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Alien Blue    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $5.99 USD. 108190 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 21, 2012. .

Bill Trout didn’t mean to get involved with aliens. He just wanted to run his brewery and mind his own business. But that ain’t the way things worked out, and now he’s got some bodies to bury, an alien to hide, and his best friend to talk some sense into. Except Mayor Jack ain’t one for sense. Nothing for it but to make some beer...
Paid    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 9500 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 9, 2012. .

First published in Crossed Genres #30, "Luck." Time travel in a multiverse sounded great…except that some of inventor Beauregard’s alternate selves aren’t so nice. Now he’s a private dick hiring himself out to try to clean up the mess he made. And, of course, trying to get paid.
My Mom Ate My Homework    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 3620 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 1, 2012. .

Aya's mom just told her to pick up her stuff for the 1,001th time...she was almost going to pick it up for reals, but then her mom gets turned into a cleanicidal vacuum cyborg. And now Aya's almost late for school...
People Juice    by Diane R. Thompson
Price: $0.99 USD. 3660 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 27, 2012. .

If there’s one thing that can ruin your workday, it’s getting harassed. Beautiful, blonde Jackie has figured out how to handle it—most of the time. But last Friday she almost got snagged in the parking lot by a guy in a hoodie wearing too much aftershave, and now she’s out for revenge.
The Test    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 12660 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 18, 2012. .

Mari von Ingler is good for nothing, not making sausages or sewing a straight line or anything of use in her village, so her father arranges for her to be an apprentice to a mage...but only if she can pass the mage’s test.
Ebooks 101: Beginning Formatting    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $2.99 USD. 9580 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 5, 2012. .

So you’re thinking about selling ebooks, but you don’t know where to start, what ebook software to use, or how to format an ebook. Using this book, you will learn to format your ebooks, what materials you need, and where to publish. For beginning users only. Includes checklists, step-by-step instructions, and templates.
Secret Magic in Small Places    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $5.99 USD. 39540 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on January 1, 2012. .

Inside every ordinary life hides a few instances of secret magic. The intuition you can’t explain. The coincidence that can’t possibly be true. Ten stories that capture that incredible moment before the wonder is hidden again.
The Exotics: Tigerlilly (A Short Story)    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 5470 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on December 21, 2011. .

After Rachael’s friend doesn’t return on the first day of second grade, she asks her mother to find her new address so they can be pen pals. But Rachael’s mother can’t find Brenna’s family anywhere: it’s like they were erased.
The Exotics Book 1: The Floating Menagerie    by De Kenyon
Price: $2.99 USD. 25350 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on December 15, 2011. .

(4.00)
When Rachael's mom disappears and she finds out that her second-grade classmate Raul might know something about it, she follows him into a trap and is kidnapped onto a mysterious ship along with a group of kids who can turn into magical animals--Exotics. She has to find a way to escape the ship and rescue the Exotics who are waiting to be sold as pets...or are they?
The Procrustean Mirror    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 4570 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on November 23, 2011. .

Tom tracked his wife as far as the Zorcico before he ran out of leads. Now the bartender’s trying to tell him he can either have what’s in an old wooden box, or he can find out what Betty was coming to the dive bar for. “What’s in the box?” he asks. “Your marriage.”
The Cliff House    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 6010 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on November 18, 2011. .

Ardahl loves his land, even though he’s been crippled in its service and trapped in the Cliff House to work the magic that brings water. But using the magic twists the land so tightly that it must break, sooner or later...
Threads of Life, Threads of Guilt    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 5770 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on November 8, 2011. .

Mattie’s ready to give up when her twin, Matt, drags her to Casa Eva, reputed to be St. Augustine’s “fountain of youth” for cancer patients. But can she be cured of losing her will to live?
Creators of Small Worlds    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 5040 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on November 3, 2011. .

Andrea had one chance to talk to Chris Demoulin before he unleashed horror on Las Vegas—and failed. Now the question isn’t, “could she have stopped him?” but, “can she keep stop herself from becoming just like him?”
The Woods Behind Grandmother's House    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 7280 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on October 29, 2011. .

