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Titles in Order of Publication:
 Book #1: WHO LET THE GHOSTS OUT?
R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746636
Ages 7-10
144 pages
Brother and sister Tara and Nicky can't figure out why no one sees or hears them, or why they can't quite remember where they've been. When they go to their house, another family lives there! They finally realize that they're ghosts.
Max, aka "Brainimon," lives in Tara and Nicky's house. He has big problems. His dad wants to send him to boarding school to toughen him up so he'll be buff like his "perfect" older brother, Colin. Max has a crush on popular Traci, but he has zero hope of ever attracting her attention. Not to mention, no one believes him when he says that he hears ghostly noises in the house. Max tries to make up for his problems by losing himself in video games and practicing his magic act. Tara and Nicky decide to help out Max in exchange for his help in discovering how they died, and what happened to their parents.
Colin bullies Max into walking the family dog, Buster, even though Max is terrified of Buster. On the first walk, Buster literally turns inside out! The shape of a man emerges and demands, "Where are they? Tell me where they are, and I might let you live!" The scary ghost is named Phears, but who is he really? What in the world does he want from Max?
Max's troubles increase when Tara and Nicky start appearing to him. His family thinks he's seriously crazy when he tries to tell them. No one can see or hear the ghosts, so when Max talks to them, he gets in trouble or people believe HE is troubled. Poor Max's life becomes very complicated with Tara and Nicky in it. The ghosts' efforts to help sometimes backfire like crazy --- with "help" like this, who needs friends?
This is a fun, fast-paced ghost story with a likeable main character. Cliffhangers make it extremely difficult to put the book down, ever!
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #2: HAVE YOU MET MY GHOULFRIEND?
R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385909144
Ages 7-10
144 pages
Max's bargain with his ghost buddies, Nicky and Tara, still stands: he will help them discover how they died and what's happened to their parents. In return, they'll help him amp up his coolness factor and avoid the boarding school his father wants to send him to.
Max keeps hearing a cat in his bedroom. Even his big brother, horrible bully Colin, and his parents hear it. Max worries that the cat might be in his bedroom's ghost tunnel --- the one he vowed never to enter again. The evil ghost Phears also shows up as a wasp that dives into Max's ear. He threatens to send a berserker ghost, guaranteed to drive Max crazy unless Max delivers his ghost friends to Phears.
To complicate Max's life further, he must keep a daily journal for his English teacher. His existence has become so "hauntingly" strange that he obviously can't tell the truth in his diary.
First Colin and then Max begin speaking only gibberish. Max starts to lose control of his body, screaming and cartwheeling around. Unfortunately, one of Max's louder gibberish spells occurs after his favorite teacher, complaining of a horrible headache, requests silence. Back to the principal's office he goes, yet again. Max continues to go berserk, at one point actually licking the face of the girl he has a crush on (can you say "mortifying"?). Could Max be possessed by the berserker ghoul? Will he be able to resist surrendering Tara and Nicky to Phears? And what about that ghost cat?
HAVE YOU MET MY GHOULFRIEND? is another fast-paced, hard-to-put-down story. Intriguing mysteries woven into the plot plus humorous touches add up to another winner of a ghost tale. Max is a funny, likeable character, and I loved discovering that Phears has a totally unexpected soft side --- who knew? But there's one thing I am sure of: you will go berserk for this fiendish tale!
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #3: ONE NIGHT IN DOOM HOUSE
by R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746652
Ages 7-10
144 pages
Ghosts Nicky and Tara hope to find their missing parents by going to Scruffy's Diner. Scruffy's was a Saturday afternoon family tradition. Sadly, their parents don't show up.
When they arrive at their old house (now their friend Max's), their old housekeeper Lulu appears. She whispers, "That's what you will need, children. Colder than the grave." Then she vanishes. What could she mean? Tara and Nicky are puzzled.
Meanwhile, Max's weird buddy Aaron talks Max into visiting Doom House, the local haunted house. Aaron plans to videotape ghosts and become famous. Even more importantly, he hopes to persuade their teacher to let them do their social studies project on ghosts, which would give Aaron the A grade he needs to pass fifth grade.
Inside Doom House, they hear creaking and laughter, step in green goo … and see spine-tingling, creepy sights. The boys become lost. When they finally find the front door, they're locked in. Out of the house at last --- and running for their lives --- they meet a man named Morgo, who tells them that every spooky thing they've seen was the result of special effects for the tourist attraction he's making of Doom House. But Max notices that the snow instantly melts where Morgo stands --- and when he plays back Aaron's videotape, Morgo is invisible.
