Book Reviews and More: Scaredy Cat - Courtney Sheinmel and Jennifer A. Bell

Saturday 4 February 2017

Scaredy Cat - Courtney Sheinmel and Jennifer A. Bell - Stella Batts Book 9

Scaredy Cat
Stella Batts Book 9
Courtney Sheinmel (Author)
Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrator)
Sleeping Bear Press
ISBN 9781585369201
eISBN 9781634707909
ASIN B0119QS79O

My oldest daughter and I have read the 9 books that are available in this series over the last year. She absolutely loves them and looks forward to reading them, and now waiting for the next one to be available. She was a little nervous reading this one, and I myself had some issues with it, but more on that later.

In this book Stella's class has won a prize they did not even know they we up for, the Somers Elementary School Library Sleepover. Her class has checked the most books out of the school library. Their prize is a sleepover at the school. The whole class will be able to sleep over in the school library, they will have time for games, a pizza dinner, get to sign out a book to read before bed and sleeping in the library followed by a special breakfast . But things take a spooky turn. First there are ghost stories, second they play with a Ouija Board. And Stella finds a book written by a Stall B. On top of that Stella starts seeing eyes in the dark of the library.

No as a parent I am cautious about what my children read and what they do. I do not mind a little scary story, and even some darker play. But when we got to the section on the Ouija board, I had to stop reading, explain what it is to my daughter, and be very firm that I do not want her ever playing with such a thing. I also would have a hard time with one being in a public school library, or parents and teachers of a grade 3rd class allowing children to play with it.

I was impressed that when Stella got scared rather than read a book that was scaring her she picked up a book for younger readers and read it instead. I also really liked that Stella talked about favourite books and going back and rereading them, like visiting old friends.

My daughter's favourite part of the books was when they figured out what the eyes that Stella kept seeing. She also found the whole Ouija board thing 'weird'.

Again my daughter and I both love the illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell. They really do add to the pleasure of the book. And my daughter and I have started reading Courtney Sheinmel's new series The Kindness Club, whole we await the next Stella Batts book.

This is a good book in a great series. Overall we are very happy with the series. And can highly recommend them. This is the first series my daughter has read in its entirety, we have started a number of others and not made it through. So that speaks volumes to how good these books are if a reluctant read loved reading them!