Creepella von Cacklefur No. 4 - Return of the Vampire

It's one of those days where you need something simple and light to read, and the Creepella Von Cacklefur definitely fits that criteria. A series for early readers, Creepella Von Cacklefur is a special-effects designer and director of scary films, as well as a student studying to be a journalist. Oh, and yes, she's a mouse. She lives in the world of Geronimo Stilton, an Italian creation (as is Creepella) whose name is pulled from an English cheese, "Stilton." All of the various series in the Stilton universe are for young readers, with an RL3 reading level. The prose is easy to read, and many of the words are written in stylized font to actually depict the word, as well as spell it, making it fun for the young readers to enjoy the story as the read.

Return of the Vampire is the fourth book in the series, which finds Creepella coming to the aid of Franco Fangley, an old friend of Grandpa Frankenstein who happens to be a vampire and a connoisseur of tomato juice. It seems Frangley's castle is haunted, filled with ghosts who persistently play pranks that are forcing him to make the decision to sell his homestead and leave the castle he has called home behind. Creepella, her niece Shivereen, and her friend Billy Squeakspeare, join Grandpa Frankenstein as they visit Castle Marinara (yes, there are plenty of puns - remember, this is a kids' book!) to see if they uncover the source of the ghostly pranks.

The mystery is a cross between Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo, involving scheming real estate investors and the unmasking of the ghostly apparitions. It's simple, it's fun, and it's filled with plenty of full color illustrations that are sure to keep any kid's attention.  It's kind of a shame they didn't have any series like this when I was in elementary school, as I have no doubt I would have enjoyed it.

I am curious, though, to know what prompted the publisher to take these Italian series and translate them for American readers. There are actually several different series - Geronimo Stilton, Thea Stilton, Creepella Von Cacklefur, Cave Mice, Space Mice, and Thea Stilton Mouseford Academy, Mice Kings, Kingdom of Fantasy, and the Special Editions. They must be doing relatively well for the American publishers to continue translating and publishing them (and quite frankly, there are more of these series on the shelves at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million than there are Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, which is disappointing to me).

Regardless, it is a series I would recommend for parents who have elementary school age children, as it might entice those who aren't interested in reading to actually read!

RATING:  7 coffins filled with bread crumbs out of 10 for providing "spooky" tales that are not so scary that a young reader can't enjoy them!

Creepella von Cacklefur No. 3 - Ghost Pirate Treasure

The mystery and the horror return (for all ages, of course) in the third Creepella von Cacklefur novel for early readers, Ghost Pirate Treasure. Someone is lurking around Squeakspeare Mansion at night. There are holes all throughout the yard! Legend has it, there is a treasure hidden somewhere on the property - and quite possibly, the ghost of the pirate who buried it there might be coming to take it back!

If it sounds like the making of a great Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew adventure, that's because this mystery actually has some of the elements that made those mystery series so popular. Sure, it is written with very simple sentences and easy to read and understand words, but the mystery is still there, as is the plotting, the clues, the red herrings, and, of course, the "scares." The real author is not identified - the copyright page merely reveals that the series is translated from its original Italian manuscript, with illustrations provided by Ivan Bigarella (pencils and inks) and Giulia Zaffaroni (color). That's just one more way this series is similar to the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and countless other children's mysteries, who never reveal the actual author of the books (instead, utilizing a pseudonym as the series' author).

In Ghost Pirate Treasure, Creepella's friend, Billy Squeakspeare finds that someone is vandalizing the grounds of his estate by digging hundreds of holes. While Creepella is getting ready for the upcoming Melancholy Grand Ball, she takes time out to help her friend solve this mystery. They head up to Shivery Arts Academy, where they discover that not only did that ol' pirate, Morgan Blackwhiskers, leave a treasure somewhere on, in, or around Squeakspeare Mansion, but he was also known to forget where he hid things! This leaves it up to Creepella, her niece Shivereen, and Billy to figure out who is looking for the treasure and find it before they do!

It is rather fun to watch Creepella and her friends search out clues and follow the path they lead to find not only the identity of the thieving vandals, but also the treasure itself!  And, in true Nancy Drew fashion, when the treasure is found, Creepella convinces Billy to donate it to the school rather than keep it for himself.

Yes, I will admit, this series is a guilty pleasure - it's definitely way beneath my reading level (maturity level?  hmmm, that's another story), but they are fun, quick reads that bring a smile to my face when I read them - and isn't that what reading is all about - an enjoyable escape, even if only for a few minutes?

RATING:  7 monstrously moldy cheeses out of 10 for keeping the mysteries fun and simple, yet thoroughly enjoyable.

Creepella von Cacklefur No. 2 - Meet Me in Horrorwood

When a hurricane hits and your power is out, what is there to do?  Read!  But not just anything – I wanted something to take my mind off of everything, something silly and fun; so, what better series to read than the next book in the Creepella von Cacklefur series!  (I mean, let’s face it, just saying the name alone is fun!)

