Spooksville 3-Books-in-1!: The Secret Path; The Howling Ghost; The Haunted Cave

Bought for my wife and she loved it. Of course she finished reading within weeks. Definately will be buying more like this.

Bought this as a Christmas present for my 8 year old who loves Goosebumps books. I wanted to introduce him to other authors with similar writing styles and this book was perfect. He loves it and hasn't put it down since he got it!

I really enjoyed this book. I have always loved this author and it was great to read his book again.

Excellent writer, best for a tween and up audience! I grew up reading these books and now my daughters will enjoy them.

Ordered for my 10-year-old. She's absolutely thrilled with it.

Suicide, sexual suggestions, parent disrespect, and calling a character chubby...all in first ten pages. No thanks.

{The Secret Path} – Adam is a new resident to Spooksville from Kansas City. He and his dad are moving things out of the moving truck into his house when his dad hurts his back and sends Adam to the local 7/11 to get some cold sodas. While Adam is walking home he meets an unusual girl named Sally.Sally is full of all sort of interesting stories about the town in which Adam is now living in. Adam is skeptical about nearly everything she says as they are walking back to his house. Sally meets his parents and then they go out to explore the town since Adam hadn’t really seen much of it since he got there. Sally takes him to meet her friend Watch which is another strange character and then the three of them go to meet the old mayor. The old mayor tells them a riddle and if they can solve the riddle they will find The Secret Path.Adam, Sally and Watch decide to try and figure out the riddle and that’s what they spend their day doing. However, it isn’t the sort of riddle you’d expect and it isn’t answered in ways that would appear logical all at once. What happens once they figure out the entire riddle is quite and interesting occurrence.I really enjoyed reading this book, because I like the slight horror, slight mystery, slight spooky aspect of books. I think any child that enjoys books like this and want to go on a different kind of adventure could easily be entertained by these books. The great thing about them is they are short so depending on a child’s reading speed they should be able to read a book a day or more. If they get sucked into the story I can see it being much much more then just a book a day.{The Howling Ghost} – Watch, Adam and Sally are introduced to a new character in this book. Her name is Cindy and she claims that her brother was taken by a ghost. It’s not too far fetched for the three to decide to help her because they believe that is what in deed had happened given the weird things that seem to happen in Spooksville. Like Adam, Cindy and her family had recently moved in to live in the house her father had inherited. That sad thing is she lost her father because he died and now her brother got kidnapped by a ghost. I can’t imagine how that could make anyone feel other then dead inside.The four of them decide that they are going to try and find out what happened to Cindy’s brother. They start tracing clues and going places. They look for what makes sense and then they try to put it all together so that they can better understand the gravity of the situation. I don’t think anyone could truly understand the gravity of any situation that seems to take place in the town.I do like how the characters seem to find adventure and mystery. I like how the story is written and how it pulls you in and I am sure anyone that has read them will feel similar. I also like how they are short and fairly quick and easy to read. There are some days where I really want to read but I don’t want to be stuck with a book that will take hours to finish. These don’t take long at all and are always wrapped up with a nice little bow at the end so that you have closure to the story but there is still room for it to be added to. I think that is part of what makes them very enjoyable to read.{The Haunted Cave} – Cindy, Adam, Sally and Watch decide to go explore a haunted cave. When they get there Sally and Watch don’t want to enter. Watch ends up staying outside while the other three go inside. Sally is less then impressed that she was more or less bullied into entering and exploring the cave. While they are near the entrance Sally and Cindy get into a dispute and then somehow the caves opening closes and they are stuck inside. Watch and Adam try to figure out how to stop it from closing all the way but each of their efforts appear to end in vain.Watch runs off in an attempt to get them help and find a way to get them out of the cave. The other three wonder around the cave endlessly trying to find another way out. They have quite and adventure. It’s always fun to read books that take you on an adventure and leave you wondering what is going to be happening next. It’s always fun to enjoy the book you are reading and know that when it does inevitably come to an end that there is still more to the story and that the story will continue on, that the characters aren’t done yet and that they still have places to go and things to do. These are the kind of stories that I enjoy the most. I enjoy being able to read and get to know the characters. I enjoy getting to know their personalities and I enjoy seeing them evolve.I think any child that likes a little adventure can enjoy these books. I also think they are a good series for any child that likes Goosebump books because to me they are similar in fashion. They have their spooky aspect, but it is a light spooky it isn’t the kind of spooky that can be considered terribly scary. These are rather short books that don’t take long to read, and would be excellent choices for short car rides, or plane trips. They easily suck you into the story and keep you wondering what’s coming next and for me that helps to make some of the more entertaining stories to read. I love books where I crave more and want to read more, because those books are the one’s that usually have the ability to stick with you long after you have finished reading them.

