Review: Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow

Title: Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow
Written & Illustrated: Katy Towell
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 23, 2011)

Book Synopsis: Twelve years ago, for 12 days straight, the town of Widowsbury suffered a terrible storm, which tore open a gate through which escaped all sorts of foul, rotten things. Strange things and strange people were no longer welcomed in Widowsbury, for one could never be sure of what secrets waited under the surface . . .

Adelaide Foss, Maggie Borland, and Beatrice Alfred are known by their classmates at Widowsbury's Madame Gertrude's School for Girls as "scary children." Unfairly targeted because of their peculiarities—Adelaide has an uncanny resemblance to a werewolf, Maggie is abnormally strong, and Beatrice claims to be able to see ghosts—the girls spend a good deal of time isolated in the school's inhospitable library facing detention. But when a number of people mysteriously begin to disappear in Widowsbury, the girls work together, along with Steffen Weller, son of the cook at Rudyard School for Boys, to find out who is behind the abductions. Will they be able to save Widowsbury from a 12-year-old curse?

About the Author: Katy Towell is the creator of the Childrin R Skary website. She is also a graphic designer, writer, and illustrator in Los Angeles with dreams of one day being the scary old lady in the house about which all the neighborhood children tell ghost stories. When not doing these things, she collects antiques, strange teas, and carnivorous houseplants, and she plays a little tune on her violin now and again.

First Impressions: I’ll admit to being a big kid at heart. I may be in my late 20’s but I still enjoy the occasional children’s book. I loved the premise of this book and I’ve been a fan of Katy Towell’s website and illustrations for quite some time, so I had to read this book.

First 50 Pages: Immediately, it didn’t disappoint. I had high expectations of this book because I knew that the author is talented and could do well. From the beginning it met all of my expectations and more. The author does a great job introducing each of the characters and setting up the plot perfectly.

Characters & Plot Points: This isn’t a scary book, and I feel it is suitable for an older child to read. It has more of a mystery solving, slightly paranormal plot then a horror plot and I don’t think it would scare an older reader too easily. With that being said, this book reminded me of a Goosebumps meets The Babysitters Club sort of mash up. At the climax of the story, it can be a bit scary, but a fun sort of scary.

Adelaide, Maggie, and Beatrice are pretty awesome characters. Each one has a very unique personality and you feel for each of them because of the way they are treated. The real horror in this book is the horrible school these girls attend, especially their headmistress.

Throughout the story, the three girls along with their new found friend, Steffen, are trying to solve the mysterious disappearances that are suddenly occurring. Steffen is a really fun character also, and is a huge help to the girls.

What I really loved about this book is the discreet messages woven into the story. It teaches young children that it is okay to be different no matter what other people think. It also teaches children that doing mean things to other people is never the way to solve a problem, even if that person had done hurtful things to you.

The illustrations were also really neat! Katy Towell is a really good illustrator and I think that the illustrations added an extra special flare to this book.

Final Thoughts: This was a delightful read and I would highly recommend it to any parent for their older children. It is fun, perfectly put together, and teaches great morals. I look forward to reading more from this author!

In accordance with the FTC guidelines, I have not received in monetary gain with the publication of this article. Any and all materials provided were either provided for free from the publisher, author, or purchased by myself. All opinions expressed are that of my own.