Sunday, October 6, 2013

Thoughts on Ghostsitters (Araminta Spookie #5) by Angie Sage

Ghostsitters (Araminta Spookie, #5)
Araminta Spookie is left at Spookie House while her Aunt and Uncle go to Transylvania to see the giant bats. Having Great Aunt Emilene as her babysitter is not how Araminta wished to spend her birthday, but it looks like that's what is happening. When cool cousin Mathilda comes instead, Araminta couldn't be more thrilled. Mathilda always dresses super stylish and is loads of fun to be around--the two ghosts she's brought along, eh, not so much. What will Araminta do to get rid of these rambunctious ghosts before they completely destroy Spookie House?

Although this is the fifth Araminta Spookie book, I didn't feel lost not having read any of the other books in the series. This is a fast-paced tale, perfect for reluctant readers. I'd recommend to fans of funny stories. My rating: C.

Thoughts on Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Dirty Little Secrets
On the surface, Lucy seems like your average, everyday teen, but she has a huge secret. Her mom is a compulsive hoarder, and if any of Lucy's friends ever saw how she lived, her life would be over. When something horrible happens that threatens to reveal her living conditions to the community, Lucy must choose how to handle it.

The first thing I wanted to do after reading this book was to run through my house with garbage sacks, throwing away anything we don't use or taking it immediately to Goodwill. I was horrified at the descriptions of the living conditions in Lucy's house, and saddened that she would be forced to live that way. Think of the worst episode of Hoarders and put a teen living in all that filth and trash with her mom. The description of the state of the kitchen, with mold growing from the dirty dishes and trash on the countertops down to the cabinets and covering everything, disgusted me so much, that I just wanted to take a bottle of bleach to everything in my kitchen!

That said I wasn't totally satisfied with the story. I couldn't get over how totally wrong Lucy's solution to her problem was. I can't be more specific without putting in spoilers, but let's just say, her actions weren't exactly legal. I know it was a way for her secrets to stay hidden, but I can't imagine that it would really work out in the long run. Because of this, I couldn't like this book much. C- rating.

Thoughts on You Will Call Me Drog by Sue Cowing

You Will Call Me Drog
A strange and somewhat scary story of a boy with a "living" puppet stuck on his hand, You Will Call Me Drog is one I liked better after I finished reading than while I was reading. I didn't get the full impact of the story until the end, so while reading, it just seemed like a crazy tale.

 I think many readers will be entertained by the rude, arrogant Drog. I never knew what he might say. I started to feel sorry for Parker as he became more and more isolated from his friends and family, but I cheered as he took back control of his life.
Solid story -- B- rating.