5 comments about Party Summer (Fear Street Super Chillers, No. 1).

1. In this horriffying thriller, 4 teenagers get a job at "Wolf Inn". They got a friend's aunt to drive them there, then she starts having pains. So they take her to a cousin to help her, then they go to the island. Then they meet the man of the hotel, he tells them the hotel needs fixing and that they should go. The teenagers convince him into fixing the hotel to stay. So he says, " Yes." Then weird things start happening. My opinion is that you should read this great thriller, if you enjoy horrifying books. Also if you enjoy the books R.L. Stine writes,then this book is for you!



2. the 4 teenagers never know when to look behind them because they are staying in an old creepy hotel.it is an action packed thriller.and I would recomend kids of ages 7-12



3. 'Party summer' is a thriller that I can assure you would love. Maybe you find it confusing, but later on you will understand everything perfectly, so I don't recommend you to star reading the book but then you must finish it 'cause you won't get it.
   When I started reading this book, by the way amazing, I fin it a little bit boring... But in the middle.... Oh, my God! It was really suspenseful and I just couldn't stop! I totally advice you reading it, you will extremely enjoy it! It is for all ages, but specially for teens!
   I hope it helped you.



4. I totally recommend everyone reading this book. In my opinion, it is one of R. L. Stine's best books. At the beginning, a girl named Cari and three friends go for a job at an old hotel. When they get there, someone tells them to leave immediately. They don't listen and start working. Everything was okay until they see a ghost, until Simon Fear dies, until they try to escape the island and notice they're TRAPPED!



5. I do not really remember what the story was about except some parts. I am in the 8th grade and had last read the book in the 5th grade when the other day I started thinking of the book and how good it was. I couldnt remember the title and I have spent hours trying to find this book on the internet. After I looked at some titles that looked familiar I found Party Summer, and knew that was the book. I looked at some of the reviews, and sure enough it was! I was sooo happy and after I am finished writing this review I am going to buy this book! Please read, because after about 4 years I remembered how good the book was, and I know that you will love it too. Dont listen to the bad reviews because if you do, you dont know what youre missing! Read!Read!Read!

5 comments about In the Stone Circle.

1. I thought that this book was so amazing. It it is a thrilling book and made you want to keep turning the page. It starts off with a girl named Cristyn and her father are going to Wales. Her father is a professor and is trying to write a book about Wales and its history. They are sharing the cabin with another person and her name is Erica Dunham. She has tow children one daughter and a son. Cristyn started having wierd dreams about a girl and she didn't know why. Then furniture started to move. It just got really strange. Her dreams got more and more life like. Then Miranda and Cristyn got into a fight and Cristyn started to hang out with Dennis. They were just talking and he said that he saw her. He saw the gohst down in the cellar. So they started to go down there. She saw her and found out interesting facts about her background. You will just have to read the book to find out the end.



2. In the Stone Circle, Book review
   
   
   This book tells the story of a 13th century princess and how her secrets unveil. The book "In the Stone Circle" by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel Cristyn, Miranda, and Dennis use friendship and determination to reveal the secrets of the 13th century princess Carwen. I recommend this book because it is believable, touching and interesting makes this book amazing and wonderful. I believe you will love this book as much as I do. This book will knock your socks off enjoy the book!
   In the story of this princess you will find the themes of friendship and determination but the main theme is determination. Cristyn doesn't give up or let down determination to expose the secrets of Carwen. She does everything to find out who she is and why she's here. But one thing in particularly she does is watch Carwen replay here awful life. It's not only Cristyn who show determination but also Carwen looks to find what went wrong to get her only father , her stepmother, and herself killed by her greedy and jealous fiancés army. For friendship Miranda, Dennis, and also Cristyn inspire to be and have better friends. The theme is very important but the characters make it come alive.
   There are many characters in this book but the three incredible characters are the main ones. They are Cristyn, Miranda, and Dennis, there personalities vary and here they are, Cristyn personality is determination, Miranda has a jealous mood because everyone gives there attention to Dennis. Dennis has a free spirited and rainbow personality, switching on and off. There moods change within the book, Cristyn at the beginning had a same old, same old mood, and by the end Miranda learns to have a determination mood. Miranda has black hair and glasses like her mother. Cristyn has brown curly hair and Dennis has just brown hair. The relationship you might ask Cristyn's father and Miranda's mother are working together. The themes make it interesting the characters make it come alive and there is the setting that puts it to place.
   Many setting take place in this book but it is interesting because it takes place, both in the present and in the past. The families are vacationing in Wales in a damp stone house on the edge of town. The family lives in the present Carwen lives in the past. Cristyn, Miranda and Dennis watch Llywen replay her life. Carwen is a ghost princess if you haven't figured that out already. At the very end Carwen decides to move on and stop replaying her life. Carwen future is the family's present. The setting is the most interesting part every body paragraph plays its own role.
   Overall I recommend this book to anyone who has lost a loved one and couldn't pass over it. Carwen personally in my opinion was the main character. She eventually passes over being dead and having her family gone. They all show plenty of determination including Dennis. Carwen lives in the cellar of her past. This book makes you experience how your troubles relate to others. For all who got lost in there past and can't find it anymore. Enjoy!