THE SECRET PATH —“Listen to Mr. Realist,” Sally mocked. “He doesn’t believe in ghosts even though a tree almost ate him an hour ago.”During the ‘80s and ‘90s Christopher Pike wrote some really good books for young adults, and also for much younger kids. The Spooksville series is definitely aimed at the latter. His young adult books were marked by some good writing, and his content appealed to teenagers who were a bit more mature than the average young adult. Here, Pike began a marvelously fun series for pre-teen kids which has a great deal of charm and humor mixed in with the spookiness.Parents need not worry — at least with the first entry — about it being too dark. This is miles milder than Harry Potter, just to give you a reference point. Pike sets a swift pace and while young children will be enthralled with all the wild and weird aspects of Springville/Spooksville — and there is some mild danger — the overall tone has a fun bend to it. Children will sense that their pint-sized heroes are going to be okay — this is a series, after all — which allows them to enjoy the thrills without taking them “too” seriously.The Secret Path begins the series, as twelve-year-old Adam Freeman has just moved to Springville. The opening scene helping his dad unload the moving fan is charming, immediately endearing the reader — young or old — to Adam and the setting. Adam has just moved to Springville from Kansas City, and when his dad sends him to the local store for a six-pack of Coke he meets the tall-for-her-age and precocious Sally Wilcox. She is immediately smitten with Adam and it’s quite charming how Pike writes the kids and the way they interact. Sally explains to Adam about the town, and all the weird things that happen in Spooksville. When a skeptical Adam asks Sally how long she’s lived here, he gets this response:“Twelve years. All my life. I’m one of the lucky ones.” — Sally“You mean, it’s really neat living in Springville?” — Adam“No. I mean I’m lucky to be alive still. Not all kids last twelve years in Spooksville.” — SallyDespite the ominous tone, Pike injects a lot of humor into the story, most notably through the interactions of Adam, Sally, and Watch. Even as an adult, I found myself laughing several times at their dialog, which rang true for nice kids this age. Apparently the town was founded long ago by a witch named Madeline Templeton. She is related to Ann Templeton, who lives in a castle and may have a small hold on Adam.Adam’s trip to the market quickly turns into a quest by the trio of friends to find the secret path. Following the riddle given them by Bum, their search to discover the alternate Spooksvilles take them to the blooded tree, and of course, the cemetery. It really gets fun when the trio become separated. Can they escape a black knight and live skeletons? There is a dungeon, and some neat stuff with an hourglass before it’s all over, or perhaps just beginning.This is the start for Adam, Sally and Watch, and it’s sweetly done, moving quickly so that a child in the 8-12 age range won’t be bored.“Just another day in Spooksville. You’ll get used to Sundays like this.” — Sally“I hope not.” — AdamTHE HOWLING GHOST —“They don’t write about ghosts in the paper. Not even The Daily Disaster.” — SallyYes, the official name of Springville/Spooksville’s newspaper is The Daily Disaster! The Howling Ghost is the second in the series, picking up on the heels of the charming inaugural entry, The Secret Path. Adam had just moved to Springville in the first book, where he met Sally and Watch. They quickly became his friends. Twelve-year-old Adam wasn’t certain initially what to make of all those wild stories about the town. Springville has been nicknamed Spooksville by the children because of all the weird occurrences, and the way kids just seem to vanish. By the end of his first big adventure, Adam knows he’s not living in a normal place. That tone carries forward into the second entry:“Adam was amazed at how large the obituary section was for such a small town. In each issue it took up half the paper. Sally was right about one thing: not everyone stayed for long in Spooksville. The cause of death was often listed as simply disappeared.”Just as in the first book, Pike injects enough humor and charm into The Howling Ghost to offset any real scares. Though there is a ghost and some danger, it really never gets too dark for the 8-12 year old age group at which it’s aimed. In fact, this series from the 1990s may seem innocent after Harry Potter, and may appeal more to the 8-10 age range rather than 8-12 that’s suggested.Cindy Makey loses her younger brother Neil to a howling ghost at Spooksville’s lighthouse. He is never found, so presumed to be just another kid who disappeared. Sally gets the ball rolling for the trio of friends to investigate, so that Neil doesn’t become just another statistic. This proves problematic, however, as Cindy MaKay is very sweet, and takes a shine to Adam — which might be returned. The only caveat to this story is in fact, that dynamic, with the very jealous Sally coming