Booo!! (crunch, crunch…), March 5, 2001

By 

Chess Heart “paxbear” (Canton, OH) – See all my reviews

  

Unusual occurrences are becoming…well, *usual* in and around Bailey School. The third grade has a vampire for a teacher. A werewolf is the local camp counselor, and even Santa Claus has put in an appearance as the elementary school’s custodian. So, should it really be ALL that odd to find a potato chip-munching ghost at Aunt Matilda’s house??

Eddie & the gang are back in this, the 5th installment of the Bailey School Kids series. This time Eddie’s old Aunt Matilda is at home sick and Eddie’s mom has sent him over to tend to her. In addition to being a very grumpy, demanding old woman, her house appears to be haunted! Weird noises come from the creaky old attic, food left lying out is mysteriously eaten though no one is around, Aunt M. herself talks to her dead husband, potato chips fall to the ground and spell out mysterious words… Just what IS going on around here?? IS there a ghost in the attic??

Unlike the other Bailey School Kids books where the supernatural creature has a main role (vampire as teacher, leprechaun as basketball coach, etc), the ghost is not one of the main characters and seems to occupy the fringe of the story. This adds a note of realism to this series and makes it much more like a traditional ghost story (that is, creepy!). While not as outright scary as other books in the intermediate horror/spooky genre, “Ghosts Don’t…” is a departure from the more-amusing-than-scary books preceding this one. I still wouldn’t classify it as “horror” fiction, because while it does get creepy sometimes, it’s hardly horrifying.

It’s an easy read and catchy series. As an adult, I can finish off a Bailey School Kids book in about 20 minutes and have found myself working my way steadily through the series (reviewing most along the way). They’re fun and quick, and hence even children and students who don’t usually read find themselves easily reading them cover-to-cover.

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Do Ghosts Eat Potato Chips?, October 30, 2001

This book is about a boy named Eddie and his friends Howie, Lisa

and Melody who have to help take care of his great aunt

Malthida. They do not want to do it because they think she is

mean. She is sick and Eddie’s Grandma wants him to help her out.

The first day they got to her house they bring her some food

to eat that Eddie’s Grandma had made for her. On that day that

they went, Howie who likes to eat potato chips saw a ghost in

the window of Aunt Mathilda’s house. Eddie told his friend that

there is no such thing as ghosts.

The next day all the kids went back to Aunt Mathilda’s house

to bring her some more lunch to eat. It was cold so they had to

warm it up for her. While lunch was heating up Aunt Mathilda and

the kids played poker. She played really good. They played to

long that lunch burned. Since lunch had burned they got her some

fast food for lunch. Some potato chips came with her lunch and

while they sat at the table eating and talking the potato chips

disappeared. When they got back to her house they gave her the

lunch and she said she liked it. While the kids were there she

got sick and had to go to the hospital.

While Aunt Mathilda was in the hospital the kids went to the

house to prove that there is no such thing as ghosts. The

electricity went out because of a storm so they couldn’t see

very well in the attic. They saw a big trunk that looked like a

coffin. The kids all opened it at the same time and found Uncle

Jasper’s hat and what else do you think they found? You will

have to read this book to find out what they find.

I really did like this book because I like Bailey School Kids

books.

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Stevi’s Review, February 12, 2004

Ghosts Don’t Eat Potato Chips is a very good book! It is about a mean old lady who lives in an old run down house in the present. Her nephew’s name is Eddie, and Howie his best friend. His grandfather died in his attic. When Eddie was walking to his grandmother’s house, he was walking past Howie’s house. Howie came out and said, “Can I come?” “Yes Howie,” I said. When they got there, the house looked so creepy they did not want to go in. Will they ever stop being so selfish? Howie spilt his chips on accident. When he went to pick them up, they spelled A-T-T-I-C and when he looked in the attic window, there was a man. He turned around to tell Eddie. They looked and he was gone. This is a very good book, and I would recommend that you read it.It is mysterious.

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