Ellen warned her fiance Philip not to get involved with the Rockford brothers. But now he has gone with them down a dark path heavy with deadfalls and demons, and only she can bring him back.
Hand of Glory    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 13060 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on October 19, 2011. .

When you're in an online gaming guild, when the leader says to kill, you kill. You show up on time or you get kicked. You do the job. And you never break loyalty, no matter how much drama is going on.
The Vengeance Quilt    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 10090 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on October 14, 2011. .

God’s work weighs on Sebastian, a new priest, harder than most. But dealing with demons is his penance, and God never makes a burden harder than you can carry. Or so he believes when the rivalry between two of his parishioners spirals into the supernatural. A Weird West tale.
Tales Told Under the Covers: Zombie Girl Invasion & Other Stories    by De Kenyon
Price: $5.99 USD. 50290 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on October 10, 2011. .

Ten tales of death, invasions from other realms, bullies, babysitters, liars, and the brave kids who fight back. Zombie girls who have to hide, lest they get eaten by bigger zombies. Food that bites back. Wizards who are scared of their own power. Murdered (and murderous) pets. Secret superpowers. And that last, great voyage into the unknown.
The Edge of the World    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 7060 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on October 6, 2011. .

His best friend Felix kidnapped him on dragonback to make him go to his abuser’s funeral, then tried to blackmail him into abducting changlings for them—the same thing that had happened to him. Fairies suck.
Basement Noir    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 4730 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on September 28, 2011. .

Everybody's got some hidden faces they don't show the world...but what happens when they start killing each other off? P.I. Spade is created out of dreams and memories to investigate the the murder of a personality, only to learn that the crime he was sent to investigate isn't the one he needs to solve.
The Last Voyage of the Mermaid    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 8440 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on September 22, 2011. .

Arnold had always imagined himself as Captain Hook--only he would never have chased around that little dolt Peter. He wanted better treasures, ones that Peter had taken for granted until it was too late.
Factory Above, Factory Below    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 7740 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on September 15, 2011. .

“If you’re really bad,” the Teachers had said, “the robots will come and take you Below.” Well, Connor had been really bad this time, and now the robots were coming. Connor couldn’t wait.
The Scaredy Wizard of Theornin    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 8160 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on September 8, 2011. .

Cormish won’t stop bullying Aster until she steals the wizard’s spell book for him. But does he have to breathe down her neck the whole time? It takes more than five minutes to break into a wizard’s house, especially when it’s raining so hard, no matter how mean Cormish is.
Miracle, Texas    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 8610 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on September 2, 2011. .

0.5 star(4.50)
The man rode into Amazon Valley the same way they all did, blindfolded, hooded, and with his hands tied behind his back. Men were trouble, and Justine liked them that way. A Weird West tale.
Lady of the Floods    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 5460 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on August 26, 2011. .

The gods can build in a single night a tower that would require the toil of many men over many seasons. Balathu, chief of scribes, brings the King’s offerings. Balathu is a virtuous man, but the tools of the gods are lovely in his sight, and in the sight of the King. Truly, weak men are always seized by fate.
Which Is Bigger, the Moon or an Elephant? and Other Stupid Questions    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 7360 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on August 19, 2011. .

Antonia does not need a babysitter. She has her CPR certification and a list of emergency contact numbers. But the babysitter isn’t a normal high school girl who just wants to watch TV and call her boyfriend...but a mean, sarcastic teen who wants to scare them all.
Blind Spot    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 5180 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on August 12, 2011. .

Maxine invented a modern art technological miracle: a mirror that shows the world...without the viewer. But Thomas, who follows her through illusion after illusion to find the real woman,science sees what she can't: that people will kill to get her algorithms.
Devil Mountain    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 6850 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on August 5, 2011. .

