The Sleepy Hollow Gang: Shivers #1
Robert P. Ottone
Weird House Press, 2023
ISBN-10: 1957121645
ISBN-13: 978-1957121642
152 ppg., Ebook
Buy links:
If you have been around for a while, you may have heard the stories surrounding Tarrytown, a village in New York and the setting of Washington Irving’s novel, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. You may have even read this story in school and have seen the many different versions of this story in movies and on TV. Indeed, there is nothing quite as spooky as the specter, The Headless Horseman, one of the most famous ghosts in American literature.
Tarrytown is real and so is Sleepy Hollow. It’s actually a small part of Tarrytown and the townspeople had voted to have an area of Tarrytown named Sleepy Hollow in honor of the story. It’s also where you will find the famous Old Dutch burial ground, containing the graves of some of the people the characters in Irving’s story was based on (well, except for Ichabod Crane, who is buried in Staten Island).
I have always wondered what living in Tarrytown must be like, knowing it’s famous for being so close to Sleepy Hollow.
Well, after reading Robert P. Ottone’s latest book, The Sleepy Hollow Gang, I found out!
The Sleepy Hollow Gang, Book One, by Robert P. Ottone is told from the point-of-view of a character who moves to Tarrytown, so we are treated to Tarrytown as we have never known it before. Derek Houseman is a seventh-grader who moves to New York from Georgia, and not only does he have to adjust to living somewhere vastly different than the Southern state he grew up in, but he also must adjust to being “new” to a town rife with ghosts, legends – and a dark past. Fortunately for Derek, he makes new friends at his new school, but one of these friends, Herman, is so obsessed with monsters that he wants to try out a ritual called “Wake the Dead” on Halloween night – right at the grave of the person the character of the headless horseman is based on (who died headless in real life!). And that’s where things go terribly wrong.
But it’s just a game, right? That’s what Derek thinks. Just some harmless fun. But young Derek will soon find out, and he’s in for a night of thrills and chills!
One thing I really liked about the group of kids in the story is how they are each unique in their own way. While Herman is the “monster kid,” Annabelle is the diabetic educating her friends about the virtues of carob brownies, Zoe is the badass fighter who is not afraid to stand up to bullies, and Lucy is the kindhearted and empathetic voice of the whole group. And, of course, there’s Derek, who has some kind of strange attachment to Sleepy Hollow that he struggles to understand. As a group, they make a great team!
And for a group of kids battling the Headless Horseman, I couldn’t help but chuckle when, at one point, Annabelle defends her lack of emotions by saying, "One of us has to keep their head on straight." (page 92)
There was just so much other stuff in the story that I loved too. Hermy ordering a SALAD at the diner – and how it’s his “usual.” How Lucy sets things right with her and Derek after she reveals her true self. And like Derek, I was laughing when the Headless Horseman was electrocuted, because I could picture the whole thing happening like in a cartoon (although Derek notes he didn’t see the Horseman’s skeleton, how disappointing!). I also loved the show of compassion Zoe has for her alcoholic mother.
This story is definitely full of scares, action and excitement. The action picks up as the Headless Horseman closes in on Derek. It was definitely hard to stop reading at that point! And then there was the epic, mind-blowing ending. It was AWESOME!
I definitely recommend this book to kids who enjoy reading stories about ghosts, Sleepy Hollow, and the Headless Horseman. But grown-ups would probably enjoy reading this story too. It is, after all, another Sleepy Hollow story. Another action-packed and scary tale of the Headless Horseman. So, take it from me. Read this book no matter how old you are, because while some of America’s oldest legends may pass on to the bygone days of the era, they can always be made new again with new stories of adventure, friendship, excitement, and one VERY popular and scary headless creature!
Five stars
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
%20(1).png)
No comments:
Post a Comment