The Most Frightening Story Ever Told

June 1, 2016
What better place to haunt than a bookstore specializing in occult subjects and run by an ex-magician?Pale and solitary in the wake of a terrible car accident, voracious reader Billy Shivers finds an awesome trove of the ghost stories he loves in the Haunted House of Books, presided over by Rexford Rapscallion--whose wolfish grin and mad laugh conceal a gentle heart embittered by the slings and arrows of punk teen vandals and other nonreaders. Ultimately Rapscallion challenges a group of said aliterates (who bear names like "Wilson Dirtbag" and "Lenore Gas") to sit through a reading of a newly discovered tale co-authored by Mary Shelley and John Polidori. When the story itself leaves them, predictably, bored and uncomprehending, spectral agents in the shop step in to deliver whispered rebukes that send the thoroughly stereotyped ingrates screaming out into the dark and stormy night. Kerr never relates that (fictional) story, but he does insert five original spooky tales, along with lengthy rhymed rants about kids today and the benefits of frightening them. He also fills out the narrative with many digs at nonreaders (also lawyers and librarians), plus so-clever comments about the doorstoppers of author "Esteban Rex" (get it?) and other veiled literary references. A patchwork outing thicker of agenda than atmosphere and likely to prompt, title notwithstanding, a few mild snickers and chills. (author's note) (Fantasy. 11-13)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Kerr's latest delivers on the promise of its title. Young Billy Shivers hasn't been the same since being involved in a devastating car accident, and during his recuperation, he frequents the Hitchcock Public Library, discovering a love of books, particularly ghost stories. When he stumbles upon the Haunted House of Books, he quickly becomes a fixture at the spooky spot, which is part bookshop and part booby trap. Crotchety Mr. Rapscallion, the owner, has turned an old mansion into a series of rooms, each more terrifying than the prior, with subterranean libraries, shaky spiral staircases, and things that go bump in the night. Within its walls, Billy finds courage; befriends Mr. Rapscallion's estranged daughter, Redford; and meets a multitude of quirky shopgoers. Child psychologist Elizabeth Wollstonecraft-Godwin professes to possess the scariest book ever written, and when she approaches Rapscallion with the experiment to see if any children can survive hearing the tale without being terrified, an unusual contest is born. Hoping to revive his financially failing bookshop, Rapscallion offers five youths, including Billy, the chance to win $1,000. A wannabe teenage ghost hunter and a band of mischievous troublemakers round out the cast of characters in this immensely hair-raising, ghostly tale with surprising twists and turns. VERDICT Not for the faint of heart, oscillating between spooky and mysterious, this will appeal to readers looking for a fright.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
Grades 4-7 The Haunted House of Books not only contains a comprehensive collection of books about scary things; it's also a wonderland of atmosfear, thanks to proprietor Mr. Rapscallion's penchant for incorporating sneaky pranks, like candles that wink out on their own or a mummy that slowly lurches from its casket. For 12-year-old Billy Shivers, it's a dream come true, and even though Mr. Rapscallion is reluctant to have the boy around, eventually Billy is at the shop every day, listening to the crotchety owner's ghost stories and screeds about how modern kids don't appreciate good scares anymore, as well as helping to plan a Willy Wonkastyle challenge involving a particularly terrifying tale. Kerr riddles his novel with references to classic horror stories and tropes, and he periodically interrupts the action to include the creepy stories Billy reads. Occasionally, the novel is more about Mr. Rapscallion than Billy, who's fairly one dimensional (thoughno spoilersthere's a good reason). With an eerie atmosphere and enough jokes to lighten the mood, this will satisfy burgeoning horror aficionados.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)