The alien called him her beloved devil for tempting her away from her brood and tried to make him promise not to take revenge if the other humans didn't understand their love. Now he’s on top of Devil Mountain, looking down at the town that murdered his wife, and he has no promises to keep.
Monsoon    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 4320 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on July 27, 2011. .

0.5 star(4.50)
Too old to flirt with the Norwegian meditation teacher. Too young for menopause.
Things You Don't Want But Have to Take    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 8310 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on July 19, 2011. .

She hid from the thing for years, but it found her and came to her in a box with no real return address and her own handwriting on the label. She knew what would happen if she tried to fight the cold thing with its claws in her neck. Her only hope was to hide it from her husband...
Chance Damnation: A Tale of the Weird West    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $5.99 USD. 82550 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on July 13, 2011. .

0.5 star(4.50)
A little girl with the power of a God. Invaders from another world. When demons rewrite history on the Great Plains, three brothers follow one of their own into a strange Hell to change it back.
Letters to Thorbin    by Brittney Wentzel
Price: Free! 4330 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on July 7, 2011. .

(5.00)
August 5, 2010, was the best and the worst day of my life. On that day I married my best friend, my rock, my hero—and on the same day we lost our son, Thorbin, at 14 weeks due to heart complications. I wanted to share my story of this past year in hope of helping others who have gone though the same thing as we have.
Family Gods    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 3780 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on July 6, 2011. .

A young soldier returns from a war to bury his mother, only to find that his wife has betrayed him. Now, in order to save his daughter from the same conflagration that consumed his mother, he has to learn how to tame the rage inside him...a rage made stronger and more violent by the family god, a god of murder, fire, and anger that has haunted them for generations.
The Society of Secret Cats    by De Kenyon
Price: Free! 5230 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on June 28, 2011. .

0.5 star(4.50)
What if cats were really there to guard your dreams? When his human girl becomes lost in a nightmare, Ferntail must lead her home again...but he doesn't know the way, either. Will a mysterious and beautiful cat from the Society of Secret Cats lead them home...or further astray?
Tales from the Pirate Moon, Episode 1: The Coffin of Infinite Time    by Kitty Lafontaine
Price: $0.99 USD. 6940 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on June 22, 2011. .

A bounty hunter, a sword-dancing trollop, and a space pirate walk into a bar...the Hundred Hive on Pirate Moon. Who will walk out when the Hive attacks, trying to recapture their lost home...and their hidden Queen?
Lanes of the Living Dead    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 3140 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on June 15, 2011. .

It ain’t easy being divorced. But Bart’s ex-wife’s lawyer, also a voodoo priest, didn’t make it any easier.
How to Fail & Keep on Writing    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $2.99 USD. 14960 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on June 7, 2011. .

Afraid of rejections? So afraid that you never put your stories in the mail? This book will show you how to overcome fear of failure when It comes to writing, submitting, and publishing your fiction.
The Debt: A Zombie Tale    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 1790 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on June 1, 2011. .

He hired Dr. Skalos to put his brother to rest. He paid and paid and paid, yet still his brother walks, and hungers...
Class Pet from Beyond the Grave    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 6690 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 27, 2011. .

A ghost haunts the teachers’ toilet, but Fox & Hare Paranormal Investigations faces worse something worse than a ghost when they investigate the case of a missing class pet: murder.
A Picture is Worth 1000 Chomps    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 6330 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 20, 2011. .

Seth uncovers shy girl Tony's secret talent: she can make images come to life, but she can't control the evil, hungry monsters that she creates.
Mother & Child    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 2380 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 11, 2011. .

A family that goes on separate vacations in virtual reality...only to find that the mom won't come back. A girl who finds her life's calling not in nurturing, dolls or motherhood, but in a classmate's pain. A mother who refuses to let her daughter get judged on a so-called Judgment Day. Three short stories of mothers, children, and the uncanny bonds between them.
Abominable    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 3370 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on May 4, 2011. .