3. `My life could not, under any circumstances be worse." Is how Elizabeth kimmel starts her story. It makes you wonder why doesn't it. I think the theme is sort of a Ghost story (but still serious). The characters are Chrysten, Miranda, and Dennis. Christyn is a teenager who is forced to go on a vacation to Whales and share a room in a 1,000 year old house. Miranda is a teenager, too she is also Chrysten's roommate. Dennis Miranda's little brother is an annoying 8 year old. The genre is probably Humorous fiction and realistic fiction. Kimmel is a wonderful writer. I love her books. I recommend this book if you want a good book to read. By D.Garrett.



4. I liked the book "In the Stone Circle" because it's a ghost story and a mystery. My favorite part was when Cristyn and Maranda got locked in the basement. I liked that the setting was in a different country, Wales. I thought it was interesting to find out about Carwen and her past life. This book was easy to read. I recomend this book because its interesting and you can get into it easily.
   This book starts out in Ohio with the main character, Cristyn, who is 14. Crystin and her dad are planning on moving to Wales for the summer so her dad can write a book. Mrs. Dunham is Cristyn's dad's assistant and she is going to join them with her daughter Maranda who is 14, and son Dennis who is 8. Cristyn isn't happy about spending her summer in Wales. They get to Wales and strange things start happening. For example, Cristyn starts seeing ghost images of what happened in the past to this ghost named Carwen. Carwen is trying to tell Cristyn something. While this is happening, Cristyn and Maranda are fighting a lot, but they work things out. The ghost, Carwen, is trying to tell Cristyn to find her lost necklace that her dad gave her. Cristyn finds the necklace and goes to the stone circle to give it to Carwen and that reunites Carwen and her dad.



5. I thought this was one of the best books I have ever read.
   I have re-read it twice and the second time I read it it had taken me only two days. Now, I travel sometimes with my class and whenever we do I bring "In The Stone Circle." It had alot of description. I thought that the events that took place were very well thought out. I liked the part where the two girls, Christen and Miranda were trapped in the stair well. It was very intense. At parts I predicted what was going to happen, though at others I couldn't figure out what was going on. I think this will be my favorite book of all time. I look forward to reading other books from this author.

2 comments about Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys.

1. This book was fantastic. As a teacher, it is hard to find really good Hispanic authors for my students. This book will most certainly be in my classroom. Xavier is a wonderful storyteller who captures the spirit and imagination of the folklore of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. This book is written in vinettes, which makes it a fun and easy to read for classroom students. The young and old will enjoy this book.



2. This was a fun read, creepy but in a fun way. I really enjoyed the book, and children will love the just right blend of humor, horror and shock!

5 comments about Coyote Moon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Book 3).

1. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is the best television show ever aired. That's pretty much all there is to it. I love the series, I love the spin-off Angel - Complete Series Collector's Set and I love the official continuation we've been getting this year through the medium of comics. I've played the video games, I've bought the soundtracks, and I've met James Marster. But yet I had never read an entire Buffy novel. I did start Queen of the Slayers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), but I had to put it down because of Holder's bad writing. But, with this book, I decided to give Buffy novels a second try.
   
   There were a few things I really liked. The plot is very focused, with every plot thread pulling us in towards the major story, which is a creative one. Skin-walkers were never touched on in the actual show, so it was interesting to see something different pop up here. As a writer, John Vornholt is talented, and he handles the story well. Even during the parts of this book I didn't love, I never felt the desire to put it down or to read something else.
   
