A Bad Night for Bullies

January 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-Harold, a wheelchair user since an accident at the age of seven, is a quiet 12-year-old. He lives with his mum and enjoys the quiet little town of Bay Harbor. But the arrival of a famous horror writer, Frank Goolz, and his two daughters, sees Harold's world shaken up as he suddenly finds himself skipping school, chasing ghosts, and battling the bullies he's been trying to escape for years. Not only do the adventures take a paranormal turn, but Harold is quickly drawn to Ilona Goolz, and a budding romance adds a bit of a realistic touch to this fast-paced supernatural jaunt. VERDICT The ending hints at more to come from Frank Goolz and his outfit of paranormal sleuths. Younger middle grade readers looking for something spooky without too much gore will snatch this up.-Stephanie Wilkes, Good Hope Middle School, West Monroe, LA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2017
A white boy who uses a manual wheelchair is drawn into a real ghost story when a famous horror author and his daughters, also white, move in next door.As a self-conscious wheelchair user and an English immigrant in a small Maine town, seventh-grader Harold Bell dubs himself the "ultimate unicorn" for bullies like white tough guy Alex Hewitt. But bullies pale in comparison to the vengeful ghost unleashed when horror author Frank Goolz activates the Stone of the Dead, an artifact that raises the dead by draining the life force of the living who use it. When Alex disappears, Harold and the Goolz girls, confident Ilona and her headstrong little sister, Suzie, must brave the ghost to save him. In an unexplained development, holding the stone restores Harold's ability to walk, causing him to covet the stone at his peril. Though such horrors as a rotting ghost and a crab-covered corpse are gruesome, human villains lose their menace in caricature and exposition. The ghost, the bullies, and the aforementioned corpse are hastily connected, and the ending sends Harold and the Goolzes on another adventure. Though Harold's occasional exposition makes the suspense somewhat halting, he and the Goolzes share a droll sense of humor. Harold's conflicting feelings about his paralysis are sympathetically addressed, and the "magical cure" trope is somewhat complicated by Harold's history: he became paralyzed at age 7, so his memories of walking make his desire to do so again believable.An easy, quick read for horror fans who want to be scared but not terrified. (Horror. 9-12)

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January 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 Before famed horror author Frank Goolz and his daughters moved next door to 12-year-old Alex and his mum, life was boring. Wheelchair-bound Alex was bullied at school and had few friends. Now, that's definitely not the case! Ilona (Alex's age) and her little sister, Susie, quickly become his friends, just as strange things start happening. A bright light and a partially decomposed woman appear in the Goolzes' attic window and are later spotted in an old church. Then a class bully disappears, and Mr. Goolz and the kids find another bully's father deadgrotesquely so. Alex loves having friends and begins to exert his independence, despite the nerve-racking twists and turns of the plot. He also maintains a positive attitude about his disability and rarely lets it get in his way. Ghislain's creative imagination allows Alex's first-person account of the paranormal activities to shine, as unpredictable neighbors enrich the plot and expand Alex's horizons. As this first book ends, readers know the trio is set for another gross, spine-tingling adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)