When a guy finds the love of his life and works his fingers to the bone to get her what she wants, he doesn't expect her to fall in love with a...a sheep farmer. Trapped in a blizzard, a guy who gave up everything to be with his wife discovers there's still more to give. Something warm.
Death by Chocolate    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $2.99 USD. 21130 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 28, 2011. .

Ellie doesn’t like chocolate. So when the Devil makes her a deal—she can be skinny, pretty and immortal, but if she ever eats chocolate, she’s going to Hell—she takes it. Then the bad boy at the top of her sexual bucket list appears.. She’s tempted, but she trusts him even less than she trusts the Devil…
The Business That Must Be Conducted in the Dark    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 4890 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 28, 2011. .

Does it bother you to be a slave?
Attack of the 50-Foot Sushi Monster    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 4040 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 21, 2011. .

When Cat holds her birthday party at a sushi restaurant, she doesn’t expect her meal to attack! How can one girl defeat a 50-foot-tall monster made out of raw fish, rice, and seaweed?
Zombie Girl Invasion    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 3520 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 14, 2011. .

Neil hates zombies. Neil hates girls. Dang ol’ zombie girl.
Bunny Attack!    by De Kenyon
Price: $0.99 USD. 3280 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 7, 2011. .

When Marina forgets to feed her vicious pet bunny, Nibbles turns into a terrible monster who eats everything in sight. How can Marina survive?
Haunted Empire    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $2.99 USD. 23070 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on April 7, 2011. .

SF Adventure in the vein of Firefly/Serenity: When Aoife Cavenaugh is kidnapped by her thieving, smuggling bastard of a cousin-in-law, she's torn between the need to avenge her beloved cousin and her greed for the research lab on his spaceship. If only she can trick him into satisfying both of her obsessions...
A Fly in Amber    by DeAnna Knippling
Price: $0.99 USD. 2250 words. Published by Wonderland Press  on February 20, 2011. .

(4.00)
Three bottles of the Shackleton Scotch have returned to Scotland over 100 years after the failed Antarctic expedition. But how do they taste?


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Wonderland Press's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Wonderland Press