   What I didn't like was some of the characterization. Buffy is pretty much in character, though she says a few things that would never come out of the character's mouth, and the term "wiggins" is used too often and also incorrectly. Xander is a caricature of himself and Willow's character is, for the most part, driven solely by her crush on Xander. Giles is the worst. In this book, Vornholt turned one of the most interesting BtVS characters into a stereotypical fuddy-duddy who cowers in the face of danger. Vornholt also misunderstands the fundamentals of the Slayer/Watcher relationship. There are many instances in this short book where Buffy either "puts Giles in his place" or tells him something along the lines of "I thought I told you to ____!" Giles accepts these orders as if he is simply her employee. Even though this book was published early in the series, there was absolutely nothing in the first season of the show to suggest Buffy was Giles' boss, because she just isn't. Another problem with this book was the timeline. While it isn't a big deal, as the book isn't part of the canon, it's annoying that there is no logical way to fit the events of this book into the series. On a stretch, it could take place right before Episode 2:02, but the book implies that Buffy spent the summer in Sunnydale after "Prophecy Girl." Which she, as the fans know, did not.
   
   Characterization and timeline errors aside, "Coyote Moon" was good enough to convince me to give other Buffy books a try.
   
   5/10



2. Set in season one of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," author John Vornholt brings two new elements to Sunnydale - a travelling carnival and a pack of strange coyotes. Buffy, Xander and Willow are excited about the presence of a carnival to finish off the summer and soon Xander and Willow are hooked up with two exotic carnies, Rose and Lonnie. Buffy however, is distracted by the presence of a pack of coyotes roaming through the streets of Sunnydale. Although Willow insists that this is a normal occurrence, Buffy isn't so sure, especially when she sees the coyotes hanging around the grave of an old Western cowboy entertainer named Spurs Hardaway.
   
   After some research, Buffy and Giles learn that Spurs claimed to be able to change into any animal after learning the Native American skills of "skinwalking", and after she finds some conclusive evidence, Buffy realises that the carnies are the pack of coyotes that plan to resurrect their old leader under the Coyote Moon. Finding some surprising aid from an elderly carnie named Hopscotch, Buffy rushes to find Xander and Willow and convince them of their dates' true identities. But now the werecoyotes are on to Buffy...
   
   "Coyote Moon" is a reasonably entertaining Buffy-book, nothing spectacular, but retaining a sense of coherency and interest - plus a few unforseen twists and a good use of the werecoyotes' powers (that is, they don't just have them for the sake of having them - they *use* them to add to the completion of the story). One thing of interest in particular stuck out for me which may or may not have been intentional - right before Buffy sees the coyotes for the first time, she feels a cramp in her stomach. This harks back to the "Buffy" movie, starring Kirsty Swanson, told that cramps in her lower abdomen foresaw the arrival of danger - to which she replied, "Great, my secret weapon is PMS." This Slayer power was disregarded in the television series, but Vornholt's little comment suggest it was not completely forgotten.
   
   If you are a fan of the show, you'll know how terrible Buffy is at lying and undercover work, whether it was the hopelessly obvious trench-coat and sunglasses she wore in "I Robot, You Jane", or the babbling she did at the door of demon-Ken's Family Home in "Anne" before she just gave up and slugged her way in. Here, John Vornholt instigates this lack of talent wonderfully, as throughout the course of the story Buffy has to scrabble for excuses and alibis, leading her to pretend she's about to throw up, claim that Xander is her boyfriend, and insist that she's a witch at different points throughout the story.
   
   There is however some rather sloppy writing and characterisation in the story, which prevents it from being a must-read Buffy book. For example, Vornholt describes Buffy awakening at four in the morning to the sound of coyotes killed a small domesticated dog. She rushes out to comfort the weeping owner, and then is said to be "amazed that nobody else had come out to witness this dramatic scene." Er, it's four in the morning, Buffy - they're all asleep! Later, at the climatic finish in the graveyard Willow watches the bear-skinned corpse of Spurs Hardaway break through his grave. On him the pelt ripples as he begins to morph into the body of a bear, but Willow thinks: "it must be static electricity." For heaven's sake, she's just seen the carnies change into coyotes and the corpse rise from the ground - why is she *still* trying to find a rational explanation? Oy.
   
   This leads to my second complaint, and that's the characters of Willow and Xander. This is set in season one, and therefore it's assumed that the events that took place in "The Harvest", "Teacher's Pet" and "The Pack" have already occurred. Since these episodes also included dates luring them to the cemetery, a femme-fatale shapeshifter, and people getting possessed by the spirits of animals, Willow and Xander's behaviour throughout the book come across as thoroughly stupid. Are we really meant to believe that after all their experience they're going to go with two suspicious carnies to a graveyard in the middle of the night? No way.
   
