The House on Creep Street

Fright Friends Adventures

By: Blood Brothers

Narrated by: Steve Gray

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Twelve-year-old Joey Tonelli is a Halloween fanatic, so when his best friends, Kevin and Barry, tell him a few days before the spooky holiday that they are too old for trick-or-treating, he is devastated. Desperate to get his two killjoy friends into the Halloween spirit, he dares them to go inside that scary abandoned house on Creep Street--the house all the kids in town think is haunted. Well, the kids in town are right: the house really is haunted--by the malevolent ghost of Bob Smah, a young boy who died many years before under mysterious circumstances. Reborn as an angry spirit, Bob is determined to destroy anyone who sets foot in his home. Despite the horror that Bob unleashes upon the Fright Friends, they become determined to help free the dead boy's trapped spirit. Will the Fright Friends successfully free Bob Smah from the house on Creep Street, or will they end up as ghosts themselves? Find out for yourself when it all goes down on Halloween night.

©2014 Spooky Ink (P)2015 Spooky Ink

This was a fun book to produce

I really enjoyed recording and producing this book. It was a cute tale that had a sting underlying anti bullying message that I think is important. Plus it put a strong emphasis on the importance of friendship. Spooky house, scary ghosts, close knit friends, and a solid adventure make this book a true gem.

A Fun Halloween Adventure for young and old

What made the experience of listening to The House on Creep Street the most enjoyable?

It brought back old memories of my days as a child on Halloween. Great fun! They really captured the experience. Also, it's written at the adult level with solid characters, and believable dialog. I thought it was completely appropriate for an adult as well as children.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The House on Creep Street?

I think the action scene at the end. I was surprised how scared I was for the main characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the kids first walk into the house. Seriously creepy!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Fun Halloween Romp

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend it and can't wait for their next book!

A Fantastic, Middle Grade Read!

What did you love best about The House on Creep Street?

I loved every single thing about this book.

What did you like best about this story?

Pacing, characterization, etc. It's like a toned-down Goosebumps book!

Have you listened to any of Steve Gray’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to any of Steve Gray's other performances but he was fantastic!

Any additional comments?

There are so many things that this book did right. Let me try and touch on a few by name…



Horrific Nods

One of my favorite things about this book is it’s subtle and awesome reference to horror things. For example, the boys go to Mary Shelley Middle School. Or a street nearby is Bradbury…which I can only assume is a reference to Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite writers of all time. So, gold star to the Blood Brothers for starting kids off right. Hehe.



Characterization

Secondly, I applaud the characterization in the story. At first we meet these three friends, Barry, Joey, and Kevin. They’re all different, with different appearances and characterization. And they’re all battling their own issues. Barry is heavier than most kids his age, he’s self-conscious about it, thrives off of being a peacekeeper of the group, but when faced with a choice, he’ll probably side with Kevin (the cool one). Kevin is the piece of the threesome who’s discovering girls and that he’s kind of the cool one of the group. He’s always wearing his lucky blue cap. Joey, of course, is my favorite. He’s a true-blue purveyor of Halloween. He respects it and just wants to trick-or-treat, decorate a house, and properly stuff himself on candy. One of my favorite quotes about him is that “Joey would die before admitting that it [Halloween} wasn’t important.” So naturally, Joey trumps all.



Setting

I love the setting. Here, throughout the book, you’ve constantly got leaves swirling, chilly air, and a reminder that it’s Halloween which makes the book so fun to read. It reminded me of reading a Bradbury book. Autumn wind. Dead leaves. It’s like the basic, standard setting for pretty much all of my favorite books.



Writing

Though this book is for middle grade readers, I think the Blood Brothers are talented in their diction and voice and I absolutely applaud their writing style. Here’s a line that I really loved. I found their writing to be eloquent and still easy to understand for all ages. Check out one of my favorite excerpts below where they describe the old, creaking house down the street…




Final Thoughts


The House on Creep Street is for anyone. Yes. Anyone.

Your mom, sister, brother, friends, children, nieces, nephews, dogs, cats, rats, and even frenemies. The smart wit and humor in this book make it enjoyable for any age.

The surprising twists and turns make it a fun, quick read for adults and children alike. And I guarantee that you’ll love these characters. I sure did. I’m sure you will too.

I cannot wait to check out the rest of the series from The Blood Brothers!

I give this 5 out of 5 happy haunts.