In an attempt to impress his crush, Traci, Max gives her the six silver bullet-shaped objects he took from the haunted house. Unfortunately, his generosity puts Traci in terrible danger. Ghastly heat-generating ghost Morgo wants those silver objects in the worst way. He melts everything that interferes with his goal. Will he melt Max and his friends? Or can Max save them all?
ONE NIGHT IN DOOM HOUSE is another deliciously spooky, rapid-paced supernatural thriller from R.L. Stine.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #4: LITTLE CAMP OF HORRORS
by R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746660
Ages 7-10
144 pages
Max has been helping ghosts Nicky and Tara search for their parents. So imagine his surprise when they show up at Max's door looking for their children! But there's a glitch. Mr. and Mrs. Roland must have the pendant in order to capture any ghosts who come after them. However, that pendant went with Max's thieving brother, Colin, to Camp Snake Lake.
As soon as mom and dad hear that news, they change into giant growling beetles. They're not Nicky and Tara's parents, but some of the evil Phears's monsters. The horrible creatures ghostnap Nicky and Tara.
In order to save his friends, Max must head for Camp Snake Lake since the creatures will be searching for Colin and the pendant there. After Max arrives at the camp, Colin treats him as horribly as ever. Now Max is in a quandary. If he warns Colin that his life is in danger, Colin will only mock him. Max decides he must try to retrieve the pendant on his own --- before the evil creatures find it.
Max has his hands full. He tries to protect innocent little Jakey from the camp bullies' practical jokes, he searches for the pendant, he must do the camp challenges, he humiliates himself frequently, and he has to avoid the evil giant insects lurking in the abandoned cabin.
And they call going to camp "fun"???
A clever plot twist and intelligent reasoning on Max's part spice up another action- and ghost-packed thriller.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #5: GHOULS GONE WILD
by R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 038574692X
Ages 7-10
144 pages
Max has problems galore. Thanks to his ghost friends Nicky and Tara, he mortifies himself at an awards ceremony. Not only is he rude to the mayor, but he also knocks the mayor into a swimming pool. When Max tries to rescue him, he pulls off the mayor's pants. So when Max's dad announces the family is moving to Texas, Max is half glad to be leaving the ghosts behind. Sure, they're his pals, but they undoubtedly can mess up a guy's life! The ghosts are furious at the thought of Max moving away.
Meanwhile, Max is haunted by visions of a boy dressed in black who says, "I'm watching…" Sometimes, the boy's face turns old; other times, his face changes into that of a wolf.
The first people to look at Max's house get drenched in sour milk, thanks to Nicky and Tara. Or is it? They claim they had nothing to do with the sour milk explosion, which worries Max. If not his ghost buddies, then who?
Max makes friends with the new boy at school, Quentin Jones. Quentin also is into magic, and when he demonstrates a trick, it's so amazingly good that Max is stunned.
Will Max have to move? What will happen with the ghouls that Nicky and Tara say are in his home? Will the ghosts be able to find a way to make their family alive again? Who is the boy in black? These questions will keep readers glued to this book. There's a cliffhanger ending, too, which leads us directly to MOSTLY GHOSTLY #6: LET'S GET THIS PARTY HAUNTED!
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #6: LET'S GET THIS PARTY HAUNTED!
by R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746938
Ages 7-10
144 pages
Max's twelfth birthday is coming up. He is practicing juggling, hampered by his ghost friends, Nicky and Tara, when he again spots the boy in black who has been following him for ages. He's not a normal boy --- his face changes sometimes, becoming old or transforming into a wolf face. But the boy vanishes when Nicky and Tara try to talk to him.
In the meantime, Max is gearing up for his birthday. He plans to perform magic tricks with his new friend Quentin. All the cool kids will come, he hopes. That is, if he ever gets up the nerve to actually invite them. His attempt to invite his crush, Traci, is a disaster when Nicky and Tara boost him into the world's most incredible bike maneuver. Unfortunately, Max falls on Traci. Then, with incredibly poor timing, Max invites her to his party. Not surprisingly, she declines.
Quentin and Max are practicing their magic routines when Max's cruel brother Colin appears. He viciously tickles Max. Quentin freezes, and then explains that he's so painfully ticklish that he panics even when he sees someone else being tickled. Weirdly enough, Nicky and Tara suspect that Quentin is somehow involved with the boy in black. What is going on?
