brinastewart's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to read this because the movie came out. I had to wait a long time for the hold to come in at the library, I guess everyone had the same idea. This was a quick read as it is a children's book and got to the point instead of a lot of build up. I appreciate books that don't spend a lot of time with description fillers or unnecessary characters or goings on. I am curious about the rest of the series, but haven't decided if I want to read it.
blondeeishere's review against another edition
4.0
Read this one for bookclub. Pretty good. I think my students will like it
lindacbugg's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. It was one of my absolute favs as a kid and I've read everything else by him-even the later Brad Strickland's because I love all the series and characters. Later on I got my little brother hooked on them!
jeanettesonya's review against another edition
5.0
Read aloud to Isabel.
I kept expecting this book to be too much for her. Too creepy. There’s weird and dark magic, raising the dead, malicious spirits. But, my daughter seems to be like me and craves dark stories. Also, she may be entirely too grounded in reality and very good at separating fact from fiction. She is the daughter that insists, “Magic isn’t real, mom,” even while I’m trying to convince her to hold space for the possibility.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read aloud. Plenty of drama and plenty of real life growing up angst and plenty of magic. It has stood up well to the test of time, featuring a couple that might be romantic but aren’t married and don’t live together, overweight characters who aren’t ashamed of it and evil characters that try to bring them down for it, a fascinating strong female character, and maybe even a bit of a jab at the religious evangelical movement that constantly predicts doomsday on the horizon. An excellent book that I’m glad I got to share with my daughter.
I kept expecting this book to be too much for her. Too creepy. There’s weird and dark magic, raising the dead, malicious spirits. But, my daughter seems to be like me and craves dark stories. Also, she may be entirely too grounded in reality and very good at separating fact from fiction. She is the daughter that insists, “Magic isn’t real, mom,” even while I’m trying to convince her to hold space for the possibility.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read aloud. Plenty of drama and plenty of real life growing up angst and plenty of magic. It has stood up well to the test of time, featuring a couple that might be romantic but aren’t married and don’t live together, overweight characters who aren’t ashamed of it and evil characters that try to bring them down for it, a fascinating strong female character, and maybe even a bit of a jab at the religious evangelical movement that constantly predicts doomsday on the horizon. An excellent book that I’m glad I got to share with my daughter.
grinningcheshire's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book but I think I was influenced by the fact that I saw the movie first and that I love it so much. If you’re looking for a book version of the movie don’t expect it, as far as I can tell the movie had a passing glance at the book. That’s not to say either of them are bad! I like them both for different reasons! However one thing that bugged me, and I know it’s a consequence of the time it was written in, was the fat rep in here. If you were meant to see someone as useless or understand why no one liked them they were described as fat. It most likely won’t bother everyone but I just had to mention it. All in all an enjoyable kid’s book!
karigibb's review against another edition
4.0
Read this with my kids in anticipation of the upcoming movie. We couldn’t decide if it was 3.5 or 4 stars. Loved the story but it seemed to conclude too quickly and everything was a little too neat and tidy. We can’t wait to see the movie!
pickensa's review against another edition
3.0
This is a great book for children that are not yet teenagers. Only about 170 pages with pictures located throughout.
schottjm's review against another edition
4.0
A quick, entertaining read. I appreciate that the hero, Lewis Barnavelt, is not your typical hero—especially by today’s Young Adult fiction standards. He is gentle and shy, not athletic, and sensitive. He reminds me of a young Neville Longbottom. The other books in this series seem to be hard to get, so I’m hoping the library has them.