Scary British Books

Priestly, Chris. The Dead of Winter.
In Victorian London, Michael's mother dies, leaving him an orphan, since his father was killed in a war. Luckily, he died saving Sir Stephen Clarendon, and this gentleman is now going to take Michael in. Michael ventures out to the windswept moors where Sir Stephen lives with his sister Charlotte and a variety of caretakers, and will stay until it is time for him to go to boarding school. All is not well at Hawton Mere-- Sir Stephen is haggard and haunted, and Michael soon is hearing noises and seeing visions in the house as well. It is known that Sir Stephen was abused by a controlling father as a young boy, and that his wife committed suicide, but what else is going on in the house? If Michael figures everything out, will he be able to survive?
Strengths: Fantastic cover! This is one that students will definitely pick up. The story pulled me in very quickly, throwing intriguing bits of information at me just when I was getting a bit tired of hanging about the manor house hearing noises. First rate.
WeaknessesThe Victorian Era is not quite as intriguing to students as it is to me, but fans of Lemony Snicket will like this one.

Ness, Patrick. A Monster Calls.
Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd
Conor’s mother is dying of cancer, and the end is coming more quickly than Conor is willing to admit. His father has come in from America for a rare visit, and his grandmother is trying to prepare Conor for the fact that he is going to have to come and live with her. During all of this, Conor is having strange nightmares about the yew tree in his yard. It haunts him nightly, telling him strange stories and distracting him from the other things going on in his life, like the troubles he has at school and his difficulties with friends. As his mother’s situation worsens, so do the dreams.
Strengths: This is a beautiful book, with gorgeous plates on heavy paper, and the writing is lyrical and a great tribute to Ms. Dowd, who passed away in 2007 after a battle with cancer.
Weaknesses: This looks like it should be a super scary horror book, and it is really more of a problem novel. This makes finding an audience for it a bit tricky.

Everyone seems to have liked this much more than I did, including
Alison’s Book Marks ,Book Duck , Cannon Ball Read 4 , Novel Novice and The Readventurer .


Murphy, Glen. Stuff that Scares your Pants Off!
This compendium of things that people find scary covers the science of fear and supports that information with statistics. For instance, in the chapter about fear of animals, it gives statistics about chances of being attacked by a shark as compared to a list of top killers in 2003. (Heart disease, cancer and strokes.) The book continues with fear of weather, doctors and diseases, and paranormal phenonmena. There is a ton of information; in fact, probably too much for my readers who are drawn to this type of book. Also, the pictures are in black and white with a touch of lime green-- my students would prefer something like the Guinness Book of World Records, with gross pictures. *Sigh*

Nonfiction Monday, etc.

Nonfiction Monday was started by Anastasia Suen, and the round up is at Playing by the Book. Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Shannon Whitney Messenger. Lots of links to sites can be found at those places.

Krull, Kathleen. Big Wig: A Little History of Hair.
Starting with prehistory in Africa, Krull follows key developments in hair through the ages. Wigs and ungents in Egypt, Mayan skull shaping, and weird Greek and Roman cures for baldness are all quickly covered. Coming up to the present, Madame C.J. Walker, the Beatles and Dorothy Hamill get brief mentions. More brief notes follow at the end.
Strengths: Can't think of any other books about hair.
Weaknesses: This is more of a picture book, and I was disappointed. Several of the illustrations have unexplained anachronisms in them (monkeys sitting under hair dryers?) and I just wanted MORE information. I would have preferred that the notes in the end be incorporated into the body of the book at the appropriate time. The book is fine for a picture book; I was just hoping for something a little more in depth.


Ditmars, Maribeth R. The Bald-headed Princess.
Eleven-year-old Izzy, who loves to play soccer, is blindsided by a diagnosis of leukemia after she passes out at a game. Very quickly, her world narrows to the hospital, where she is getting chemotherapy, and home, since going to school might compromise her weaknened immune system. Her best friend, Lizette, doesn't even know at first about her illness, and when she returns from camp doesn't quite know how to react. Details of being in the hospital and dealing with the effects of chemotherapy make up the bulk of this book, and Izzy's reactions to the other things going on in her life are portrayed in a straightforward manner.
Strengths: Anything I can remember reading about children with cancer (except Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, as well as the works of Lurlene McDaniel) is at least 20 years old, so this does fill a gap.
Weaknesses: There are so many details about dealing with cancer that the book almost verges on the didactic, but that's a quibble.

Stiefvater, Maggie. Forever.
Must admit that I had a hard time getting into this one, but HAD to read it before I bought it. Whose bright idea was it to name a young adult novel Forever? Does Scholastic not realize that this title makes middle school librarians hyperventilate? (Think Judy Blume.) Since Shiver and Linger had touch and go moments of appropriateness, there was no way I was going to buy this without reading it. Verdict: okay for middle school consumption, as far as I can tell. Some kissing, some mention of being with boyfriend all night, but nothing instructional. As for the plot-- Grace is a wolf, so her parents think she is missing, but when it gets warmer she comes back to Sam only to find out that Isabel's father is trying to arrange a mass shooting of wolves. Cole is experimenting with chemicals to try to "cure" the group's condition. Very lyrical writing, very teen angsty; the girls will love it. The red ink... meh. My shriveled middle aged soul is no doubt the cause of my lukewarm feelings about this.