Max's celebration turns out to be the most disastrous birthday party the world has ever seen. As always, Max deals with his impossible situation with lots of funny one-liners. He is likable and seems real, though his father and brother remind me of despicable cardboard characters: NO ONE could be that mean all the time, could they? Nevertheless, this book continues in the tradition of the previous ones, employing lots of kid-worthy situations involving slapstick, grossness, and creepiness. It also has yet another totally unexpected twist in the tale, some smart problem-solving by Max, and parts of the ending are laugh-out-loud funny.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #7: FREAKS AND SHRIEKS
by R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746946
Ages 7-10
144 pages
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The ghost brother and sister, Nicky and Tara, keep trying to help Max. Unfortunately, as so often happens, their "help" infuriates Max. This time, they've messed around with the stuffed fish Max brought for Pet Day, making it look like it was flying and then dropping it so it broke, and cockroaches scurried about the classroom. Their hearts are in the right place though --- they also play a trick on the Wilbur brothers to stop them from bullying a little kid. They're happy about the results of their bully-busting, until they notice someone following them.
Meanwhile, Max is thrilled because the famous magician Ballantine is coming to town and holding auditions for students. Nicky and Tara offer to help, but he insists he wants to do the audition totally on his own. When Nicky and Tara's shadow shows up, they find that he's Dr. Samuel Smollet, who used to work with their parents. He says he can help them and insists that Max, Nicky and Tara follow him to his laboratory. There, they find that there was a witness to what Phears did to Nicky and Tara's family. Only one problem exists: the witness is a chimpanzee! In order to find out what the witness knows, Dr. Smollett can switch his brain with Max's. Max says "Forget about it!" but his friends plead with him.
Max will think about the brain switch. In the meantime, he needs to wow Ballantine with his card tricks. However, Nicky and Tara insist on giving him pointers during his audition, turning his act into a disaster --- with unexpected results. Max's crush, Traci, amazes him by inviting him to a party! Is Max's luck changing?
As usual, likeable Max maintains his good nature through an astounding array of problems, including an encounter with a horrible creature, continued bullying by his brother, surviving a bizarre scientific experiment, and trying to navigate social encounters with his crush. There are plenty of thrills, chills, laughs and plot twists to please all fans of this series.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
 Book #8: DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES!
by R.L. Stine
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385746954
Ages 7-10
144 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Max hasn't slept in two days. He's "helping" Traci Wayne do her homework (which means he does it while she goofs off) and he can barely keep his eyes open. In a flashback, we learn the "why" of his exhausting situation. Are we surprised to learn that his ghost pals, Nicky and Tara, are at the root of the problem? They're the ones who bring him an ancient book about a ghost named Inkweed --- a book, they soon notice, whose words are actually moving around.
The swirling words merge into a black ink puddle that lifts out of the book, turning into the shape of a man. The inky man-shape wraps itself around Max, and then seeps into him --- into his very brain. Max is aware of what's going on, but Inkweed is now controlling his actions. Max is, of course, terrified. Things go from bad to worse. Black ink drips from Max's nose. When he tries to Google Inkweed, the evil ghost within Max writes threatening notes to Max, Tara and Nicky, warning them that when Max goes to sleep, Inkweed will come alive to do his worst to them.
Which is why Max can't sleep, no matter what.
Tara and Nicky take Max to the library where Tara borrowed the book from. When Max tells Ms. Park, the librarian, that he wants information on Inkweed, she is appalled. She tells him that her dad told her scary stories about the evil spirit when she was growing up. When she shares the tales, Max is more afraid than ever. He meets Mr. Park, who informs him of one way to get rid of Inkweed: take him to "the darkest place on the darkest night." But is that enough of a clue to actually help Max (who can barely think, he's so tired) defeat the evil ghost? Or will Inkweed triumph? In the meantime, Max keeps dozing off, and knows eventually he must sleep.
Once again, R. L. Stine manages to make this ghost story creepy, and yet hilarious in all the right spots. (Poor Max must try to stay awake during the most boring assembly in the history of mankind.) Max is such a likable character we can't stop rooting for him to help his ghost friends, rid himself of his evil stowaway, gain the respect he deserves from his family, and get the girl! DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES! is yet another enjoyable tale, with the most creative ending ever, for Mostly Ghostly fans.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
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