All the Lovely Bad Ones

Hahn, Mary Downing, Franquiz, Naomi and Peer, Brittany (Illustrators). 

All the Lovely Bad Ones: Graphic Novel

August 29, 2023 by Clarion Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Staying true to the 2008 original, we see the story of Travis and his sister Corey. They are so fond of pranks that they get kicked out of their summer camp and are sent instead to their grandmother's Fox Hill Inn. It seems a little dull at first, but they find out from guests that the inn is famous for being haunted. Nothing seems to have happened lately, so the two kids decide to stage some paranormal activity. The caretakers who came with the place, cook Martha Brewster and her husband, frown on this and seem overly concerned. There's a good reason for this; Travis and Corey manage to wake up the ghosts that the Brewsters have kept carefully asleep. Soon, the guests have quite a show, as the Fox Hill ghosts are poltergiests who have the ability to move objects and are soon trashing the place. There are a number of suspicious, numbered stones on the property, and the history of the inn soon comes out. It was, at one point, a poor farm, run by Ada Jaggs, who was not kind to the children there. As the ghosts come and tell their story, Travis and Corey know that they must find the records, identify the graves, and help the spirits move on. Will they be able to put "the bad ones" to rest?

Strengths: This had a particularly good ratio of text to pictures, the font was readable but not crowded, and I didn't feel that there were huge gaps in information that sometimes occur in graphic novels. The art is fun, and has a nice, dark feel to it, even in the sunny scenes. The story holds up well, and the timeline is downplayed to alleviate problems there. The Brewsters are somehow enigmatically sinister, even though they really have the best intentions for Fox Hill. This creepy retelling will be hugely popular with students.
Weaknesses: There are some unnecessarily grusome instances that probably would not be written today. Ada Jaggs hanged herself, and her ghost is shown swinging from a noose; she also tries to encourage Travis to do the same. In the way that Oklahoma should never again be performed, this seemed inappropriate. The grave of Ada is also exhumed, and the records found in a box in her coffin. 
What I really think: My students love scary stories, and I'm hoping that these graphic novel adaptations of Hahn's work will encourage them to pick up her classic novels. I met Hahn once at the 10th KidLitCon and wish I still had the picture of her wearing a birthday party hat. She is a wonderful lady, and I hope that the graphic novel adaptations give her comfort as she heads into her upper 80s!