!  

Conner's Review: 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

Title: The 39 Clues

                      The Maze of Bones

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Scholastic Press

September 1, 2008

Goodreads Summary:

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue.

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

Conner's Review:

The cover is very cool, especially because I love skeletons.  You can tell someone put a lot of work in making the design of the covers work with the clues in the book.

Another really awesome thing about the series is it is a game as well.  You get these trading cards inside the front part of the book that has different clues on them.   I haven't went to the website and signed up yet to play the game but I am really looking forward to doing that.  

I liked this story a lot!  The main characters, Amy and Dan Cahill, are pretty cool.  I liked that the names because my mom and Papa have those exact names too.  

I could relate to a little bit of what the brother/sister team had to go through.  I love solving mysteries and there is a lot of that in this story.  I got to read about different weapons, secret passageways, and of course, skeletons!  

There is a few people that are always trying to get in Amy and Dan's way, and this got to be irritating to me.  

Other than that, I have to say I really loved this book!  The fact that it is also a game, makes it even more exciting.  

I cannot wait to go online and get started on my own adventure!

I give this book 5 smiley faces!