The Chatswood Spooks
by Notti Thistledore, illustrated by Nela Krzewniak
by Notti Thistledore, illustrated by Nela Krzewniak
A Frightful Recipe (The Chatswood Spooks #1)
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Boo! (awww ... )
About The Chatswood Spooks: The Chatswood Spooks Counterfeit sheets, gargoyle reunions, and mysterious rumblings in the basement: the Chatswood Spooks are always up to mischief. Featuring gorgeous illustrations and plenty of silliness, The Chatswood Spooks stories make perfect bedtime reading...
My two cents:
This series is such fun reading! I really enjoyed all three books and look forward to the next. The premise of the series is a group of non-scary, friendly, and very quirky ghosts in a manor called Chatswood. They definitely lean more towards the cute than the scary. In fact they could come across as any ordinary bunch of people if it weren't for the fact that they can walk through things, wear sheets (among other things), and have to scare people (but not necessarily enjoy it)!I loved:
There is a fun play on the stereotype of the ghosts. Young readers who come from a tradition of Halloween will pick up on this right away ... that ghosts are supposed to be scary, that they look like they wear sheets. But juxtapose that with the fact that these ghosts are nice ... the kids will just find that inherently funny!The storylines are simple but not simplistic. They're silly and very funny ... and they always have a little twist at the end which will surprise both kids and parents! I think this little element of surprise is a great plus for these books, especially for parents looking for unique reading material for their kids. I also love the fact that the stories are not dumbed down for younger readers but are creative, unpredictable, playful and funny!
I can't seem to pick a favourite among the three books so I'll highlight what I especially liked:
- Book 1: Loved the spin on cooking and the spin on the smell of gym socks!
- Book 2: Many will be able relate to how a red anything will ruin everything in the wash
- Book 3: You and your child will be in on a secret throughout the entire book ... fun!
I also LOVE the illustrations by Nela Krzewniak. They are an essential part of the book and they have a highly accessible, whimsical quality to them. They are black and white line drawings which I found very effective. If these were in full colour, like the covers -- it would have upped the appeal of these books even more. Take a look:
A few niggling uh-ohs:
There are some issues with the formatting. I do hope that in the next reprints that these can be resolved as they detract from the ease of reading the book and may pose a problem for young readers. Some of these issues include:- Some of the fonts being scrunched up, letters bumping up against each other ... this may confuse kids if they are doing the reading themselves.
- Spacing is justified on both sides making for some awkward spacing in between words. It's more obvious when looking at a whole page. Even more awkward spacing is apparent on the pages which use the decorative drop down letter -- very cute in principle -- but beginning readers may find themselves looking at a decorative letter and not understanding it is part of a word!
- Some of the illustrations are pixelated!
Verdict: A thoroughly enjoyable series of a friendly bunch of ghosts; think Casper, the friendly ghost with an extra dose of cuteness. Silly stories with a surprising twists that will charm you and your kids. I highly recommend this for younger kids (age 3-7) which would make for fun, laugh-out-loud bedtime reading.
Check out my past posts about these books:
- Kid Lit Giveaway Hop featuring Notti Thistledore's The Chatswood Spooks!
- Friday 56 and #BookBeginnings: A Frightful Recipe
The Chatswood Spooks
by Notti Thistledore, illustrated by Nela Krzewniak
A Frightful Recipe (The Chatswood Spooks #1)
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Paperback | Kindle Edition
A Frightful Recipe (Book 1) // Paperback | Kindle Edition
With his sheets, chains and pet spider, Jingo likes to look the part of the classic ghost. So when someone puts their red knickers in with Jingo's favourite white haunting sheets, Jingo is devastated. Feeling hurt and unloved, he decides to run away to join the local Carnival. But what
Jingo has in spooking skills he lacks in street smarts, and he soon finds himself in trouble...:
The Halliday's Maladies (Book 3) // Paperback | Kindle Edition
The
Chatswood Spooks are in trouble. If they don't improve their scare
tactics they'll have to find somewhere else to haunt. But the spooks
have lived their entire afterlives at the Chatswood Manor, and are
determined to show just how scary they can be. Unfortunately, they
haven't counted on having to scare Ivan the Fearless...
The Halliday's Maladies (Book 3) // Paperback | Kindle Edition
Excitement reigns when the famous Halliday ghosts arrive at Chatswood Manor. After all, what better chance for the Chatswood Spooks to learn some new haunting skills? But star-struck as they are, the spooks can't help but wonder whether the Hallidays are all that they seem...
The Chatswood Spooks
by Notti Thistledore, illustrated by Nela Krzewniak
A Frightful Recipe (The Chatswood Spooks #1)
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Sheets and Ladders (The Chatswood Spooks #2)
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Paperback | Kindle Edition
The Halliday's Maladies (The Chatswood Spooks #3)
Paperback | Kindle Edition
I received copies of the books above from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Paperback | Kindle Edition
I received copies of the books above from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I see books like these for young readers and think how much I would have loved to them when I was young and living in a village without a library! How lucky young readers are these days~!
ReplyDelete