  • Dark Faith on Jan. 23, 2011
    star star star star
    Note - I read slush for Apex; this is an Apex book. A collection of short stories related to faith. Some of them went for the cheap tricks, but here were some of my favorites: The Mad Eyes of the Heron King - Richard Dansky. All herons are the Heron King. Scrawl - Tom Piccirilli. About a humble writer of porn. Cracked me up. The Days of Flaming Motorcycles - Catherynne Valente. Borders on the edge of hipsterism but still shines. Sandboys - Richard Wright. Two boys made out of sand on the seashore. It's a good thing when you read a collection and go, "Not bad," after you finish a story. None of these were quite immortal, but definitely on the high side of very good.
  • Walter's Bucket List on April 13, 2011
    star star star star
    Warning! Spoiler in next paragraph! This was a woman's version of the beginning of the movie Up, and I thought it was very sweet. The middle slowed me, like a series of pictures flying by, but the end more than made up for it.
  • Blood on the Ice on April 27, 2011
    star star star star
    Hammie's parents make him wear a mouth guard when he plays hockey for the Fighting Aardvarks. Why wouldn't they? They're dentists. The Aardvarks are going nowhere, until a new player joins, and half the team is sucking down raw-meat smoothies. It's up to Hammie, an incompetent vampire hunter, a hot librarian, and pair of dental extractors to save the team...and the world. There is nothing like a good farce like this (think Hudson Hawk) to put a smile on your face :)
  • Troubleshooters: The Longest Joke Ever Told on April 27, 2011
    star star star star
    With every obsession comes a price. Fortunately Mr. Whitecastle has the money. He hires assassin Angel, brain-modded hacker Haiwee, and monowheel-racing Camaro to help him recover one of three antique bottles...and destroy the other two. Selfish? Petty? Insane? They're not there to judge. They're just there to get paid. Fast-paced, alternately smart-aleck and deadly SF heist action.
  • Pariah's Moon on April 27, 2011
    star star star star
    The fun thing about this book was the way you got to go directly from a high-fantasy world into the Old West, but fantasy style. The high-fantasy world is full of all the melodrama of medieval politics (especially sexual politics), and the shift from that to the Old West-world of, well, rape, murder, and swindling the folks Back Home is like jumping into a cold pool on a hot day. Yeah, those elves are lying, cheating SOBs, but at least they're relatively honest. A clever variation for the Weird West subgenre (which I love). Good characters, fast action, and lots of bloody revenge.
  • Shattered - A Wizard's Work Book One on April 27, 2011
    star star star star
    Disclaimer: I know Mark. We met at a story-marketing workshop, and over the course of the workshop, he kept using his book as an example in his questions. By the time the workshop was over, I was sold. It's my reader candy...fantasy, intrigue, yeah. My kind of thing. What you have here is a high-fantasy novel that's not so much in the vein of Tolkein as it is in the vein of Stephen R. Donaldson's Mirror of Her Dreams/A Man Rides Through. Not as many plot twists (but lots of good red herrings), not as much blood (but there's a good one in there). A solid, put-your-feet-up, enjoyable fantasy book.
  • How to Cook Husbands: A Creepy Story on June 29, 2011
    star star star star star
    Hee hee hee hee! I don't want to spoil it :)
  • Beyond Reach: Book 1 of the Beyond Saga on July 07, 2011
    star star star star
    Assassins, monkeys, and true love--oh my! Solid SF Adventure in a dark vein - almost, but not quite, romantic. An enjoyable diversion :)
  • Mutable Things on Aug. 18, 2011
    star star star star
    Interesting premise, characters, lots of action (and sex). There is just nothing wrong with this book. If that was all it was, though, I probably would have blown it off. However, she gets into a lot of depth (but not preachiness) about the expectations that young women face. "Be what your lover wants you to be" isn't something that just empaths have to face. Philosophical meat to a catchy thriller. Very nice.
  • The Magic Carpet on Oct. 16, 2011
    star star star star
    **** Recommended. I read it all the way through in one evening. About 140 pages. In short: Harry Potter meets the Arabian Nights. The main character is a girl, but boys play a strong role in this adventure as well. The story starts out with Ruby, whose mother wants her to grow up to be a normal person, despite the fact that she has an obviously magic purse and gets mail from her mother by having the wind blow it to her. But red-headed Ruby isn’t cut out for a normal life (some people aren’t), and when her mother forbids her from going up to the attic the same day that her grandmother tells her that her birthday present is up there…well, goodbye normal. I won’t be giving too much away if I say her birthday present strongly resembles the object in the title of the book. However, the first thing that Ruby does with said present, after being magically and wonderfully (and thirstily) transported to a mysterious country in the desert, is LOSE it. It’s not her fault–she had no idea that magic carpets were so picky–but it’s her job to get it back from the evil half-genie madman who stole it from her.
  • Young Guns on Oct. 18, 2011
    star star star star star
