Ghost Scouts by Taylor Dolan
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Were you a Brownie or Scout? I loved being a Rainbow, Brownie and Girl Guide and it seems BookBairn does too! And The Wee Page Turner loves Beavers. I, however, do not love sewing on all the badges (I've cheated now and bought fabric glue) even though collecting badges was one of my favourite parts.
What I’m not sure I would have enjoyed was being a Ghost Scout - I’m far too much of a wimp to befriend a werewolf (albeit a rather tame one), a fancy schmancy zombie, or a baseball-cap-wearing ghost.
So I'll admit this new early chapter book series had me quivering to read! In Ghost Scouts by Taylor Dolan, Lexie Wilde accidentally finds herself at Camp Croak (a rather remiss Grams and a wrong turn are to blame) that’s exactly who she finds herself sharing a cabin with - a werewolf, a zombie and a ghost.
*Spoiler alert* (well there are four books in the series so surely you’d expect it), they send Scoutmaster Vile packing - in a truly gruesome way! But Euphemia Vile is like a bad smell that will not go away - and she returns in the rest of the series, desperate to take over the camp so she can build her own camp on the land.
You know that I love a highly illustrated chapter book for young readers so this sort of series is always going to be a hit with me. BUT(!!) I was not expecting this series to be as quirky, as funny and to deal with some tricky topics like bullying and mental health. The last book in the series is particularly good at tackling (both literally and figuratively) intrusive thoughts, self-esteem, and self care.
This series has completely surpassed all my expectations - they characters dialogue is downright brilliant - quick, sharp, sassy - I just love reading it! I love how fast-paced they are and how they illustrations really add to the storytelling. I love that the stories are full of ‘Southern Charm’ in the dialogue and the setting but also steeped in legends of the Bayou.
With an inclusive cast of characters, I think the author has really shown that embrace of difference, how working together (especially important in the fourth book) can overcome dangerous creatures, and dastardly villains.
Also there are badges! And who doesn’t love a badge! I even made myself a Ghost Scouts badge to add to my own collection, because I decided, despite being a wimp, I quite like the idea of pledging to live by the Ghost Scout Law!
Ghost Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly-ish and helpful,
considerate and caring,
brush my fangs and shower occasionally,
be responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself because I am awesome,
respect authority when they have earned my respect,
use resources wisely,
make the world a stranger place,
and be a sibling to every Ghost Scout.
Kim (aka SpookBairn) x
Disclaimer: This is a paid AD from Guppy Publishing. I hope you'll see that my love for these spooktacular books is deep.
I thought the badge sewing was sub-contracted to G’Ma BookBairn?
ReplyDelete“Euphemia Vile” is up there for character names. Maybe in the top 10…… and sorry, I don’t do snakes, even just traces of them. This book is too scary for me.