This is a great book about what happens to children that won't make their beds or clean their rooms. They get sent by their parent to The Children's Horrible House for their disobedience where they are retrained by staff like Major Whoopins, and Director S. Pankins to make beds and clean rooms to perfection as well as be trained in astronomy, horticulture, and meteorology. You can follow this wonderful adventure Holly has gotten herself into along with her friend Coriander, that she met on the bus on the way to The Children's Horrible House, and friends Danley, Staniel, and Clover, whom she met once she arrived, as they try and figure out first, the story of the ghost and second, the mystery of the treasure of the North Star Estate, and Hawthorne North Star.
This was a great book that was so interesting with all the great adventure, suspense, and cool facts. It has short chapters, which will keep even the most reluctant of readers engrossed. I even hear that there might be a return trip in the future, I sure hope so I really enjoyed this book a lot.
5 STARS
The Children’s Horrible House by N. Jane Quackenbush
Published on November 10th, 2015
Published by Smashwords Edition
Genre: Middlegrade Chapter Book
Holly Spinatsch, a curious and rebellious tomboy, was forewarned by her siblings that if she didn’t make her bed, she would be taken away to The Children’s Horrible House…and indeed she was.
On her search for kinship in this seemingly haunted jail like mansion, she discovers a mystery lurking and breathing, crying out for discovery.
However, when she and her friends attempt to solve the mystery, they are only left with more questions.
About the Author:
N. Jane Quackenbush is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University. She lives in a horrible house filled with mystery and fun in St. Augustine, Florida, a place she finds a lot of material by which she is inspired. Many places mentioned in her books are based on actual haunted buildings, star-filled planetariums and magical gardens deep within The Nation’s Oldest City.
N. Jane Quackenbush has also written the following Children’s Picture Books:
The Rocket Ship Bed Trip,
The Pirate Ship Bed Trip,
The Afternoon Moon,
and many more books in the works!
Read below for an excerpt from the book:
It was still dark when we were let out in front of a huge flaming gate. Well, the gate wasn’t actually flaming, but on each side, a gas lantern was lit and with the smudges on my eternally foggy glasses, it made the gate appear ablaze. The shiny black metal not only reflected the flames, but it seemed to make the whole gate glow in unison with the flickering flames. A very tall brick wall covered in thorny bushes grew even higher than the wall, spreading out of sight in both directions. Major Whoopins punched in a code that opened the gates.
We proceeded down a long black driveway lined with spooky cowering trees offering a creepy welcome. Ahead I saw a building. Even though it was still not quite morning, the sun had started to peak over the horizon giving us just the right light to see. It was a three-story maroon colored mansion that looked like it could either be a haunted Victorian house or the fanciest jail ever constructed. I wasn’t sure. It looked like a jail because it had bars on the windows, but it also looked like a fancy house because it had white painted porches on the first two stories. The roof line was very steep and had a couple of chimney stacks. The front right side of the building had a square turret that made it look nice, but frightening. At the top of the turret, I noticed a bar-less window with lace curtains. As I stared, I felt someone staring back. A woman’s form moved from behind the curtain, and then she was gone.
“Who was that?” I asked, mostly to myself, but I guess Major Whoopins heard me because he answered me saying in a thick, gruff voice, “You’d best mind yo’ own bidness and you gonna git along just fine, ya’ hear?”
“Yes, sir!” I said hoping to stay on his good side. He gave me a reluctant smile but I saw it.
“See that door?” he asked. “You go on and git up there and wait fo’ Mr. Ree.”
Who was Mr. Ree? I wondered.
The Giveaway:
$20 Amazon gift card
1 T-shirt + bunny hat (US only)
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