    A cop, a dad, or a superhero? The main character's daughter, who, if I remember correctly, is sixteen or seventeen, has the same superpowers as her father, but chooses to use them with the young guns. A nice story about reconciling the irreconcilable.
  • Vermin on Oct. 18, 2011
    star star star star
    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Get it off get it OFF! This was a straightforward but spectacularly EWWW horror short story. A couple of exterminators have to clean up a house that's rumored to be haunted and discover more than they bargained for: it's either going to be a retread or it's going to be a classic, depending on the way it's pulled off, right? It's a classic. YUCK. I hate bugs.
  • Vermin on Oct. 18, 2011
    star star star star
    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Get it off get it OFF! This was a straightforward but spectacularly EWWW horror short story. A couple of exterminators have to clean up a house that's rumored to be haunted and discover more than they bargained for: it's either going to be a retread or it's going to be a classic, depending on the way it's pulled off, right? It's a classic. YUCK. I hate bugs.
  • Jack Dervish, Super Spy on Dec. 04, 2011
    star star star star
    In short: After Jack's superspy parents go missing, he hides in their secret lair for years...learning how to be the perfect spy. Now he has to face a terrible challenge: in order to find his parents, he has to to learn how to act like a normal kid. Jack Dervish's parents disappeared when he was four years old. He was smart enough to hide out in his parents' secret lair under the house, even after new people moved in upstairs. Living off his parents' savings and by using the Internet, Jack survived more or less alone. But on his twelfth birthday, Jack finally realizes that a) he cannot accept that his parents are dead and b) they aren't going to be able to come back on their own. He decides to go on a quest to rescue them; however, he has no idea where they could be, or what they were involved in when they left (well, he was four). He decides that the only way to search for his parents is to go into the outside world. And that means...pretending to be a normal kid. After eight years in his parents' secret hideout with nobody to talk to (except for a few people over the Internet), it won't be easy. Despite making a ton of mistakes (including deciding that "Rasputin" is a good name for a kid), Jack faces down bullies, fools the school into thinking he's from a foreign country, and makes a couple of friends that like him despite his really weird way of doing things. However, Isobel is one of the worst friends that he could have made; her father works for the Homeland Security Office...and is out to capture Jack and find the truth of where he really lives, and the source of all his gadgets. The thing is, Mr. Spencer knows something about Jack's parents...why else would he have a picture of them? I had a lot of fun reading this. Jack does not fit in, and that's what fifth grade was all about for me: being smart and not fitting in. If you enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society or the Artemis Fowl books, I highly recommend this book. I thought the beginning was a little silly--a four year old living on his own? Really?--but hey, why not? This looks like the start of a fun series. Lots of gadgets, traps, and sneaking about.
  • Fright Files: The Broken Thing on Dec. 28, 2011
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    In short: Stevie likes horror movies and books…but when he discovers a real haunted house and a real haunting, he chickens out and has to be dragged into finding out more by his best friend, Angie. What they discover is a threat to their lives and the ones they love. Stevie, a big horror movie and book fan, is also the victim of bullies in Nohope, Vermont. The bullies chase him into some woods that are supposed to be, if not haunted, then at least too creepy to be running around in. While there, Stevie finds a broken doll-thing that almost seems to move in his hand–the doll is later stolen by the bullies. Soon afterwards, Stevie’s mom gets into a car crash (she doesn’t die) trying to avoid a ghostly, broken-looking girl in the middle of the road…a girl who wants to get back something that was stolen. Stevie and his best friend Angie, another horror fan, find out that the ghost used to be a girl who lived at a house just past the creepy woods…a girl who supposedly murdered her whole family, then killed herself. Stevie’s teacher doesn’t believe in ghost stories (but likes local legends), yet recommends they talk to his dad, who has a different, even scarier opinion of the old house… Okay, admittedly, with Goosebumps, sometimes you just have to laugh. Some of the situations that people get into are just too funny, especially when compared with adult horror movies. The Broken Thing, however much it may go in the Goosebumbs category, provides a few more chills than that. What makes the thrills just slightly annoying is that there are so many cliffhangers that lead to fake-outs–it wasn’t the monster sneaking up on them, it was only his sister! kind of things. But that’s a minor quibble. The characters were fun, the action exciting, and the slow parts tinged with creepiness. A couple of silly moments…but sometimes you just have to have a little cheese with your screams.
  • Fright Files: The Broken Thing on Dec. 28, 2011
