Scare Up Some Good Halloween Reads With Four Spooky Series
Bone Chilling Reads
Although the current temperature is somewhere between the surface and the sun and Perdition, there will soon be a chill in the air. A skeletons appear on porches and jack 'o lanterns get a glint in their eyes, younger readers will enjoy some spooky delights.
How about picking on of the four series below that cover a good range of ages and appeal to all readers, even adults? One book from the right series may create a monster of a reader, just in time for Halloween.
Keep in mind of course that these books are great all years round and can make the perfect rewards for a job well done. Reading after all is the one lasting legacy we can all pass on, so let's scare up some fun.
Note: Intro photo is a scan of my copy of "The Capture". If you own the rights to any materials used herein and want credit and a link or something removed, please contact me.
Guardians of Ga'hoole - The Capture
This series begins with "The Capture" a novel that introduces young readers into a magical world of owls. Wen the hero Soren tumbles out of his nest as an owlet he is abducted and taken to St. Aegolius, an orphanage run by sinister owls.
As poor Soren undergoes violent trails in this nightmare world set inside a bleak rock canyon he makes friends with a young owl named Gylfie. Can the two make plans to escape and warn the rest of the world about the terrible plans the evil owls have?
This book deals with a Halloween staple, owls, and contains some truly scary moments. Parents may want to read it before giving it to younger readers as some of the themes such as losing parents, violence against owlets, and scenes of violence may disturb certain readers.
"Guardians" is a mammoth series of fifteen books, all packed with adventure and facts on owls that will make young readers experts on our avian brothers and sisters in no time. Facts like the different diets and habitats of many species are woven in, as are scientific names in such a fun way that readers will want to learn more.
Although the first book isn't set on Halloween the owls have their own celebrations such as first meat that will fit right in with the holiday. Plus the adult owls are as frightening as any bad guys you'll ever meet, which is always a good thing because readers keep reading.
Guardians of Ga'Hoole: Ezylryb's speech
As this exciting series winds on young Soren grows up and must prepare for war. But war is not quite the grand and noble adventure he may think it is, as a hero of his tells him. Young readers will get to experience growing up, the thrills of flight and more as they travel through the saga with the young Barn Owl.
Bone Chillers - The Queen of the Gargoyles
A must for all gargoyle lovers this book is set in New York City, and we find the heroine Isabella in a royal funk. Why, after all did her parents get the idea to dump her with an aunt she has never seen before so they can take a stupid cruise, when what she really wanted was to go to a horse ranch with her friend.
That question is never really answered, but from the moment she meets her aunt's hideous butler Jonsey Isabella enters a world of magic and gargoyles. Of course life with the fun-loving aunt is not all sweetness.
Kids are disappearing in the building, and her aunt seems to be strangely obsessed with Isabella bringing friends, lots of friends to the beautiful penthouse. When the truth at last is revealed readers will get a surprise and be left with many questions to explore.
Bone Chillers is a fun series of stand alone books all with a spooky theme. There is something for almost every reader and some of the books like "Frankenturkey" have become classics with readers. Though not the biggest in number of volumes or popularity, it continues to stand the test of time.
Young readers will meet kids who face problems like them. Isabella for example feels pushed around by adults, misses her friends, and wants to solve the mystery of the missing children, or at least help her new friend find his sister.
There is a moral to the tales, such as making the best of a not ideal situation and how to handle sudden responsibility mixed in with the thrill of living gargoyles and thrilling flights. This might not always be the easiest of the series to rack down, but it is well worth the effort.
The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids - Skeletons Don't Play Tubas
This spooky story is set in Bailey City, a place where all the adults are odd. With Halloween coming up good friends Howie, Melody, Liza and Eddie are in the graveyard gathering leaves for a class project when they spot a skeletal man wearing a long scarf and carrying a box bigger than him, is it a coffin?
When this spooky man turns out to be the new music teacher Mr. Belgrave things go from bad to worse for the four friends. Because his music room is the old science lab, and the skeleton is alive! Or is he? As mysterious tuba music starts to fill the halls the children worry that there will be trouble and that only they can stop him from walking the halls.
Readers will be thrilled as the story goes on. Is the skeleton alive and playing the tuba? Why are all the adults so strange? An excellent series as readers are left to decide for themselves if the adults are really monsters and something strange is going on in Bailey City.
This series is comprised of stand alone adventures all featuring the same four friends as they encounter strange adults they are sure are monsters and other frights. Are there living skeletons? Do witches do backflips or dragons cook pizza? Each book leaves readers free to choose the answer for themselves so all readers should be highly entertained.
Adults will be thrilled to see so many classic novels introduced such as "Frankenstein" and "Dracula" which may make younger readers eager to read these classics instead of just watching the film version.
Skulduggery Pleasant
The Skulduggery Pleasant series begins with the meeting of the two main characters, Stephanie Edgely and Skulduggery Pleasant after the death of her Uncle Gordon. Skulduggery, bundled up like the invisible man meets her several times and offers his sympathy, then becomes her hero when the twelve-year-old is attacked by man with magical powers while staying alone in her Uncle's mansion.
This begins the partnership and a thrilling adventure for them both as the young heroine is taken into a world where magic is real and those who practice it live all around her. She meets friends and bad guys, and has to learn to fight for survival as the case becomes deadly.
Although she is supposed to be the main character in theory fans will notice Skulduggery has a way of taking over the series from his first appearance. This is the lightest of the novels and young readers will enjoy the humour and jokes as well as the adventure.
This series is still in the process of being published with the latest novel "Last Stand of the Dead Men" due out soon. Younger readers will certainly enjoy catching up, and the first several novels will be a delight to them.
The series does get a little dark at times, but keep in mind it has been around for eleven years and the original readers appreciate the newfound maturity in later books. There are also several shorter stand alone books outside the series, and talk of a collection of short stories as well.
This series is a set readers will enjoy for years to come as they get to watch the relationship between Skulduggery and Valkyrie (Stephanie's Taken Name) grow and face hardships. As Valkyrie ages the relationship changes, much to fans' utter delight.
SP: Mortal Coil Book Trailer
Skulduggery is by and large a hit with all the fans and has become the hero of the novels along with Valkyrie. As the years pass and they face tougher challenges, including a Sanctuary war, is there hope for the friends? Or will one be left alone at the saga's end?
What spooky series do you love best?
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