Spooksville PIck: The Howling Ghost (book 2)

The popular "Spooksville" television show  can currently be seen on the Hub Network which received the Parents' Choice Approved Seal. Young readers will be thrilled to read Christopher Pike's books in the new packaging. First released in 1995, The Howling Ghost will appeal to another generation of thrill seekers, ghost hunters and fans of things that go bump in the night.

Here is the earlier cover:

Here is the new cover from Aladdin:

The Howling Ghost

(Spooksville, book 2)

by Christopher Pike

Aladdin

2014

128 pages

ISBN: 9781481410533

Middle grade readers are in for a real treat when they discover Christopher Pike and his Spooksville series. The Howling Ghost is a quick read and a book I would recommend in a second for any reluctant reader. The cover art is nothing short of spectacular! A ghostly, scary hand reaches out of the stormy sky beside a lighthouse where the waves are threatening a small boy who stands periously close to danger. His sister seems to attempt to get his attention from her vantage point on the rocks. This cover will have this book jumping into shopping carts and baskets for good reason! 

Newcomers to Spooksville, Cindy and Neil are out near the old lighthouse. Neil begs to go near the water and Cindy relents. She climbs to a rock to get a better look of the shore and water. Suddenly, a giant ghostly hand descends from the sky, the water begins churning like a tidal wave and then there's that unearthly noise. Neil is grabbed up and taken to???Cindy doesn't know. One minute Neil is right there, the next he has vanished into thin air. Town police rule it a drowning, but Cindy knows the truth.   No one will believe her.  That is until Sally, Adam and Watch come to the rescue of the new damsel in distress. 

Sally believes everything that is weird can and does happen in Spooksville. She can't explain why things happen, they just do. Sally tells Cindy not to worry--the kids will find Neil and figure out what is really going on. A trip to the haunted lighthouse turns into a harrowing adventure and escaping the ghost's wrath becomes the most important part of their mystery. The kids decide they need to know who the ghost is to figure out what the ghost wants with Neil.

Any fan of the t.v. show will tell you it's all about the chemistry of the characters. It is the same for this book. Sally is no-nonesense, fearless, faithful and snarkily funny. She will have you grinning with her quick barb; Watch and Adam are seemingly clueless but loveable nonetheless. 

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)