   Last of all, the ending is rather anti-climactic and abrupt. Buffy kills the head-villain within one paragraph and with no trouble at all, and the final resolution of the situation makes no sense. Standing in the remains of the carnival, Buffy claims that with Spur's death the power of the skinwalkers is gone. How she knows this, or how this actually occurs is not explained, and is further complicated by the fact that she then turns to see a coyote (implied to be Hopscotch) on the crest of a hill. So...how come the curse wasn't broken for him? In both cases, we are severely short-changed when it comes to the ending.
   
   So despite great descriptions of a carnival, a reasonably interesting premise, and a funny sequence involving a heckling clown and a dunking pool, I'd give "Coyote Moon" two and a half stars. Read it if you're in a hurry or just want some extremely light holiday reading.



3. COYOTE MOON by John Vornholt is the third Buffy The Vampire Slayer book and the second all-new adventure. Like the previous volumes this was a very well-done book. I don't know if the series has a better bible than others but so far all of the characters act just as they would be expected to on the show.

   At the end of Summer a carnival comes to Sunnydale. Shortly after that, coyotes are seen closer to town than usual. Buffy starts to get the wiggins about the carnival and finds some minor evidence that they are involved in something not normal. Eventually a plot involving werecoyotes and skinwalkers is revealed. Unfortunately for the townsfolk the plot involves the carnies seducing and slaughtering a number of Sunnydale's young folk. In the end Buffy triumphs and curses are lifted.

   While this volume is quite good it is not canonical. The events take place at a time that we now know Buffy was not in Sunnydale. This puts it in a class with many of the Star Trek books. So if you consider this an old episode you missed then it works out quite well. Unfortunately these books are a little hard to find because they are being marketed towards young adults (hah, my 78 year-old father is one of the show's biggest fans).




4. I savored this book a little longer than the previous 2. I loved the scene where Willow was playing poker. This book is Tony Hillerman lite. If you've read any of his mysteries, you'll know what I mean.



5. COYOTE MOON
   BY JOHN VORNHOLT (1998)

   RATING: 3/5 Stakes

   SETTING: First Season (summer)

   CAST APPEARANCES: Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Cordelia

   ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Rose, Lonnie, Hopscotch (werecoyotes); Dr. Henshaw (friendly doctor); Spurs Hardaway (villian)

   BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY
   
   "The seedy carnival looks like just the thing to give Buffy and her best buds, Xander and Willow, a break from staking bloodsuckers. Some greasy food, a few cheap thrills--what more could a Slayer ask for? But then Buffy senses something evil behind this carnival. Xander and Willow aren't so sure. They don't buy Buffy's notion that the carneys are somehow connected to the corposes turning up around Sunnydale. It doesn't help that her two best friends are each interested in someone at the carnival. Which puts the burden of proof on Buffy. Can she find out what's going on in time to save her friends? Or has the Slayer become the prey?"

   REVIEW

   Coyote Moon, the second original Buffy novel, is a solid if unspectacular story about the arrival of werecoyotes in Sunnydale (disguised as a carnival) and their attempt to resurrect their long-dead leader. Buffy spends most of the novel attempting to gain proof of the carneys' true nature (with Giles' help), while Xander and Willow are seduced by two of the carneys. Xander's terribly luck with the ladies holds out, as his new girlfriend Rose simply wants him and Willow to be the human sacrifices necessary to resurrect Spurs Hardaway, a Buffalo Bill Cody type of Western performer who died exactly a century ago and discovered the secrets of "skinwalking" from an unnamed plains Indian tribe, which allowed him and the other performers to become an animal by donning its skin. After being captured by the werecoyotes, Buffy manages to escape with the aid of Hopscotch, a renegade werecoyote who wants her to stop the resurrection because he was the one who secretly killed Spurs Hardaway to begin with. In her own inimitable style, Buffy manages to arrive at the resurrection just in time to drive a silver knife through Spur Hardaway's werebear form and save the day.
   The novel has some strong elements. Xander's teen lust for Rose is depicted well, as are the feelings of love and hurt that Willow feels everytime Xander fails to notice how much she loves him. Also well played is a scene where Buffy interrupts a Xander-and-Rose makeup session, prompting Xander to tell Buffy off. Other highpoints include Xander trying to grow a goatee (failing miserably) and some interesting use of Native skinwalker stories.
   Overall, Coyote Moon is a competent addition to the Buffy line and has the feel of a first season episode. It's by no means a page turner, but it also doesn't prompt groans of dismay like some other books in the series.

