ghost story – Page 2

Scary stories: not so scary anymore

I remember how I loved scaring myself when I was a kid. I read all the Goosebumps and ghost story books I could get my hands on; I watched all the Halloween / All Souls’ Day horror specials on tv in between my fingers; and my classmates and I told ghost stories dared ourselves to go ghost-hunting whenever we had our annual camp-out on our school grounds (which, as all schools in this country are reported to be, was once a wartime burial ground, therefore it is haunted!)

In high school, I’d moved on to Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine’s Fear Street, and even the Spirit Quest Chronicles, but after that I don’t think I’ve ever went for any horror books. Yeah, I enjoy Gothic novels, or suspense thrillers, but I seem to have either a) lost the fascination for reading books for the intention of scaring myself silly (except for when I had to read The Historian again for a book discussion *shiver*); or b) less things have the power to scare me silly (okay, I am officially giving myself a headache thinking this through).

Anywaaaaay, the reason I brought this dilemma up is because I dug out this book from the bargain bin: Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones, collected from folklore and retold by Alvin Schwartz, drawings by Stephen Gammell (Book #49 for 2009).

The book looked familiar; I think I must’ve read this (or one of the previous volumes) back in grade school. There are over 25 stories in the book: some ghost stories, some urban legends, some just strange tales.

If I were much younger, I’d probably have enjoyed this book and I’d have “chilled my bones” as the book earnestly promises.

On a positive note, what’s nice about this anthology is that there’s a whole section in the back devoted to references for the adaptations — whether it’s oral tradition, a news article, or a reported recollection. One of them, An Appointment in Samarra, even appears in the last book I read (The Eight by Katherine Neville).

I also like the pen and ink wash illustrations of Stephen Gammell (Caldecott Medal awardee for The Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman, and Caldecott Honor awardee for Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker), I think they’re even more scary than the stories, and if I was the young reader perusing this volume, they’d have been set the right mood for bone-chilling. :)

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My copy: a worn paperback, still good for many readings, now in my bookmooch inventory.

My rating: 3/5 stars

2009 Newbery Medal: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I would be the first to admit that I’m no Neil Gaiman fan (I find his books to be an acquired taste), but The Graveyard Book is one of the best books I read last year, and I’m glad it won the Newbery Award.

The story unfolds in a house at the foot of a hill, where a family has just been murdered. The cold-blooded killer methodically executes the sleeping family, except for one – the toddler, who manages to escape his family’s fate as he crawled out of his crib, up the hill, and into an unlikely refuge: a graveyard.

The book pays tribute to Kipling’s The Jungle Book, where Mowgli is raised by wolves in the jungle. In a similar fashion, The Graveyard Book tells the story of finding love and family in an unexpected place: the toddler, who grows up to be Nobody “Bod” Owens is raised by the graveyard ghosts and the mysterious caretaker Silas.

Bod finds plenty of room to grow within the graveyard, but the soon longs for the the world of flesh and blood. Little does he know that his life is still in danger, as the man who killed his family has been waiting thirteen years to finish the heinous task.

The book is a bit like a slightly more sinister version of Eva Ibbotson’s books, which usually have ghosts in them. I loved the characters in this book: they’re quirky and humorous and endearing. Other than Bod, my favorites are Silas (who reminds me of my favorite HP character Severus Snape) and Miss Lupescu, who turn out to be more than meets the eye.

The highlight of the book for me was the danse macabre, because it perfectly expressed the book’s major theme: the juxtaposition of life and death, and the celebration of both.

Of course, Dave McKean’s two-tone illustrations deserve special mention, underscoring the eerie atmosphere they helped create for the entirety of the novel.

Neil Gaiman announced on The Today Show that a film adaptation is in the works; that should be something to watch out for.

Perhaps I shall read another Gaiman book after all. I do hope this has a sequel.

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(images from www.thegraveyardbook.com)

My copy: US trade paperback (harr, the UK edition looks much better)

My rating: 5/5 stars

The DollHouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

The Dollhouse Murders is a chillingly good murder mystery for kids.

Twelve-year old Amy is tired of being responsible for her special (it doesn’t specify how, but she seems to have Asperger’s, but is high-function) sister Louann. She retreats to her Dad’s ancestral home to live with her Aunt Claire. In the attic, she finds a beautiful dollhouse that is a perfect replica of her great-grandparents’ house. Her Aunt Claire is distressed upon seeing it, but Amy is fascinated and comes up to the attic to see more of the dollhouse.

Strange things happen at the dollhouse — the dolls that represent her relatives are never where she leaves it, and seem to move about the dollhouse. Amy thinks the dolls are trying to tell her something, but Aunt Claire doesn’t believe her.

After some sleuthing at the local library, Amy finds out that her great-grandparents were murdered in the house. The dollhouse holds the key to solving the mystery, and Amy and Louann must work together to resolve the grisly family secret once and for all.

The novel has a good set of characters, a fast-paced narration, and several chapters that will send shivers down your spine. The subplot about families dealing with special children is great too :)

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My copy: (actually my sister’s) – an old paperback from the bargain bin at Book Sale

My rating: 4/5 stars