Scan barcode
pwbalto's review against another edition
3.0
I've noticed that if the pace is going to stumble, it's generally going to be in the third quarter of a book - after the problem has been well established, and after everyone who's going to react to the problem has reacted, and before the pell-mell action of that last rush to get the problem figured out.
This book, which is otherwise good goosebumpy fun (with Nazis!), has that problem.
This book, which is otherwise good goosebumpy fun (with Nazis!), has that problem.
shanyreader's review
3.0
Here it is! The first full book of 2016!
I've read pretty much all of Poblocki's books and while this one is not my favorite by any means, it...really wasn't my favorite by any means. Now, I'll start by saying I love this guy and I will continue to read whatever else he publishes, I just felt like this book was...just very okay.
I was hoping that but I think that the way that the book went was actually even more heartbreaking, even unfair. I didn't expect a happy ending, since Poblocki is definitely not one to shy away from a more mature, and certainly very very dark form of middle school horror, but I was still hoping for a
Let's talk about the good: You know there are ghosts, and you know what--they actually do have a very threatening presence. Poblocki always makes very high stakes in his books and that's what really keeps them interesting. You know that the characters are really fighting for their very LIVES here.
I was invested all the way and even though it took less than two hours to read, I was thoroughly enjoying myself
The bad: I somehow didn't feel as invested in the characters since there were so many and they weren't fleshed out as well as in other books. There was one person who I was just like: who are you again? Like, you keep popping up but who exactly are you? It was almost hard to keep track of who was who sometimes. I also hoped that I could have liked Josie and Eli better, but something kept me from really clicking with them...maybe its because they did less exploring and mystery solving together because they were kinda just...being normal kids with normal kid problems and the snippets of the supernatural they were encountering was just very...tame. No real jumpscares T.T
Plus, something about the secluded island and the
So that's my take on the book--it wasn't a bad book and I think it had some scenes that were by far...some of the most mature Poblocki's got so far, but I just don't think all the elements worked together as well as they could have. But I'm looking forward to the next one!
I've read pretty much all of Poblocki's books and while this one is not my favorite by any means, it...really wasn't my favorite by any means. Now, I'll start by saying I love this guy and I will continue to read whatever else he publishes, I just felt like this book was...just very okay.
I was hoping that
Spoiler
Dory was actually a ghost--since I really fondly remember the Ghost of Graylock and I think that if she had played more of a role besides just being the memory of the mother, we could have had a pretty good storySpoiler
last minute rescue of some sort--it felt like the actual Nazi soldiers themselves weren't entirely resolved. I didn't get what happened at the end with them. Did they crash? Are they going to respawn waiting for another descendant to come by and start the whole thing over again?Let's talk about the good: You know there are ghosts, and you know what--they actually do have a very threatening presence. Poblocki always makes very high stakes in his books and that's what really keeps them interesting. You know that the characters are really fighting for their very LIVES here.
I was invested all the way and even though it took less than two hours to read, I was thoroughly enjoying myself
The bad: I somehow didn't feel as invested in the characters since there were so many and they weren't fleshed out as well as in other books. There was one person who I was just like: who are you again? Like, you keep popping up but who exactly are you? It was almost hard to keep track of who was who sometimes. I also hoped that I could have liked Josie and Eli better, but something kept me from really clicking with them...maybe its because they did less exploring and mystery solving together because they were kinda just...being normal kids with normal kid problems and the snippets of the supernatural they were encountering was just very...tame. No real jumpscares T.T
Plus, something about the secluded island and the
Spoiler
Nazi ghost soldiers--Idk...it seemed much more...something to tie in with your history class just because this is a middle school book and we can be educational about the Nazis. Don't get me wrong--I love historical elements in books, and World War II is my favorite, but I felt like this plot thread came out of nowhere and was just...very strange. It could have worked if the book was longer and these ghosts were explained more. I got their motive--revenge for being murdered, but for me, it just felt too outta left fieldSo that's my take on the book--it wasn't a bad book and I think it had some scenes that were by far...some of the most mature Poblocki's got so far, but I just don't think all the elements worked together as well as they could have. But I'm looking forward to the next one!
sandylovesbooks's review
5.0
I absolutely love Dan Poblocki's books. This one is one of my favorites now. On the level of his award winning The Ghost of Graylock, and The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe. What could be better for a scary ghost story than an isolated island, a storm, German soldier ghosts, and possessions. I loved the whole thing with disembodied voices speaking German. Lots of excitement and thrills. Josie and Eli are two great main characters.
pwbalto's review
3.0
I've noticed that if the pace is going to stumble, it's generally going to be in the third quarter of a book - after the problem has been well established, and after everyone who's going to react to the problem has reacted, and before the pell-mell action of that last rush to get the problem figured out.
This book, which is otherwise good goosebumpy fun (with Nazis!), has that problem.
This book, which is otherwise good goosebumpy fun (with Nazis!), has that problem.
laura_elane's review
4.0
A student shared this spooky little ghost story with me. It was a fun, quick first book of summer. ❤️
heyshay07's review
4.0
I could not put this book down! I really wasn't a fan of The Stone Child and probably wouldn't have picked up Dan Poblocki's other books except this was on sale at the bookfair. I don't really like scary movies or books and the book had some legitimately creepy moments. However, evil was vanquished and it all turned out in the end so that's all I care about. I think the middle schoolers will really love this book as it features two 7th grade protagonists, the story is very action packed, and is a fast read even at 263 pages because you have to find out what happens next. There is no swearing and if you're bothered by the supernatural, you probably wouldn't have picked up this book in the first place. If you liked books such as The Lockwood & Co series or the Asylum series, you'll like this one.
rukhii's review
4.0
This book is for 14 year olds but as a 20 year old reading this book, I quite enjoyed it. I couldn’t decide between rating it a 3 or a 4, so I’m gonna be generous and give it a 4 because the only complications I found was during the ending. The whole starting was okay.
I had expectations starting this book. I thought it would be light-hearted horror with a good ending where the ghosts would achieve peace and the plot would only thicken later on. Little did I know….
The horrors started almost immediately, with Margo seeing a couple of men on Stone’s Throw Island as she approached by sea. When she asks the caretakers, Charlie and Beatrice, they say that the both of them are the only ones on the island. So this definitely adds a sense of mystery and haunting to the atmosphere. Like something is here, but what?
Next, Josie encounters an echo of the past and Eli hears whispers from a foreign language. To add to this, they discover the whispers is “help” in German AND they find a swastika on the island. Me being someone who finds history to be a rather fascinating thing to study and I’ve watched a generous amount of documentaries on the Hitler’s regime and all his horrors, this part of the book definitely had me hooked to the story.
The plot was fast, there was no delay, no dilly-dallying. I rather found this book to be an enjoyable read.
The the ending happened and I could just feel the emotions running high among the group of survivors. Their friends turn to foe and they have to escape. There were some unnecessary scenes during the part when the Sea Witch comes to save the survivors, like the ghost coming to make a deal and that whole shenanigan that followed. Not a big fan.
Though the ending was definitely bizarre. Not everyone survived and this remains a bad memory for the people who did. I wish there was more of an explanation as to what happened after the last page of Dory’s diary, more explanation as to what happened to the ghosts, what happened to the missing people from the wedding party…. the ending was pretty vague and secretive but I guess that’s intended.
All in all, I enjoyed the book way more than I first expected. A solid 3.5, though I rated it a 4.
I had expectations starting this book. I thought it would be light-hearted horror with a good ending where the ghosts would achieve peace and the plot would only thicken later on. Little did I know….
The horrors started almost immediately, with Margo seeing a couple of men on Stone’s Throw Island as she approached by sea. When she asks the caretakers, Charlie and Beatrice, they say that the both of them are the only ones on the island. So this definitely adds a sense of mystery and haunting to the atmosphere. Like something is here, but what?
Next, Josie encounters an echo of the past and Eli hears whispers from a foreign language. To add to this, they discover the whispers is “help” in German AND they find a swastika on the island. Me being someone who finds history to be a rather fascinating thing to study and I’ve watched a generous amount of documentaries on the Hitler’s regime and all his horrors, this part of the book definitely had me hooked to the story.
The plot was fast, there was no delay, no dilly-dallying. I rather found this book to be an enjoyable read.
The the ending happened and I could just feel the emotions running high among the group of survivors. Their friends turn to foe and they have to escape. There were some unnecessary scenes during the part when the Sea Witch comes to save the survivors, like the ghost coming to make a deal and that whole shenanigan that followed. Not a big fan.
Though the ending was definitely bizarre. Not everyone survived and this remains a bad memory for the people who did. I wish there was more of an explanation as to what happened after the last page of Dory’s diary, more explanation as to what happened to the ghosts, what happened to the missing people from the wedding party…. the ending was pretty vague and secretive but I guess that’s intended.
All in all, I enjoyed the book way more than I first expected. A solid 3.5, though I rated it a 4.
mmmlysaght's review
3.0
Not a stellar literary adventure by any means, but a solid ghost story that would have probably terrified me despite myself in middle school. Perfect for its audience.
More...