5 comments about Wicked Willow II: Shattered Twilight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. Giles and company have broken up Willow's coven, and she has to go recruiting. It it is not just witches she comes up with, however, but a golem.
   
   The Finns are dead, killed in action, and Willow summons Riley's spirit to help her make a golem as a weapon.
   
   A mistake, as Riley is stubborn, and it turns out Buffy can order him around. Scratch a few more wicked witches.



2. I liked the tv show better. I was getting bored with Willow contemplating all the time. Thinking about Tera wishing she was alive again. Revenge, revenge, revenge. I guess I thought Willow would be kicking Buffy butt like she did in the show. I guess I expected there would have been more of Buffy trying to save Willow from the evil within her type of thing after all they were best of friends. I never did like how they developed the Willow character anyway.



3. I love to play the "what if" game and this is a really good book that shows what could have happened if Xander hadn't gotten through to the "good" in Willow when he reminded her of he yellow crayon. It felt almost like watching a Buffy episode. Well written book - I will watch for more of Ms. Mavarro's writings.



4. Wicked Willow Book 1 was so great that I did not think that it could be topped. Well... I was wrong. Book 2 was the perfect sequel. Just like Book 1 as I was reading I could actually picture the characters in their environments and expressions. Yvonne has nailed the the "Buffy" way of speech perfectly. Joss Whedon could not have written a better plot or dialogue.
   Being a huge fan of the Buffy universe I am happy to say I was not let down. I feel that the Buffy show relied heavily on the supporting cast than the actual star, Buffy. Narrating a story involving the perkiest character Willow into a homicidal and desperate in love tragic person could not have been easy but Book 2 pulls it off. When Riley is used as a Golem it just sent shivers down my spine.
   Whether you are a fan or not of Buffy the Vampire Slayer this book should be on your "To Read" list. Sean



5. When I read book one of the Wicked Willow trilogy, The Darkening, it seemed that alternate reality in which it was set was profoundly different that the Buffyverse. I think that this was disconcerting for many readers, as they didn't understand the characters, their behaviors and motivations.
   
   As book two, Shattered Twilight, developed, Wicked Willow's universe came into sharper focus. The feelings and motivations of Willow and the other characters became clearer. And what became clearest amidst the confusion and turmoil that virtually all the characters were feeling was that the universe wasn't really that different.
   
   The Wicked Willow trilogy, as the Buffy TV series in general, is very much a character study. In this trilogy, the action is simply a backdrop for the characters confusion, frustration and pain to play out. I suspect that this is why some reviewers haven't really enjoyed the books. But, I've found them engaging and fascinating.
   
   The character in the greatest emotional pain throughout the series is Willow. In the first book, Willow saved Buffy only because Tara forces her to. The consequences were high, with the loss of five members of her coven and the trust of those who remain and now she's mad! As the second book begins, Willow sets about to rebuild her coven to full strength and obtain her revenge against the Scoobies.
   
   Meanwhile, Anya is desperately trying to help Giles walk again. This section of the book provides incredible insights into the experiences of Giles, Buffy, Dawn, Anya and Xander as they wrestle with their various feelings of frustration, anger, loss, gratitude and guilt.
   
   Eventually, the Scoobies turn their attention to stopping Willow. It is at this point that they realize that they didn't understand Willow's motivations or intentions in gathering power, setting the stage for book three.
   
   Shattered Twilight did drag a bit in the middle, but it picked us steam in the second half and reached full speed by the end. Shattered Twilight left me waiting to read book three!

3 comments about The Repentant.

1. The introduction mentions things like Buffy and Angel but frankly none of the characters area like that, no 90210 clones here. Instead most of the stories are hard horror with interesting characters trying to either live a "normal life" or finding themselves with new opportunities for changing their status. The book is divided into four sections. The first includes both witch and werewolf stories -- frankly I think these could be separate sections with one more werewolf and two more witch pieces. Next are the stories about the living dead -- zombies, constructs, mummies. Then the vampire section that has four stories and is the largest section. Finally a section for demons which I found the most difficult to empathize with. Overall good quality writing from several well-known horror writers.



2. This is the latest in a long line of Martin Greenberg anthologies published by DAW. This one is about creatures of the night, werewolves, witches, demons, vampires, and even the dead who have found the road to redemption. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel will especially love this one.

   Of special note is that this anthology contains an original story of Henry Fitzroy, explaining how he spent his time during the inquisition. It also has an original Saint-Germain story about his time during the inquisition.

