Saturday, October 17, 2015

A Haunted Halloween by Ray O'Ryan - ADVISABLE

O'Ryan, Ray   A Haunted Halloween (Galaxy Zack, book 11)  Illustrated by Jason Kraft. 119 pgs. Little Simon, 2015. $5.99 paperback. Language: G ; Mature Content: G ; Violence: G

Zack misses Halloween. They don't celebrate it on the planet Nebulon, where he lives now. While Zack tells his Nebulite friend Drake a ghost story to help him understand this Earth holiday, Drake shifts from being fearful to being confused. He has a friend who can do all the things the ghost in the story can, but Zack doesn't believe him. Over the next few days, weird things start happening that make him change his mind. The video game controls move on their own. His locker door slams shut by itself. His hyperphone floats away down the hallway. Is he being haunted? 

This is a good beginner reader chapter book with line drawings on every page, a quick pace, and lots of believable science-fiction-type situations and gadgets mixed in with lessons about problem-solving, friendship and family traditions. Readers do not need to have read any of the rest of the series for this story to still make sense and be engaging.

EL - ADVISABLE. Reviewed by P.K.Foster, teacher- librarian

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