Scary School

4.5

4.3 (2)

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Author(s)

Derek the Ghost

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Scott M. Fischer

Publisher

Harper Collins

Genre(s)

Middle Grades

Age Range

Release Date

June 21, 2011

ISBN

0061960926

Buy This Book

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!

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Ghoulish Fun

February 15, 2014

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

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Characters

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Writing Style

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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

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What I Loved:

A school populated by ghouls, vampires, ghosts, and other monstrous creatures where every class period is an adventure in how to stay alive? Sounds fun! And that's exactly what this book is: fun. The teachers are each a different monster and are larger-than-life caricatures of those monsters. The scary parts always turn out funny or can be quickly solved by another staff member. Nothing is at it seems, and there are new adventures waiting around every corner.

My middle grade son loved the book. We read it together, and he often laughed or commented on the story line. He was so engaged that he asked for the next book in the series so that he could read it on his own. With short chapters, interesting illustrations, and the constant scary/funny factor on every page, this is a great series to pull in those reluctant middle grade readers.

What Left Me Wanting More:

While the overall structure of the book suggests a cohesive plot line, the chapters themselves are each devoted to introducing a new teacher or staff member at the school, so the book feels episodic rather than like a complete story. That didn't deter my son's enjoyment, but it may detract from the enjoyment of readers who prefer more straightforward stories.

Final Verdict:

Scary, ghoulish fun on every page and an approachable narrator make for a book that is perfect for those just moving out of chapter books or younger readers of middle grade fiction.

CJ Redwine, Site and Staff Manager Top 10 Reviewer 406 reviews

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User reviews

2 reviews

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

3.5(2)

Characters

N/A(0)

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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0(2)

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A fun filled adventure for the younger readers!

July 07, 2012

Overall rating

4.5

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Derek The Ghost tells his story of life at Scary School. Here the real test is staying alive. This year however Scary School gets to host the annual Ghoul Games and since the winner's get to eat the losers this will be one game Scary School can't afford to lose. Will the students be able to defeat their numerous monstrous opponents or will Scary School be closed forever?
Amazing book that I am sure elementary and middle aged kids will love and even some of us that are still children at heart. Fun and entertaining this book will have you laughing from the first chapter. The characters are very fun and unique and had me smiling at their humorous antics at every turn of the page. My favorite character has to be Penny Possum and Charles Nukid their little adventure together was very cute and of course filled with lots of chuckles.

Give your kids a great book that will keep them laughing and entertained for hours by getting "Scary School" by Derek The Ghost.

Good Points

Funny
Relatable Characters

Katie Top 1000 Reviewer

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A great intro book for a new Middle Grade series!

May 08, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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All middle grade readers will definitely love this new series! Such a fun and quirky book that starts with us meeting our narrator, Derek the Ghost.
We get to know a little about Derek and how/why he is a ghost...
and then he introduces us to what we will find and who we will meet at Scary School.

In my opinion, this book was more of an introduction to the series than actual story telling. Every chapter is dedicated to a different teacher or student, giving us their story and background - if it wasn't for the fact that Derek the Ghost reminds you of the underlying story that he's trying to tell you, it felt like I was reading a bunch of short stories. Because of this, it was a bit hard to get into at first, but with the help of the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, it started to flow easily and was a lot of fun.

My 8yo son is now reading it - and he is enjoying it more than I thought he would! We have already talked about a few of the characters and side stories and have learned...
"Don't judge a monster by the way he/she looks, looks can be deceiving!"
"Always follow the rules! They're made for a reason!"

And here is some exciting news!
Derek the Ghost is hard at work and writing up a storm!
The next book will also be released as a hardcover on June 26th, 2012...
Scary School #2: Monsters on the March
There is no official blurbs/quotes for it yet. But I'm pretty confident that it is going to be a good, laugh-out-loud story for the kiddos :) Keep an eye out for it!