Monthly Archives: October 2009


The Old Willis Place A GHOST STORY by Mary Downing Hahn “An empty house….full of secrets”

Summary

Diana and her little brother, Georgie, have been living behind this old mansion for what seems like a century. They can never go into the house because of a strict set of rules and what is behind the closed doors. Something terrible is lurking in the parlor of the house. And if they go into the house, not even the parlor but just the house itself, dreadful things will happen. But when a new caretaker and his daughter, Lissa, arrive, Diana will risk everything to meet and be friends with her. But soon after that, Georgie and Diana learn that breaking the rules could be the end of it. Especially for Diana and Georgie.

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Review

At some points in this book, I got little goosebumps. This book is not what it seems. What I liked about this book was the atmosphere that Mary Hahn created. It was kind of ……….surreal yet at the same time it seemed real. I liked this book so much I read it in about 4 days. This book is not a very hard to read. When this book is read at night………….you really get the goosebumps. Especially when you get to the middle. This book does have a couple of deaths so if you do not like those type of things, this book is not for you. If you are going to read it, read it soon since we are in the halloween season. I hope you enjoy it

Happy Reading!!!!!


Word of the Week

Compress

(v.) to press together; to reduce in size or volume; (n.) a folded cloth or pad applied to an injury

The editor helped to COMPRESS my rambling 25-page mystery into an 8-page thriller.

A cold COMPRESS my soothe headache pain.

SYNONYMS: (v.) condense, shrink, shorten

ANTONYMS: (v.) expand, enlarge

Source: Vocabulary Workshop New Edition     SADLIER-OXFORD      Jerome Shostak   Level A


Halloween Books

Since we are in the season, I thought that it would be appropriate to review some of my favorite Halloween books to get you in the mood.

These are my top 4.

#1. Winnie Flies Again

by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas

This book is about how Winnie the Witch use to fly on a broomstick but she decided that the skies were too dangerous for her and so she tried many different ways to get around.
This little book is very funny and even though the topic of the story has nothing to do with Halloween, the Witch part does. This book has great illustrations. They are very colorful and the drawing are the best part of the book.

#2. Winnie’s Magic Wand

by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas

This book is about how Winnie the Witch WASHES her magic wand and how the wand starts to have a mind of it’s own. This is a very funny book and again, even though it is not about Halloween, this is still a good book to read at that time of the year. Again the books illustrations are great. That is what makes it so good.

#3. I’m Not Afraid of This Haunted House

by Laurie Friedman

illustrations by Teresa Murfin

This is a great book for Halloween. It is very funny especially the end but I cannot tell you why. You will just have to read it yourself to find out. The book does not have many words but the pictures in this book literally say a thousand word.

#4. Whooo’s Haunting the Teeny Tiny Ghost?

by Kay Winter

illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

This also is a really good book for Halloween. It pertains to the holiday. It also makes you have little goosebumps. (Especially when you read it in the dark.) The pictures are very good and they help elaborate the book even thought the word in the book do a pretty good job of doing that as it is.


Halloween Time is Arriving Once Again

Halloween is a great time of year. You get to dress up and run about with your friends saying “Trick or Treat” and collecting candy at every house in your sight. You get to eat sweet things that you would never be allowed but because this is a special time of year, you get this one time opportunity. So now that time of year is rolling around once more and the time for the scary displays and the costumes is arriving. It is time for the witches to do their hurleyburley and try and scare all of the little children into giving their candy to them. In recognition of the holiday (which is on a Saturday this year) for the rest of the month, I will be doing Halloween books. Some of the books I will be reviewing are The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco, HOOOOO’S Haunting the Teeny Tiny Ghost by Kay Winters, Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas and many, many more. I hope you enjoy this little treat.

Halloween Quotes

On Hallowe’en the thing
you must do
Is pretend that nothing
can frighten you
An’ if somethin’ scares you
and you want to run
Jus’ let on like
it’s Hallowe’en fun.
– – – from an Early Nineteenth Century Halloween Postcard


From ghoulish and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
– – – Scottish saying

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