**Disclosure – I received these books for review purposes from the Disney Book Group. All opinions are my own.

Story time is always a favorite in this Neurotic Disney home. NDK (Neurotic Disney Kid) is old enough to read, but not too old to still be read to! Books are wonderful on so many levels. We keep them everywhere – even in the car! Disney Books are a great way to keep Disney at home. Disney Book Group was kind enough to send these books for NDK approval – be sure to look for the NDK Review after the description of each book!

NDK is getting older these days. While she still loves a good picture book, these junior chapter books are her favorite. Looks like she mastered this review all on her own. No need for Mom’s input – read on to hear what she has to say about the newest from Disney Books, Tales from the Haunted Mansion: Volume 1, The Fearsome Foursome!

  • tales from the haunted mansion volume 1Tales from the Haunted Mansion: Volume 1 – The Fearsome Foursome
  • Ages: 8 – 12 years
  • Page Count: 240 * Price: $14.99

From the publisher:

Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press’ spookiest chapter book series yet: Tales from the Haunted Mansion! Based on the attractions from the Disney Parks, each new book tells the story of one of the Haunted Mansion’s 999 ghosts. With eerie illustrations throughout and a beautiful three-piece cloth cover, the books are designed to look like they came straight from the library in the Haunted Mansion. Tales from the Haunted Mansion is a fun, spooky ride, just like the attraction from the Disney Parks. And if readers are familiar with the ride, they’ll see elements of it throughout the entire story, from items straight of the Mansion (are those pictures stretching?) to lyrics from the narration that is heard in each Doom Buggy. In this bone-chilling book, you will hear the terrifying tales of the Fearsome Foursome–four kids who look to out-scare each other. But just wait until they hear my spooky stories. Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. So read on… if you dare!

The NDK Review:

The Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom is a creepy, but fun ride. It’s a tradition to ride this every time we are at Magic Kingdom, which is a lot! So when my mom gave me this book to read, I was excited. Tales from the Haunted Mansion is about four kids who get trapped in the Haunted Mansion. How cool is that?

Tales from the Haunted Mansion is about four friends, Willa, Tom, Steve and Noah, who have a club called the Fearsome Foursome. There was a really bad storm that blew down their clubhouse, and they needed to find another. Using GPS to find a place to have their meetings, they found an abandoned mansion and decided to check it out. They thought it was the perfect clubhouse, until they realized they weren’t alone!

My favorite part of this story was the introduction. I really liked this part because the mansion’s librarian, Amicus Arcane, is talking to you as you read. When Amicus is actually talking to you, the type changes and it looks like he wrote it. I also liked how each person of the Fearsome Foursome had their own story. The book is supposed to be an actual book from the library in the Mansion. The front cover of the book is really neat. The designs remind me of the Haunted Mansion.

My least favorite part of the book is the fact that people have to die. It is a book about ghosts, but I’d rather hear about ghosts that are already dead. I also thought that this book would be about a few of the characters from the attraction. I’m sad to say that this book is not about that. I’d love to know the stories of the Hitchhiking Ghosts. Maybe they will be in another book.

I did learn that if I ever see an abandoned mansion, I will not go in it! It didn’t take me long to read this book, and I would read it again. I definitely would not read this at night.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Haunted Mansion, or kids who are not afraid of ghosts. The book is not scary at all. But it does mention people dying, and if that bothers you, you should stop reading. I am excited for Volume 2 – I wonder who that book will be about!

 

 

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.