Monday, March 21, 2011

Book Review- Midnight Howl (A Poison Apples Book)

By Clare Hutton
Published by Scholastic
Released on February 1st, 2011
Source- Book from publisher for review
4.5 Stars- It's a Great Read

Poison Apple Books: Thrilling. Bone-chilling. These books have bite!

Marisol and her mom move from the city to rural Montana for a few months, and stay with family friends and their twin children, Jack and Hailey. Marisol loves looking at the stars so far away from city lights, but she feels creeped out by the woods right by their house. She's even more scared when her new friend Lily warns her about the wolves there -- wolves that are most dangerous around the full moon. When she notices Hailey disappear several times late at night, Marisol starts to wonder...could she be friends with a werewolf? (quoted from Goodreads)

Midnight Howl is a great read for middle graders who love paranormal reads. Marisol is a fun character to get to know! She's down to earth, loyal, and true to herself. Not only do I love that she's from Austin, TX, but I was excited to go with her to Wolf Valley, Montana, as her mother moved them there for three months while their apartment is being renovated. Leaving behind her best friend was a little hard, but Marisol quickly discovers there's adventures to be had in out doors, a cute boy, horseback riding, and a mystery surrounding the small town, that has to do with werewolves.

I loved that Marisol not only developed a fascination for wolves, but she loves the beautiful night sky and becomes a member of the Astronomy club. One of my favorite scenes is when they go camping. It brought back fun memories of being out in the middle of the woods, surrounded by beautiful mountains, telling scary stories by a roaring campfire.

Midnight Howl is a fun book to read with it's fun characters, it's fantatic setting, and great paranormal twist. If I had been in middle grade when I read this, it would be one of my favorite reads. This is the first Poison Apples Book I've read, and I like that the series is written so fans don't need to read the books in order. I recommend this book to 5th graders and up.

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~