The Ghoul Brothers

by
Lee Wardlaw

illustrated by

Brian Floca

Troll, September 1996, 58 pp.
ISBN: 0-8167-4124-7

Genre: Early Chapter
Subgenres: Fiction / Halloween
Reviewed: 11/11/2003

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

Trick-or-Treating as a Ghoul Brother

"Let's double-check that we have everything," I said. "Extra make-up"

"Check."

"Treat bags?"

"Check."

"Secret Weapon?"

Chip patted his pocket and grinned a ghoulish grin. "Check."

"Be home before seven," Mom called after us.

"We will."

"Don't go into Johnson's Woods after dark."

"We won't."

"Don't forget your sister."

Chip and I froze.

"Sister?" I asked, pretending to act surprised. "The Ghoul Brothers don't have a sister. You must have mistaken us for the Goblin Brothers."

Mom didn't hear. "Daphne!" she called. "The boys are ready to go!"

My little sister tippy-toed out of her bedroom. She was dressed as a butterfly. She wore a froo-froo skirt and frilly wings. Two feelers on her head bobbed with every step. Boing-Boing.

Chip moaned.

I groaned.
 

Synopsis
Nick and Chip are in fourth grand and are the best of friends. Heather, who happens to have a crush on Nick after he accidentally gave her the wrong card on Valentine's Day, gives both boys invitations to her Halloween party. She will be giving away a big prize for the spookiest, scariest costume. Nick and Chip decided then and there that they are going to win that prize.

On Halloween, they dress up as The Ghoul Brothers, a two headed ghoul. But just as they are about to go out trick-or-treating, Nick's mom sends along his little sister, Daphne, and she is dressed as a cute little butterfly! How are the boys going to scare anybody with a butterfly flittering around them? How can they ever hope to win the grand prize at the party?

The Ghoul Brothers is a fiction story about Halloween by Lee Wardlaw. The book is illustrated by Brian Floca. This story is intended for early chapter book readers in 3rd to 4th grade.
 

Review

The Ghoul Brothers is an enjoyable tale about two friends who want to be scary on Halloween. The only problem is that they have a little sister tagging along ruining all their fun. The ending has a little twist that I thought was very entertaining.

Having been an Elementary School Teacher, Lee Wardlaw knows how to write about children. She portrays these fourth graders perfectly and I found myself chuckling at their antics. I read this book to my 8-year old daughter just a few days after Halloween, and she really liked the story.

Overall, The Ghoul Brothers by Lee Wardlaw is a fun story that can be enjoyed by children of all ages. After all, what child doesn't love Halloween with all the ghosts and goblins...oh yeah, and the free candy!

I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.

This site was created and is maintained by Conan Tigard
2003