Meet Me In Horrorwood finds Creepella playing matchmaker for the monster in the moat, Gorgo.  The only problem is, Gorgo’s love, Blobbina, is a famous movie star and she has gone missing!  It’s up to Creepella to find the missing star and cure the heart-sick Gorgo before he completely gives up on life (such as it is for a blob in a moat).

But there’s a lot more to this story than that one mystery – there’s a side story (that, quite frankly, I’m not sure why it’s there, unless it is simply to pad the story and add enough pages to make for a full-length book) about good ol’ Billy Squeakspeare (who readers met in the first mystery in this series).  Billy get an invite to the Rattenbaum Mansion for a special dinner and a wedding (little does he know – the wedding is his own!).  There are four chapters right in the middle of the story that deal with Billy and his invitation – and the story does not revert back to Creepella and her search for the missing starlet until Billy receives a call from Creepella asking for his help.

There’s a gloomy old castle and an abandoned amusement park (called, aptly enough, “Nightmare Park”), and Creepella and Billy must brave all the dangers of the park in order to rescue Blobbina and unite her with the lovestruck Gorgo.  There are plenty of illustrations throughout the book, including wonderfully fun illustrations of the Rattenbaums’ decrepit mansion, the overcrowded and bustling movie set, and the decaying room that holds “The Book.”

Sometimes, simple stories that are simply fun are the best reads to get your mind off of everything going on around you – and with rain and wind beating down on your house, no electricity, food spoiling in your refrigerator, and a cell phone slowly losing its charge, there’s nothing better than a quick visit with Creepella von Cacklefur to put a smile back on your face.

RATING:  6 invisible dinners out of 10 for reminding me that even the most gruesome of monsters can find love – doesn’t matter if you live in a moat or a mansion that’s falling apart!

Creepella von Cacklefur, No. 1 - The Thirteen Ghosts

Okay, so I'm a sucker for some gimmicks - sue me!  I've had my eye on the Thea Stilton series for a long time - every time I go into a Barnes & Noble or a Books-A-Million, I see the series of books on the shelves, and I'll pull a couple out, glance through them, and wonder whether I should give them a try.  They look short and sweet, easy to read, and quite frankly, fun!  Yes, I realize the reading level for the series is ages 7 to 10, but when have I ever let that stop me from enjoying a good mystery series.

So imagine my surprise when a few weeks back, David and I are browsing through Books-A-Million, and I see they have a "Buy 2, Get 3rd Free" sale on all of their children's series books.  Seeing no new books in the current series I collect, I thought this might be the perfect chance to pick up the first three Thea Stilton books and give them a shot.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw another series right there next to Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton - a uniquely horror/mystery series starting "Creepella von Cacklefur" - who is described on the back of the book as "an enchanting and mysterious mouse with a pet bat named Bitewing.  By night Creepella is a special-effects designer and director of scary films, and by day she's studying to become a journalist."  As a lover of horror stories and mysteries, this was a combination that I couldn't resist.

The first book in the series, The Thirteen Ghosts, is not necessarily scary, and the mystery is anything but mysterious; but, it is good, clean fun, and had these books been around when I was in first and second grade, I have no doubt I would have been gobbling them up as soon as each new book came out.  The writing is simple, and the author utilizes repetitiveness as an obvious means to teach younger readers new words.  Each chapter is chock full of full color illustrations, and there are a number of two-page full illustrations (depicting the cast of characters, or the rooms of the mansion, etc.).

The plot is not overly intricate - Creepella is looking for her latest story for "The Shivery News," and she decides she wants to interview some ghosts.  With her pet bat and her niece, Shivereen, she heads to Squeakspeare Mansion, which is said to be filled with ghosts.  There, she meets the latest owner of the mansion, Billy Squeakspeare, who is a writer and is timid as (dare I say it?) a mouse.  They discover the mansion is haunted by not just one, nor even just two or three, but by thirteen ghosts!  And these ghosts are none too happy to have visitors - until they find out Billy is a writer!   They all have stories to tell and no way to tell them; so, it falls upon Billy to start telling their tales.  Not before Creepella, though, gets the interviews she needs to make her article a chilling success.

There is no information given in the book as to the identity of the author, but I found some very interesting facts about the book on the publication page.  The series is based on an original idea by Elisabetta Dami and apparently is an Italian publication.  Scholastic has translated the series and published it here in America for young readers.  The original title was Tredici fantasmi per Tenebrosa, and the cover art is by Guiseppe Farrario, with internal illustrations by Ivan Bigarella (pencils) and Giorgio Campioni (colors).  The original Italian text was translated by Emily Clement.  Clearly, there were a lot of people involved in the creation / publication of this book, and it leads me to wonder how successful it is over in Italy.  Something to look up one day, I suppose...

Along with the "Greetings from Somewhere" series, this is another early readers series I would recommend for children who are just getting into reading (first to third graders).  It's fun and easy to read, and the style is nearly Disney-esque in nature.  Now we'll have to wait and see if the further volumes in this series stand up to the test.

RATING:  7 convertible hearses out of 10 for giving kids a "horror" series of books that are squeaky clean, yet still fun to read.