personal response: This was a big disappointment. I did not enjoy this book at all. Post-Goosebumps it seems that R. L. Stine was trying to do something that was similar, but different. Granted this was the third book in a continuing storyline, but it neither was a story that I was upset to be jumping into the middle of nor was I left curious enough to discover how it ends.
Grades 4 - 8

curricular connections: ( )

Here we are at book #3 in the Mostly Ghostly series. This particular series MUST be read in order, as they are told in a "to be continued" fashion. Each centers on Max an 11 year old boy and his two ghostly friends (Tara and Nicky) who don't know how they died and cannot find their parents (also dead). We've spend much of the series thus far with the three of them trying to find even the smallest details on the Nicky and Tara problem...I'm a bit disconcerted at this point that he's not bothered to oh, check the library for articles about the house, books by the parents (who were paranormal investigators), or even news paper accounts about the disappearance/death of the family...mostly what we get is Max (who is practically abused by this brother and put down in ways that are demeaning and degrading by his father while his mother sits by and passively allows this to happen...because GASP, Max is smarter than this is athletic...the HORROR) running from place to place trying to find some pendants and looking more nuts to others as each page is turned.

Annoying as this is, the stories in this series are all creepy, packing in some genuine frights, despite the over the top way Stein chooses to portray Max's life. I like that Max is klutzy and nerdy, not in the "in crowd," and there is a lot of humor that goes with the chills and thrills, which I think makes for good story telling...without the humor, I think the series would get bogged down and depressing. But really, is it necessary for every kid's series to have the "hero" of the story be so very abused and misunderstood by his friends and family? Just once, I'd like to see more balance in this area. Complaints aside, I'm still reading because I want to know what happened to Nicky and Tara's parents as much as they do...I genuinely want to know what happens next and I'm willing to keep reading to find out, and that says plenty about the quality of the writing here! I give it a solid B (mostly because I can't rate it higher with all unrealistic drama regarding how Max is treated by his family), we're finally moving on with the story line and Max is seeming more nuts all the time to the people around him, but we've been given more clues and we're anxious to find out what happens next! ( )