YA Review: Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine God.
Now Imagine God as a 12 foot tall Tuskeegee Airman named Joe.
Now Imagine God, the Tuskeegee Airman named Joe, creating a place for all ghosts to dwell in six days.
Because of course on the seventh day, he rests.

The place he's built is called Ghostopolis, and all the types of the dead (live) there: Specters, Wisps, Bony Skeletons, Mummies and more. They reside in somewhat perfect harmony until a stranger named Vaughn appears and stirs up rumors and trouble between all the groups only to then present himself as the only one to bring peace. He uses giant bugs, summoned from the Underworld, to help him police Ghostopolis, and he secretly works to ensure that he will soon be as powerful and in control as Joe, who no one has seen for years.

And he would be successful too, if not for two problems: Traitors and Living People.

Tween Read Review: A Tale Dark And Grimm

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perhaps the best advice found in this book was written in the author's final note: "Trust the stories, and trust that children can handle it, whatever IT is."

I've been convinced of this very thing since I began studying story years ago. Too often we have watered down these tales in the interest of making US more comfortable while robbing children of the stories that they would love. If they can handle the idea of a wretched pair of parents leaving them out in the woods to starve to death or be eaten by a cannibalistic witch with a gingerbread house, then why not hit them with the "real" story of how they fought dragons, cut off heads and fingers, and were almost chopped to bits by their first real crush?

YA Review: The Accidental Genius of Weasel High

The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"A Book for the Wimpy Kid who has grown into a Wimpy Teen" is the phrase written on the back of this book and it is seriously appropriate.

Fourteen year-old freshman, Larkin Pace, is writing a blog for his English class assignment. Making up this book are the entries themselves which helped him win the class coveted prize; an 100% grade.

To Read: Christian YA Fiction

Prime Choice by Stephanie Perry Moore - With college football recruiters checking him out, grades to be proud of, and a gorgeous girlfriend, Perry Sky has every reason to believe that his Senior year is going to be awesome. His relationship with his girlfriend, Tori would be awesome as well, if he could convince her to take their relationship to the next level. The one snag in Perry's plan? He and Tori's commitment to God. Will Perry's desire to do what feels good tamper his judgment in doing what feels right?



Preacher's Kids by Keleigh Crigler Hadley - The stereotype says that PK's or Preacher's Kids are usually the exact opposite of what their parents preach, but is that really true? Mia Griffin believes that she would be considered a normal teen if it weren't for the constant scrutiny attached to her being a PK. Follow her as she encounters everyday challenges under the microscopic lens of her parent's lives.

Tween Read Review: A Whole Nother Story

In a very Lemony Snicket-ish manner, Dr. Cuthbert Soup introduces us to the Cheeseman family. I would share their names here but unfortunately, they change quite often! You see the Cheesemans are on the run from a few top secret agencies because of Mr.Cheeseman's invention, the LVR, an unfinished time machine. To keep himself and his three children, hairless psychic dog, and sock puppet friend safe, Cheeseman has taught his family to be ready to relocate at a moment's notice. There is never quite enough time to make new friends, join clubs, or just be comfortable because each time they do, the agents catch up to them. These same agents are responsible for the death of Mrs. Cheeseman, so the family knows there is no end to what they'll do to get their hands on the LVR.

I rather enjoyed this book once I got into it. I began the audio version first, and though the voice work is great, it was hard to keep up with the different special agents and groups. Getting the book in print version made it much easier to follow. The dry wit and ironic humor was familiar and very entertaining. Each secret agency has sent out a quirky set of agents on the Cheeseman trail, all with their own unique(and hilarious) behavior.

The Cheeseman's are a sweet family, and quite funny!

Graphic Review: Tales From The Crypt Series

I'm impressed.  I don't get impressed easily, so let's let that tell you how much I liked this series.  They are short reads, so I was able to get about five under my belt this week alone.  The crypt-keeper and his friends have been out of print since the 50's, but gained a HUGE following in the 90's when HBO brought them to the small screen.  I was pretty young when the series came out and so I didn't much like being grossed out so much.  LOL  Now, I'm game for quite a bit of gore.

This series is a great reintroduction to the franchise.  Like I said before, many horror books are good for trying to be scary and missing the mark.  These are not those at all.  I was totally freaked out! 

The horrifics are spruced up a notch because they tie in to very real themes:

• There's the story of the slumlord who lets his tenant freeze to death.
• The crooner who summons a demon to help him win Idol.
• The backwards story of the real "paradise" suicide bombers may wind up in.
• The poor chap who lets his online persona mix a little too closely with his real life.

These stories were frightfully believable and I found myself unable to stop turning the pages.  The comics employ different drawing styles for each story and the pictures work seamlessly with the tales, which may seem like a common sense feat, but is one that many graphic novels fail to accomplish. 

As for the humor and puns, which is also a great staple in Tales from the Crypt history, it is there as well.  As I suspected, the Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid parody was adorably ghoulish, and that volume also had a pretty awesome Twilight spoof called Dielight. 

There aren't any over-the-top sexual themes or the like, but I'm sure there are some that probably find the books to be gruesome or racy due to the murder scenes.   However, the redeeming quality of these stories is very much like that of classic folktales.  The "victims" in these stories are always vindicated and the bad guys always get their comeuppance.  I really did enjoy this series and will be adding it to my horror files.  I believe they will draw in tons of readers who like chills and thrills.
 Check out the series website at: http://www.papercutz.com/tc/tc.html

To-Read: Tales From The Crypt Series

So, I have my mixed emotions about spooky reads.  Sometimes they can be pretty lame attempts at actual horror.  This series, however, has gotten some pretty good reviews from what I've seen.  I haven't tried any of them yet, but I plan to take a look at them this week and see what all the fuss is about.
What is attracting me to it right now, is number #8, Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid which is a parody of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and number #9 Wickeder which is a parody of the book/play Wicked.  I hope these tales are chilling enough to make me like the whole series.