The Haunted Carousel is an engaging read from the get go!
A taut, pacy read which will have kids and adults alike turning those pages. I sat down to begin reading this third book in the Brass Ring series and didn’t look up until I finished a couple of hours later.
When Rusty’s best friend offers him a free ticket to Halloween Horror Night, his mum’s permission to go is much tarnished by having to take along his nine-year-old sister Sarah. Bad enough, but when Sarah disappears, Rusty’s world is suddenly upended.
Searching for his sister Rusty stumbles across a ghostly carousel and its equally ghostly owner. The carousel is in danger of being destroyed unless the key to stop it can be found. The owner tells Rusty Sarah is safe, but won’t reveal where she is unless Rusty helps him find the key – before the park closes at 9 pm….
Find The Haunted Carousel here.
So Rusty and his friend are launched into a series of adventures riding various spooky creatures, including a bat, a werewolf, and – gulp – a giant spider. The rides introduce him to much loved characters such as poor old Ichabod Crane, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula, and the Ghost Riders in the Sky among others. Gathering clues, and other missing items, along the way, Rusty is running out of time when … well, that’s for you to find out.
Enhanced by Brendan Dorman’s illustrations, Ms Small gives us not only a scary adventure (truly, her haunted house had me shivering) in The Haunted Carousel, but little bits of myth and folklore which parents and teaches will love while young readers learn. There’s more detail at the back for those who want to know more.
Highly recommended. If you don’t have a middle grader, read it anyway. I dare you!
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