Scary School by Derek the Ghost

Genre: Middle Grade
Source: PDF from Author
Series: Yes, First of TBD

Buy It: The Dolphin Bookshop (Shop Indie!),  The Book Depository
Challenge: Free Reads

You think your school's scary?

Get a load of these teachers:

"Ms. Fang," an 850-year-old vampire
"Dr. Dragonbreath," who just might eat you before recess
"Mr. Snakeskin"--science class is so much more fun when it's taught by someone who's half zombie
"Mrs. T"--break the rules and spend your detention with a hungry "Tyrannosaurus rex"

Plus

Gargoyles, goblins, and Frankenstein's monster on the loose
The world's most frighteningly delicious school lunch

And

The narrator's an eleven-year-old ghost

Join Charles "New Kid" Nukid as he makes some very Scary friends--including Petunia, Johnny, and Peter the Wolf--and figures out that Scary School can be just as funny as it is spooky

     I received a review request for this book one day when I was home sick.  I accepted only because the book was a short middle grade and started reading it immediately while laying on the couch.  I kept reading because the story was pretty cute!
     Scary School wasn't anything all that special but, the story was cute.  It was written in a whimsical style and I liked the pictures.  The story and many different characters kept me interested.  I really enjoyed the pictures.  Unfortunately, I felt like the book built up to a huge ending but, was really more of a let down.  I thought that the ghoul games were going to last a lot longer than they actually did.  I was hoping for big "fireworks" but, the ending wasn't anything special.  Another thing that I didn't really enjoy about the book was how the narrator would say "We'll get to that later," or "More on that in the next book."  This was extremely annoying.  Sometimes, the subjects weren't even explained again in the book.  I felt like the story was underdeveloped and had holes because of this.  I mean, I wanted to here about those things right then and there, not wait for them.  All in all, a middle grade reader probably wouldn't mind these unfinished parts of the story when reading but, they still bothered me.
     The book consisted of several short stories that told you about some of the students and teachers at Scary School.  I thought it was a cute and unique way to tell a story and really enjoyed learning about each of the characters.  My favorite character was probably Mrs. Fang but, I'm not sure why.  Each character had a story and then they would be brought up again later in the book.  I liked how they were explained and not just abandoned.
     Overall, Scary School was cute and whimsical but, had quite a few annoying flaws.  I'm sure a middle grade reader would enjoy this little book, though, and they'll probably look forward to the next book in the series!


Final Grade: