Skip to main content

The Stone Child--by Dan Poblocki


Eddie is excited to learn that he has just moved into the home town of his favorite author, Nathaniel Olmstead—a popular writer of children’s horror stories. The only problem is, Olmstead has been mysteriously missing for the last thirteen years and his home now stands abandoned at the edge of the woods. Rumor says Olmstead and his creepy stories have brought a curse down upon the whole town and that the monsters from his books now roam the woods. Eddie and his two new friends from school decide to figure out what is really going on but quickly discover there are some secrets that should never be unraveled. Horrifying monsters, creepy curses, nightmares to keep you awake at night—this book has got everything to make delicious chills go up and down your spine. Poblocki’s novel is a masterpiece of suspense and horror. Each twist and turn in the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what will pop out at you next. I don’t know how Poblocki sleeps at night with all those dark and creepy creatures crawling around in his imagination, but I was completely enthralled with them (and this story) all the same. For those older readers who like their novels good and scary, The Stone Child, is the perfect book for you this Halloween. Easily frightened younger readers may want to steer clear of this fantastic and spooky tale of suspense.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

  The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

Review: The Hidden Dragon

The Hidden Dragon By Melissa Marr New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. Fiction. 161 pages. Three children, Otter, London, and Sophia, live in a fantasy world with dragons. Otter (short for Ottilie) is the daughter of a ship captain, and she loves the sea and its dragons. London is a stowaway boy, searching for a new life full of adventure. Sophia lives in a thief house with other children, all dedicated to helping each other and trying to make the kingdom better. As trouble begins to brew both on land and at sea, these three heroes realize that maybe it's up to the kids to make things right. Readers experience the book from multiple perspectives, and with a bit of mystery and adventure, this is an amazing fantasy read. With the inspiring message that children truly can make a difference, readers will enjoy how each character fights for what's right, even when it's inconvenient. The ending is resolved a little quickly, but this is a great read for all "hatchlings."