More great scary stories from the Haunted Mansion. And they all weave together to form a single story somehow. Very appropriate for middle graders that love a good scare and still fun for adults as well.

These stories were great "light-hearted" scarey stories - perfect for Halloween time without getting too creepy/spooky. I enjoyed how volume one and two flowed together with some overlap of places and characters. This would be perfect for kiddos testing the spooky story waters to see if they enjoy them.

This book was a great mix of brooding/dark paired with hilarious moments of self reflection. Gav's complete loss of memory may be the best thing that's ever happened to him, if he can survive the upcoming dark wizard ritual without knowing about it.

It isn't always easy to be good, and Gav hopes he can learn - or at least no be evil. 

I little informative of how Allanon found the Ohmsfords, but I'm not sure how much it really added to the story yet. Maybe once it's paired with the other short stories they will form a better picture.

This was a fun guy with a player reputation meets good girl storyline. A little predictable with the back and forth, will they won't they aspects. But the kids really helped showcase Seth's personality and desire to be there for all of Jenny's family. Jenny was a little too worried about her reputation at times. The fact that she had been burned before by a playboy seemed like a far better reason and wasn't really fleshed out as much as I think it could have been.

A very slow start. It wasn't until around halfway through that the story picked up and got interesting. I loved the addition of the new doorway and the journey Sally went on, both physically and emotionally. I just wish we'd seen more of Zero.

The House of Frank is an amazing story full of magic, cherubs, half-gargoyles, and fairy creatures. It touches on so many topics and handles them with such care and understanding. From found family, the many stages and types of grief, and owning your strengths and weaknesses. Saika arrives at Ash Gardens prepared to bury her sister's ashes, but has cold feet. When Frank asks her to stay until she is ready, she finds herself the newest employee/resident. But Ash Gardens has a few problems - it's fally apart, and Saika may have the knowledge to help fix it. 

As the residents of Ash Garden work to save the house, they become their own family, supporting each other, fighting with each other, and in the end, saving each other. 

I always thought Hades was a great character in Disney. Seeing his "other self" fight against his fate, making friends and forging connections with The Odd Sisters. He is far more of a hero in this story than a villain, and I really enjoyed seeing him get a bit of a happily ever after.

I'm not sure which fairy tale was supposed to be represented in this book. Not the worst thing, because it was quite adventurous and revealed a lot of little secrets that had been hanging out in the background. I saw a lot of more of Madame and learned more about who (and what) she may be as her daughters unravel some of her plans. I was very hesitant about this series after the first book, but I'm glad I've stuck with it as they are getting better each time, and the story is getting very intriguing. It really doesn't hurt that the animals are super cute.

An interesting and very different follow-up to Holes. Armpit is a good kid (teenager) trying to make something of his life, and it all spirals out of control - mostly because of other people. A bit of a rollercoaster ride of emotions, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It's definitely there, but it's a bit unclear and unresolved at the same time.