“Listen to Mr. Realist,” Sally mocked. “He doesn’t believe in ghosts even though a tree almost ate him an hour ago.”


During the ‘80s and ‘90s Christopher Pike wrote some really good books for young adults, and also for much younger kids. The Spooksville series is aimed at the later. His young adult books were marked by some good writing, and his content appealed to teenagers who were a bit more mature than the average young adult. Here, Pike began a marvelously fun series for pre-teen kids which has a great deal of charm and humor mixed in with the spookiness.

Parents need not worry — at least with the first entry — about it being too dark. This is miles milder than Harry Potter, just to give you a reference point. Pike sets a swift pace and while young children will be enthralled with all the wild and weird aspects of Springville/Spooksville, and there is some mild danger, the tone has a fun bend to it. Children will sense that their pint-sized heroes are going to be okay — this is a series, after all — which allows them to enjoy the thrills without taking them “too” seriously.

The Secret Path begins the series, as twelve-year-old Adam Freeman has just moved to Springville. The opening scene helping his dad unload the moving fan is charming, immediately endearing the reader — young or old — to Adam and the setting. Adam has just moved to Springville from Kansas City, and when his dad sends him to the local store for a six-pack of Coke he meets the tall-for-her-age and precocious Sally Wilcox. She is immediately smitten with Adam and it’s quite charming how Pike writes the kids and the way they interact. Sally explains to Adam about the town, and all the weird things that happen in Spooksville. When a skeptical Adam asks Sally how long she’s lived here, he gets this response:

“Twelve years. All my life. I’m one of the lucky ones.” — Sally

“You mean, it’s really neat living in Springville?” — Adam

“No. I mean I’m lucky to be alive still. Not all kids last twelve years in Spooksville.” — Sally

Despite the ominous tone, Pike injects a lot of humor into the story, most notably through the interactions of Adam, Sally, and Watch. Even as an adult, I found myself laughing several times at their dialog, which rang true for nice kids this age. Apparently the town was founded long ago by a witch named Madeline Templeton. She is related to Ann Templeton, who lives in a castle and may have a small hold on Adam.

Adam’s trip to the market quickly turns into a quest by the trio of friends to find the secret path. Following the riddle given them by Bum, their search to discover the alternate Spooksvilles take them to the blooded tree, and of course, the cemetery. It really gets fun when the trio become separated. Can they escape a black knight and live skeletons? There is a dungeon, and some neat stuff with an hourglass before it’s all over, or perhaps just beginning.

This is the start for Adam, Sally and Watch, and it’s sweetly done, moving quickly so that a child in the 8-12 age range won’t be bored. It may in fact seem tame to children at the older end of that range, considering all that’s been published since Harry Potter, but I feel that’s part of its charm. Despite the weirdness and the crazy supernatural elements, there is almost a retro feel to this series — yet not so retro that today’s kids won’t enjoy it. I enjoyed Spooksville even as an adult reader, and think a lot of kids will love this. I’ll be going through the series, and The Howling Ghost is the next one on my list. Great fun.

“Just another day in Spooksville. You’ll get used to Sundays like this.” — Sally

“I hope not.” — Adam ( )

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9788440668691

Twelve year old Adam Freeman and his family have just moved from Kansas City to the small town of Springville on the West Coast. He isn't happy about the move, but on his first day in town he meets Sally and Watch, two kids who have grown up in Springville, who inform Adam that the locals know the place as "Spooksville" because of the high occurrence of supernatural phenomenon. Sally and Watch introduce Adam to Bum, the former mayor who knows lots of secrets about the town, including how to find the secret path that leads to another Spooksville dimension, one that includes hungry skeletons and a powerful witch. ( )

After binge watching the first season of Spooksville, I just had to read the first book in the series. Although quite different from the series (aren't they always) this was a fun book that I could see kids enjoying. It is creepy and just a bit gross in places. It would be perfect for Halloween reading.Adam, Salley and Watch are too much fun. ( )