   Some of the authors represented are Jeff Grub, Jody Lynn Nye, Edo Van Belkom, Fiona Patton, Jean Rabe, James Lowder, Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, Brian M. Thomsen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Tom Dupree, and Allan C. Kupfer.

   All and all this is yet another fine read and strong anthology by both Daw and Martin Greenberg. Fantasy and horror fans alike are sure to have fun with this one.




3. This entertaining thirteen-story collection focuses on classic monster types like werewolves trying to do the right thing in terms of humanity. The anthology is divided into four subjects ("Werewolves and Witches", "The Dead", "The Undead", and "The Demonic") with three sections containing three stories and "The Undead" with four. The tales overall are well written and are clearly targeted towards modern monsterolists. The authors are a virtual who's who, whom for the most part seem to have a good time providing a contribution. No story is weak, but a bite from "The Undead" section is truly worth the time. THE REPENTANT is a fine short story anthology that the monster generalist fan will appreciate.

   Harriet Klausner

5 comments about Not Forgotten (Angel).

1. Maybe its just me but I don't like the style to say that it drags would be a definite understatement. Whereas most books in an expanded universe act as a cool way to expand on characters we know and love I wish I could just forget this one. You would be much better off just buying the DVDs.
   
   Overall-Get the book if you are a complete fanatic otherwise avoid.



2. This is the second novel in the Angel series (the first was the novelization of the season premier), once again by Nancy Holder, an established Buffy writer who has successfully made the transition to Los Angeles and our dark and broody vampire hero.

   Starting in the jungles of Southeast Asia the fate of Rais family has become inextricable woven with Latura, the Indonesian god of death and sickness, Fueled by the gods power to prolong life and grant favors Bang Rais has risen to great wealth and power. Now he, his son Jusef, and his nephew Slamet are on the verge of accomplishing the unthinkable - incarnating Latura in a human vessel, granting the deity absolute power.

   Called in to rescue the workers in a sweatshop, Angel finds himself confronted by a strange Indonesian wizard in a deadly firefight. Curious about Angel's involvement, Kate Lockley reveals that there has been a string of weird deaths by fire recently - people who burn up from the inside out. Angel investigates these crimes but is hampered by a lack of clues. Until Cordelia runs into both Jusef Rais and a purse snatcher while bargain hunting and winds up with an invitation to a funeral.

   Nancy Holder sets out to create an action story with an intricate plot. Angel, Cordelia, Doyle, and a host of supporting characters weave back and forth to the point where it is sometimes difficult to tell who is the wizard and who is the sacrifice. Despite these confusing moments, the story works, very much due to Holder's natural ability to develop characters.

   'Not Forgotten,' despite its flaws, is an interesting story with a careful balance between the often sarcastic humor of the Angel team and the grim cult that they are trying to defeat. Prepare to be both entertained and baffled, right up to the surprise finish.




3. First of all, let me explain that I am a big fan of David Lynch and other very odd cinema and literature. However, it takes a very skillfull artist to make a mindwarp like "Twin Peaks" work without losing the audience completely in the process. Of course, when you go for the bizarre you'll lose some people, but when your die-hard fans start scratching their heads you have a problem.

   Nancy Holder, in "Not Forgotten" has done a great job with the characters. With only a few minor flubs, their actions and interactions seem like they came right out of a season one script. (Flubs include a little more humor than standard from Angel, some incorrect Irish phrasing from Doyle and flashback Angel, and the fact that Angel's human name was Liam, not Angelus - but at the time the novel was written the show had not revealed that latter point).

   I was able to hold on through all the twists in the story and had no problem believing that Ms. Holder would make all clear in the end. In fact, I told my girlfriend when I was half through the book that this was the best Buffy or Angel book I'd read so far and the first one that I'd recommend to her.

   Then I got to the end.

   I had to re-read the last few pages several times. I was sure that I was more tired than I thought and just wasn't getting something. But no. I won't spoil the end here except to say that it does not successfully tie up any of the dangling plot threads and does not do a good job of making clear what the author intended. I am sure that Ms. Holder had in mind an ending that would wrap up everything nicely and leave the reader going "Oh.... so that's what was going on this whole time!" I can see the edges of the idea she was trying, but in my opinion she left a little too much of the ending up to the reader to interpret. Just a little more laid out would have let us grasp the rest.

   All-in-all, a frustrating experience. Only recommended to die hard fans of the show or the author.




