Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland, Michael Garland (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

When Miss Smith reads from her magical book, the worlds she describes come alive—literally! Today Miss Smith is taking her class on a field trip to a deliciously spooky library. There the class meets librarian Virginia Creeper and settles down to listen to a few scary tales. Before long everyone's favorite creepy characters are stalking the library and a haunted party is in full swing. So . . . who's for taking a ride with the Headless Horseman? This richly illustrated, colorfully designed story captures the thrill of letting imagination run wild.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5–One fall day, Miss Smith takes her class to the public library to meet the librarian, Virginia Creeper. The scene is set as they enter the building, which looks a bit like a haunted house. The librarian reads spooky stories from Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, which brings the characters to life. Soon the children are surrounded by frightening figures such as Frankenstein, Count Dracula, Captain Hook, and the Jabberwocky. They enjoy themselves so much that the youngsters forget what time it is and then must rush to finish each story so the characters can go back into the book. In all the chaos, it seems one story was overlooked. So far, Zack is the only student to notice a creature lurking nearby. Falling leaves and pictures of ghosts, pumpkins, and witches complete the autumnal scene. Halloween can be inferred, but it is not mentioned by name. Each page is full of clever details, and the characters have unique characteristics, from the librarian’s bright purple hair and dress, to Miss Smith’s stand-up red hair, to the book characters playing out their roles. The students in particular are expressive. One page shows them with their mouths open while the Headless Horseman looms above. The story captures the joy of reading and is sure to be a hit.–Lori A. Guenthner, Baltimore County Public Library, Randallstown, MD

Kirkus Reviews

When Miss Smith takes her class to a spooky old library, the kids are dubious; they get downright anxious when librarian Ms Creeper reads a few characters out of Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook: the Hound of the Baskervilles, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula, etc. Fright turns to fun when Ms Creeper passes out cookies and cider. Garland's third Miss Smith outing is more fizzle than anything else, however. The target audience's familiarity with any of the bad guys not in a Disney movie is tenuous at best, their lack of context rendering much of the tale meaningless. It's rare for books about the magic of reading to be themselves magical, and this, alas, is no exception. (Picture book. 5-8)

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