Scream street: Blood of the witch, book two by Tommy Donbavand.

117 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 9-13
Rating: Wizard

G.H.O.U.L., Government Housing of Unusual Life-forms, has designated Scream street a community for the supernatural. Luke and his parents are forced to move there after Luke transforms into a werewolf on his tenth birthday. His parents, however, live in constant fear of their new monstrous neighbors. Luke quickly befriends two other kids – a mummy named Cleo and Resus, a normal boy in a vampire family. In order for Luke to open a doorway and return his parents home, he must find all six relics listed in the ancient book, Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street. But before they can even begin their quest, the blood supplied to resident vampires on tap is suddenly blocked off. Sir Otto Sneer, the landlord of Scream street is infecting all the rats and residents with vampire energy to raise an army and obtain the powerful relics for himself. Will the children unblock the blood supply in time? Will Luke save his parents from becoming vampires? Perfect for Goosebumps fans, this story sizzles with grisly, ghoulish, and ghastly fun. Each volume focuses on getting one of the sacred relics. The black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout range from full page pictures to strategically placed globs of blood, spider-webs, claws dripping with gore and bats. The author includes a pictorial gallery of residents, a keyed map and a short synopsis of the series so far. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit www.childrenslit.com)

Invasion of the Appleheads by Annette and Gina Cascone
188 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 8-12
Rating: Wizard

When Katie's family moves to the sleepy town of Appleton, Katie and her brother Andy imagine endless days of boredom. They were very wrong. On the night before Halloween their parents take them to a haunted hayride at the local apple orchard where things get interesting but not in a good way. According to legend the orchard was once owned by a witch who used a potion to poison the apples and turned all the children into zombies. The ghouls and witches running the orchard are eerily realistic. Their parents, thinking they'd finally hit pay dirt with something cool for the kids, don't see what's really happening until it's too late. The kids discover that the witches are using the apple cider to turn the adults into appleheads and the kids into zombies. Katie and Andy must team together, use their wits and find a way to stop the invasion and save their parents and the town. Cascone offers up a roller coaster ride of spooky fun. There is no need for illustrations with such creepy and grotesquely detailed descriptions of the evil taking over the town. Though the parents are a bit clueless, this approach does allow for the children to solve the mystery unimpeded. The story ends abruptly with the hint of the next disaster looming allowing readers to imagine one their own what comes next. This book is part of the Deadtime Stories series, but each installment stands alone with unique characters.
(This book was provided for review by children's lit - www.childrenslit.com )