4. This book was only ok. I have read much better from Nancy Holder. The book falls short for Angel. However, the interaction between the characters is still maintained. I would not necessarily recommend this book for anyone besides super fans of "Angel."



5. This book was okay, but a bit confusing and strange. Still, being a big fan of the TV show, I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters.

5 comments about The Baby-Sitter II (Point Horror Series).

1. Jenny went through a terrible trauma (in the first book), and is now trying to overcome it. She takes another babysitting job, but creepy things are happening a second time. She continues to get creepy phone calls, has tricks played on her . . . She literally thinks she has gone crazy. Is she imagining these creepy things or are they really happening again? How can they happen again?
   
   Jenny is determined to find out if she is crazy or if these things are really happening, and if so, who is doing it. You will not want to put the book down until you find out who is doing it. But I will not tell you.
   
   The entire book is fun and enjoyable. There is not one boring page or paragraph. Everything smoothly flows from one thing to the next. The plot is clever. This is a fun book because of everything that happens. Jenny and her friends are cool. And you will be surprised when you find out who guilty party is.
   
   This is Book II of a 4-book series. You don't want to miss any of the books. They are that good.



2. It was an incredible book! The killer is back! It was so suspenseful and thrilling! I liked it just as much as the first book! It made me jump reading it, and I couldn't put it down.



3. This was a very...... fun book. i dont think this book was as good as the first one, but it wasnt terrible. It was fun, exciting, and sometimes scary. I think it was a good book to read when i couldnt find anything to do on a rainy day in the summer. i would recomend this book to any loyal R.L.Stine fan. :P



4. This book is scary but not as scary as the first. Jenny gets a new babysitting job and is seeing a shrink. She still can't help but wonder if someone is following her. Everything is going fine until she starts getting the same phonecalls as before. She thinks that it is her boyfriend because he is the only person that she told what happened to besides her parents. Then she thinks that it is Mr. Hagen because strange things happen even with her boyfriend. The last phonecall she gets tells her to go to the cliff where Mr. Hagen fell off of. When she goes she finds out that the killer is.... The book is scary and leaves you hanging to the point that you want to read it all in one day.



5. When most people hear the name, R.L. Stine, their mind, nearly always, goes to Mr. Stine's well-known, Goosebumps series, that he has written over the years. But what many people do not know about is Mr. Stine's short "The Babysitter" series, which is just one of the other numerous amounts of series Mr. Stine has written over the course of his career. In particular, is the "The Babysitter 2". This is a gripping tale of a teenage girl's tale about her near fatal incident at the rock quarry with her former employer, Mr. Hagen.
   Fully aware of the recent attacks and killings of local babysitters, Jenny, full willingly, agrees to take a babysitting job across town, at a creepy old house, owned by the Hagen's. Jenny agrees to do this because of the desperate need for money in her single parented house-hold. She soon finds out that the insane serial killer is her employer, Mr. Hagen. When he attempts to knock her into the rock quarry, Jenny barely escapes by moving just a few inches. But in doing so, Mr. Hagen then goes flying over the edge, falling to his death.
   We meet Jenny after this horrible ordeal. She is now in therapy, with Dr. Schindler. In fact, she has even gotten a new baby sitting job with the Wexner's, who live just a few blocks from her house. Everything seems to going great for Jenny. That is, of course, until she starts receiving the same horrific phone calls that Mr. Hagen used to threaten her with. Jenny is terrified to about this. She thinks that it could be Mr. Hagen, and that he has come back from the dead to finish what he tried to start, which is killing Jenny.
   Jenny knows it can't be Mr. Hagen because she heard his body crack on the rocks at the rock quarry. But it is so hard to think rationally considering that she keeps having dreams that she is standing at the rock quarry and he is climbing over the edge, skin hanging off his skull, ready to kill her.
   This chilling novel will have your heart pounding in no time. This elaborate has a "No-one-can-guess-it" ending. The steep turns and twists in this book are so magnificently placed; you will be on the edge of your sit thinking about "Whodunit?"
   You will hind yourself zipping through this page-turner, not wanting it to end. But when it finally does, you will be in such shock you have to read it all over again. This is the kind of book that should not go unnoticed. You can have even more terrifying experiences with R.L. Stine's series: "The babysitter" in, "The Babysitter 1", "The Babysitter 3", and "The Babysitter 4"
   Try and see if you can find out who is making Jenny relive her horrible experience with Mr. Hagen at the Rock Quarry. Because, to Jenny, it seems as if a killer is back from the dead, and he isn't happy.

5 comments about The Grounding of Group 6.

