Monday, August 27, 2012

Review: Scary School by Derek the Ghost

From Goodreads: You think your school's scary? Get a load of these teachers: "Ms. Fang," an 850-year-old vampire; "Dr. Dragonbreath," who just might eat you before recess; "Mr. Snakeskin" - science class is so much more fun when it's taught by someone who's half zombie; and "Mrs. T" - break the rules and spend your detention with a hungry "Tyrannosaurus rex." Plus gargoyles, goblins, and Frankenstein's monster on the loose, the world's most frighteningly delicious school lunch and the narrator's an eleven-year-old ghost. Join Charles "New Kid" Nukid as he makes some very Scary friends and figures out that Scary School can be just as funny as it is spooky. 

My Rating: 4 hearts

Thoughts on the Novel: Scary School by Derek the Ghost is a fun, entertaining MG novel that will appeal especially to boys. Although I didn’t learn much about the narrator, Derek the Ghost, since he doesn’t really talk about himself; I found his voice to still be very distinct. 

I also really liked the way Scary School was narrated because rather than providing a concise plot, Derek the Ghost tends to go off on tangents. As a result, each chapter of the book focuses on a different teacher or student at Scary School, with the central plot being interwoven in. My favourite character ended up being Dr. Dragonbreath, a dragon who expects his students to follow five simple rules (that most students eventually disobey). 

Some of the subtler humour in Scary School though may go over a child’s head. For example, there’s a joke about minotaurs being aMAZEd and talk about survival of the fittest.

Scary School was released by HarperCollins in June 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: I think the cover does a good job of appearing frightening (at least to a child) while simultaneously appearing not so creepy that a child would be daunted from reading the book.  

This ebook was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

9 comments:

  1. I've been reading a lot of MG lately, but most of them have YA elements too, so I'm partial about this one. This looks too MG and I think it'd take more time before I get used to reading such. I like that this might appeal especially to boys though.

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  2. Brilliant review! I don't read many MG novels but this sounds like it is worth my time. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  3. Yay! A book I might be able to get my little cousin to read. I like getting them books, and they like going to a bookstore and picking out something, but then they never read them!!! Grrrr

    And I love tangents. Most humor goes right over my head, so I might not even notice what I'm missing out on. LOL

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  4. I've had this for a long time now actually and can't pick it up. I don't really read middle grade and maybe should have said no when the author asked me but I was still new to blogging and hated turning anyone down. My son, who's 12, read it and loved it. I asked him to write a review for it but he wasn't interested. Glad you enjoyed it. Maybe I'll get around to it someday.

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  5. This one does sound like a cute book for an MG audience, I think my younger cousins would really enjoy it. I like too that each chapter features a different teacher at the school, it's always fun to see the extent of an author's creativity when coming up with new characters:)

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  6. Anonymous9:55 pm

    This one sounds fun and adorable; like the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series (which my younger cousins read and loved). Glad you liked it! Nicely reviewed. :)

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  7. I'm glad that you liked this one, Z! I loved the humor in the book and the illustrations. I think it would work well for the kids who gravitate to kiddie horror and not the real deal, you know?

    p.s. Sorry for the late comment. Work is seriously kicking my butt right now!

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  8. I agre this one was lts of fun. I also wanted more onDerek. Dragonbreath was fun! I think my favorite was the boy who always thought he was dreaming. Definitely entertaining!

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  9. Haha yeah for puns! This does seem like a cute MG book and I love that it focuses on different characters.

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