off petulant and snarky, even uncaring once she realizes the possibility of Adam liking Cindy. She was precocious and likable in the first book, but in this one the reader gets irritated with her.Things take a serious turn when after hooking up with Cindy, who is ecstatic that someone believes her story about a ghost snatching her brother, a visit is made to the deserted lighthouse. Cindy almost falls to her death, but Adam saves her. Scramming out of there when they hear the howling ghost, the kids decide to do some research. This leads to some fun stuff involving the Spooksville librarian, Mr. Spiney. His obsession with kids building strong bones knows no bounds!What the kids discover at the library about a wrecked ship and a lighthouse keeper and her young son, will become important when they return to the lighthouse, but in what way I can’t reveal. There is some action and some derring-do by all involved. Adam even gets his first kiss — albeit on the cheek, which leaves Sally steaming. Before that happens, there is some underwater danger, and some more spookiness at the lighthouse. Will Cindy become a bigger part of the series, sticking around to eat donuts with the trio in the next book, The Haunted Cave? A terrific series for younger kids who haven’t yet been desensitized to enjoy the milder, more innocent thrills on offer.THE HAUNTED CAVE —“Then they’re alive.” — Watch“They’re alive for now. But the night is far from over. The Hyeets hunt at night. If they run into one of them, there’s no telling what will happen.” — Ann TempletonThe third book in Christopher Pike’s Spooksville series for younger kids has the same quirky humor and charm to blend with the weird happenings in the town as the first two entries. Cindy has now joined Adam, Sally and Watch, and the friction between the two girls for Adam’s affections continues. In this one, however, we see that deep down Cindy and Sally might actually like one another, which makes Sally’s grating snarkiness more palatable than in The Howling Ghost. Sally even saves Cindy’s life in the haunted cave.There is some fun at The Frozen Cow as this one begins. Spooksville’s ice cream parlor advertises fifty flavors, but the grumpy owner will only serve vanilla! Well, this is Spooksville, after all. Soon there is talk of the Missing Link, and whether he might exist within the haunted caves where Bill Balley supposedly disappeared — kids have a way of just disappearing in Spooksville. Cindy wants to look, Sally doesn’t, and Adam isn’t so sure he wants to find out — or whether he believes all Sally’s wildly embellished stories. But finally they go check it out. Watch stands watch, ironically, as Adam, Cindy, and a reluctant Sally investigate the dark caves, which may hide more than bats. The caves apparently run directly beneath the town. There’s is also a river, but just as they decide they’ve seen enough for one day, the entrance closes on its own!Watch goes to Bum for help, and learns of an old well at Mrs. Robinsons which may lead him to his friends. But Ann Templeton, descendent of the witch who founded the town, knows her “boys” are down there. Only her knowledge that Adam thinks she’s pretty, persuades her to give Watch and Bum a hint. It is via a riddle, however, and Watch must decipher it in order to find his friends and help them escape the caves, where the trio are having their own problems. Flashlight batteries going dead and trolls with spears may pale in comparison to the Hyeets. But legend may not match reality, and part of the cave may be a portal to somewhere else. But Adam has a plan…Great fun for kids in the 8-10 age range especially, the Spooksville series is a good way to give kids a thrill which doesn’t go “too” far into the creepy or magical area, and is sprinkled with humor and charm. If I do have a very minor caveat as an adult, it’s that the few moments between Adam and his father in the first book were really nice, but since then, he’s disappeared. It’s mostly just the kids interacting with the strange and quirky townsfolk. It might have been nice to get a moment or two with Adam and his father, but this seems forgotten — at least so far. Overall, however, this is a really fun read which comes in at just over a hundred pages. It may in fact seem tame to children at the older end of that range, considering all that’s been published since Harry Potter, but I feel that’s part of its charm. Despite the weirdness and the crazy supernatural elements, there is almost a retro feel to this series — yet not so retro that today’s kids won’t enjoy it.Placing myself in a younger frame of mind, I enjoyed the first three entries set in Spooksville, and think a lot of kids will love this. A marvelous way to get younger children interested in reading, without giving them more than they can handle — or more than you want them exposed to as a parent. I’m certain I would have devoured these when I was a kid.

Great book and good valueOne of my favourite authors blows your mind away with the quality of writing.

Front cover had a tear in it upon receipt