1. Interesting that so many folks like this book soooo much. The writing is pretty good, the plot takes a lot of belief suspension on our part and one heck of a lot is just glossed over. Other than that, the story was great!! :) I am thinking the book affects people by attracting their inner rebel. I mean who wouldn't want to have the adventures this group did while avoiding killers and getting even with horrid parents.
   
   One note for any conservative types reading this and deciding to get the book for younger kids... a LOT is intimated here - personally, I would prefer for my kids to be past middle school before picking the book up. But, that's a personal decision.
   
   For light entertaining reading, I would recommend this book. At least 15 and up!
   
   All the best,
   
   Jay



2. The book was a suspence story of a group of kids going to a school to fix all the problems in their lives, but what they didn't know is that the school excluded the group to be killed in the forest behind the school. The group consosts of five members, Coke, Sully, Sarah, Marigold, and Nat. Nat is the groups leader and counseler to the woods in the back and is the one who is hired to kill the other four kids. The setting of the book is Coldbrook Country School in the middle of a large forest where only one road leads to it and there is a forest in the back.
   The author has his way of keeping on the edge of your seat, as like an author for a horror story should. In fact, he only lays out the entire evil plot after he tells of the main characters past and their lives as a child. The author also tells the reader clues on just what the children are at the school for in the first place. Here is an example: Nathan is the softy in the group with no intention of killing the kids after he gets to know them a little more. Then he decides to help the kids over come the blundeing assasins that were hired to kill the kids and Nat after he was supposed to injure them.
   The down side on the author's writing is the way he doesn't keep all that interested in the book at the starting of the story, you have to be diciplined in reading to actually want to finish up the book. The author may have some good parts in there, but it's too flopped around too much. The setting wasn't played out so well in the beginning either, it's hard to follow with a story without at least a place to visualize the action happening in the story. Allow me to give this book a good, solid 7 out of 10 in my book. Even though there is a complete understanding of the characters, the setting could use a little work and the story should be a little more straight forward.



3. I find it very interesting that a lot of the reviews for this book have been made by adults commenting about re-reading it years after the fact and still in love with it. There's a shelf of books in my office that I have been re-reading since childhood, books that I can never let go of, that I've bought second copies of 'just in case'. This is one of them.



4. I have read this book at least 30 times. I first read it when I was 13, in 1983 and it really made me think about who I was and who I wanted to be. I last read it last week at 35 and I am now passing it along to my 13 year old son. It is a book that should be read by everyone, teens and parents alike will get a kick out of this book.



5. This was a super book when I was a teenager. Eventhough that has been some 20 years ago, I remembered this book and title. I let a friend borrow the book back in those days and never got it back, which was a bummer. The reason I bought this book again was for my teenage step daughter to read over summer vacation and as a great book to pass down from generations.
   
   It's a book about a group of troubled teens sent off to a new school, after pissing off their parents.

5 comments about What Holly Heard (Fear Street, No. 34).

1. Do you like secrets? Holly does. She's Shadyside High's Gossip Queen. She's got the hottest news everyday. This time, she's heard a really terrible secret and she told it to all her friends. But someone didn't want Holly to know. Now someone wants to make sure Holly never talks about it again. Lying.........Threats...........Even murder!



2. In the book, What Holly Heard by R.L. Stine, is a book about fiction. There are many characters and many events happen. The main character is a girl named Holly. She tells her friends all the rumors that she hears. Holly is thin and tall who always loves to wear a blue scarf. All these rumors cause her to die. Someone knows what she knows, so she feels scared that they might want to kill her.
   The character that I admire most would be Miriam. She likes all her friends. She never says bad things about any of them. The character I dislike would be Ruth. Ruth at first is Holly's and Miriam's friends but then she gets really mean. She lies to her friends and even kills her pets and even her own friend! She hurts her bestfriend to be with her friends boyfriend.



3. Really pretty bad the worst fear street book. Way to pridetctable [pridected halfway through book!]



4. I'm not going to say this book was bad because it wasn't. Even though it's somehow different from other Fear Street books, it's not a bad book. First, a girl named Holly learns a secret and then she goes on telling everybody. But now someone knows that Holly heard the secret. Holly probably heard too much. Now someone wants her dead to keep her quiet.



5. I have read most all of the Fear Street books and this one is definitly my fav! It may not look to good on the outside but once you start reading, you can't put it down! I would reccomend this book to anyone that likes scarey books. Also someone that has a lot of free time because you won't want to put it down!