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    In short: Stevie likes horror movies and books…but when he discovers a real haunted house and a real haunting, he chickens out and has to be dragged into finding out more by his best friend, Angie. What they discover is a threat to their lives and the ones they love. Stevie, a big horror movie and book fan, is also the victim of bullies in Nohope, Vermont. The bullies chase him into some woods that are supposed to be, if not haunted, then at least too creepy to be running around in. While there, Stevie finds a broken doll-thing that almost seems to move in his hand–the doll is later stolen by the bullies. Soon afterwards, Stevie’s mom gets into a car crash (she doesn’t die) trying to avoid a ghostly, broken-looking girl in the middle of the road…a girl who wants to get back something that was stolen. Stevie and his best friend Angie, another horror fan, find out that the ghost used to be a girl who lived at a house just past the creepy woods…a girl who supposedly murdered her whole family, then killed herself. Stevie’s teacher doesn’t believe in ghost stories (but likes local legends), yet recommends they talk to his dad, who has a different, even scarier opinion of the old house… Okay, admittedly, with Goosebumps, sometimes you just have to laugh. Some of the situations that people get into are just too funny, especially when compared with adult horror movies. The Broken Thing, however much it may go in the Goosebumbs category, provides a few more chills than that. What makes the thrills just slightly annoying is that there are so many cliffhangers that lead to fake-outs–it wasn’t the monster sneaking up on them, it was only his sister! kind of things. But that’s a minor quibble. The characters were fun, the action exciting, and the slow parts tinged with creepiness. A couple of silly moments…but sometimes you just have to have a little cheese with your screams.
  • Thunderbird on Jan. 20, 2012
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    In short: Twins Janine and Justin are stuck at their father’s dinosaur-digging camp for the summer. While most kids would be thrilled, they’ve seen it all before. However, when Janine is called to find a mysterious egg for a mythological creature (the thunderbird), they’re both drawn on a quest through the regular world and the spirit world in order to save the creature from dying. When I read like a kid (I’m actually a grown up, despite what my daughter might say), I think differently than I do as an adult. Some kids’ books you can read as an adult (like Harry Potter), but some kids’ books you have to read like a kid (like Goosebumps). This book is a book you should really read as a kid, and that’s a good thing. When twins Janine and Justin take off without their father knowing where they’re going to follow a magical quest, my adult brain wanted to go, “No! Bad bad! Kids shouldn’t take off without their parents!” but it’s a book. So I turned off that part of my brain and just enjoyed the book for what it is, which is an adventure story. You know, a story in which people do stuff that they wouldn’t normally do, which, you know, most kids can figure out that they shouldn’t take off on magical quests without at least leaving their parents a note first. One thing my adult brain really got into–Justin and Janine end up making part of their lengthy journey through the spirit world. As an adult, I’ve read a lot of stuff about traveling through various spirit worlds that just leaves me bored, but the adult side of me found the spirit world described here just as interesting as my kid brain did. I really enjoyed the fact that it changes depending on who your guide is? Loved it. Fast action, not a lot of blah blah blah, good characters, interesting plot and locations: this book receives my kid-brain seal of approval.
  • The Other Side of Hell on Jan. 25, 2012
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    This is a memoir about a guy who is so wound up in the way his wife leaves him that he does a lot of stupid things. At least, that's the way it starts out: he ignores his daughter, starts doing drugs, lets a ton of druggies in his house, gets in trouble with drug dealers, goes to jail, and starts acting like a real tough guy in order to defend his...something. Manliness? The first chapters are very well described, very candidly, and (better yet) with an honesty that goes beyond blame. He describes each step he takes to dig himself deeper and deeper into an animalistic, inhuman life of enjoying scaring the crap out of other people, pre-emptively. Fortunately, his cellie, Ray, gives him some tips on how to dig himself back up, and the author realizes that down is just not the place to be. It isn't an overnight salvation; this isn't the kind of change you could sum up as a movie montage. As the author slowly pulls himself out of a world of violence and pain, he realizes that he's created that world; he created his suffering; he abandoned and hurt the people he loved the most, because he couldn't get over himself. It's a long road for a non-epic-fantasy-length book, but it manages to get most of it in there. My only disappointment was that the ending seemed abrupt--he seems almost to skim over the last couple of insights he has before he gets out of prison, and they seemed pretty important. Otherwise, a good thinker of a read, even if you haven't been to prison :) How we create the situations around us, and how to stop blaming the world instead of ourselves.