Module 13: Who's Been Sleeping in my Grave?

Module 13: Fear Street: Who’s Been Sleeping in my Grave?

Summary: Zach is a jumpy, nerdy boy who lives in Shadyside, the creepiest town ever. His friends constantly prank him and scare him. Zach tries to overcome his fear, but when a new substitute teacher with a ghostly palor and skeletal hands arrives he’s in for a nightmare.

Citation: Stine, R.L. (1995). Who’s been sleeping in my grave? NY: Aladdin Publishers.

Impression: This is a fun story. Many students have fun at a substitute’s expense, so having a ghostly substitute is perfect for the audience’s age. R.L. Stine has become a part of growing up for many kids. This story keeps with his tradition of creepy, weird stories that are in the end rather harmless. It’s enough to make a little kid cringe but not enough to cause nightmares for weeks. I would recommend this book to any 10-13 year-olds wanting something spooky. Boys especially tend to enjoy this series with it’s sometimes gross details like the skeleton face that Ms. Gaunt reveals under her veil. Overall, a very enjoyable and creepy book that most kids will have fun reading.

Review: Zach goes to see Marcy who tells him that they got a call about her sick grandmother, but when they got there, the woman was fine. He tells her what happened and asks Chris for backup, but he has no idea what he’s talking about. He reveals that Gaunt used her magic to make Chris forget what he saw. Then, he takes out a rubber snake that Chris pranked him with, says a few lines, and the snake becomes real. He ends the book saying that he learned a lot from Gaunt.

*Some of the descriptions are actually cool in this one. Like, he rips off her veil and finds that she has a skeleton face.

*Um, why is some random substitute showing up wearing white gloves and a white veil, and no one finds that odd?

*Apparently that random shop shows up and no one notices it either. Then again, these books do take place in Shadyside!

Eblin, J. (2012). Ghosts of fear street #2: Who’s been sleeping in my grave? [Review of the book Who’s Been Sleeping in my Grave?].  Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Sleeping-Grave-Ghosts-Street/dp/0671529420/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431025575&sr=1-2&keywords=who%27s+been+sleeping+in+my+grave

Suggestion: This would be a great book for a Halloween Family Night. The librarian could read a scary picture book and then do a book talk that includes this book.