Scary School (Scary School)

by Derek the Ghost

Scott Fischer (Illustrator) and Fischer (Illustrator)

Describes a year at Scary School, where werewolves, zombies, and humans mingle and the teachers range from dragons to vampires.

• ISBN10: 0061960926
• ISBN13: 9780061960925
• Publish Date: 21 June 2011
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 5 December 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780061960925

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Scary School is a middle grade paranormal fantasy heavy on the humor and lighthearted situations, even though it’s methods are a little unorthodox.

Our story teller is Derek the Ghost, who take more of an observance role than anything else and who tells us about a year at Scary School. This is the year that the Ghoul Games are to take place, and Derek gives us a look at the events that lead up to the event. Scary School is a bit…weird, in a good way. It’s the first human/monster hybrid school ever and the students range from the rule following kid next door to a basketball playing werewolf, and the teachers are more likely to eat their students than actually teach them something. In fact kids tend to find out mortality isn’t exactly something that sticks in Scary School, each death giving them a chance to learn a new lesson…like don’t make a vampire teacher mad, or follow all the rules in the 9 foot dragon’s class or else. It’s a super fun novel,with some great humor. There was a portion with something called Monster Math that basically felt like my entire history with math, and I really enjoyed that quite a bit. I also really loved Petunia’s chapter, and I think that one really took the cake for being both creepy and really cool all at the same time. I do feel that the Ghoul Games happened too quickly though, I wanted a bit more about them but I did enjoy seeing the monster’s go up against mostly normal kids. I can definitely see why kids are loving this series. It brings that creepy factor kids tend to enjoy (hello goosebumps) and turns it into a bit of lighthearted fun! I will say that the writing for this one a bit on the simple side so it could work well with 4th through 6th grade reading levels.

The audio was a bit of fun as well, and would be great for kids. The reader is actually the author and he knows his characters well, and is pretty energetic in the delivery. He knows when to go for laughs, and I know of few kids who would really enjoy this audio. I will say that he’s not my favorite reader though. But again, I think he did a great job with delivery for a story marketed towards kids.

I really think this author is on to something with this series, and I do think I’ll be finding the next books in the series to read. It seems like it could be a rather fun ride

Short and Sweet:

A T-rex for a teacher? A principle with hands so large and strong they can crush your head? Ghoul games? Welcome to Scary School, where eating your students is completely normal.

Scary School is a great mix of action and adventure and crazy monsters. I've never seen such a mixture of unique and well-known monsters. You have anything from your regular vampires and dragons to t-rexs and head-crushers. Add in some humans willing to take the risks and you have a great mix of characters. This book was fun and entertaining and the unique narration was perfect for the story. A former Scary School kid turned Ghost? He easily gets all the delicious scoop going on at school. And with each chapter focusing on a different character, you really get a feel for the wide range of characters at the school.

However, when it comes to MG, it seems to be a hit or miss for me. Some MG level books can be easily enjoyed by adults and children alike. I'm afraid this isn't one of them. I don't feel like this will really resonate with adult readers. However, I do believe that the targeted audience will thoroughly enjoy this! It really is a wonderful mix of monsters and unfortunate events that middle graders will enjoy and laugh at.

Overall:

While I don't really think that many older readers will enjoy this book, there is no doubt in my mind that younger readers will thoroughly enjoy this book. Between the drawings, great mix of characters and the humor, this is a book that will be enjoyed by the targeted audience.

All the best ♥
Mackenzie @ Oh, For the Love of Books!

[sstaley]

Whenever my 14 year old daughter and I do a review together, it will be under the title of: "Teen Said, Mom Said". She is an avid reader like her Mom, and we often fight over who gets to read new books first. I hope that you will enjoy reading our combined reviews.

Teen Said:

Have you ever heard a bump in the middle of the night? Or see a shadow but no one is there to cast it? Well this book tells you why you don't need to be afraid of them. Scary School is one of the cutest books I have ever read, not to mention one of the funniest. I mean seriously, have you ever heard of a paragraph made of quotation marks? Derek the ghost is writing about what goes on this year at Scary School, (the school he used to go to before a fatal science project) because this year, Scary School is hosting The Ghoul Games. The Ghoul Games are an annual competition between scary schools around the world, and this year, the comity chose Scary School to host it. But this year there's a fateful twist that will finally bring humans and monsters together. And along the way, you will meet the most memorable teachers. Ms. Fang, the one fanged vampire. Dr. Dragonbreath, the child eating dragon. Mrs. T, the detention dinosaur. And Principal Headcrusher, the huge handed human. All of these,and a whole lot more,are waiting for you in this awesome book, Scary School.

Mom Said:

The Middle Grade Genre is one that is constantly growing, and getting better and better, book after book. Scary School delivers, as one of the funniest middle grade books I have read in a long time. Scary School, though full of "scary" students and teachers, is more funny than scary. I was LOL through the whole book. I know that the humor in this book will truly appeal to it's target audience. The story is narrated by "Derek the Ghost" who also happens to attend Scary School. As my teen said, the cast of characters is delightful and creative. My favorites happened to be:

-Mrs.T(Rex) the detention monitor, "who was born in a laboratory on a far-away island where scientists were growing dinosaurs for an insane billionaire who wanted them roaming around his backyard to impress his billionaire friends." Yes, this brought an insane laugh out of me. (Jurassic Park reference)

AND

-DR. Dragonbreath, who ends up eating most of his students before the day is over. (I can't say I blame him. I have had days like that before while teaching. Not actually eating my students, but feeling tempted. Just kidding!).This occurrence is referred to as..."Dr. Dragonbreath's unusually teaching methods."



Scary School would make a great read-aloud with your family or in a classroom. I can assure you, any child after reading this book will be inspired to create new and wild creatures of their own. This will be a book I will read out loud, to my class, come next October. This wild and crazy read will keep them laughing, from the beginning until the very last page.

http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/2012/03/teen-said-mom-said-double-review-of.html