Desmond Pucket and the Cloverfield Junior High Carnival of Horrors (Volume 3) Hardcover – February 16, 2016

Easy read. Very entertaining. My kid enjoys all the books in this series.

Cross-posted on Tween Book BlogWhy I picked it up: Fun? Check. Funny? Check. Monsters? Check, check. What's not to love?Why I finished it: This series has earned a special place on my shelf because of its delightful mix of horror, humor and heart. It makes me remember what it was like to be a kid pursuing their passions even if they seem to go against what everyone else likes. On the surface, Desmond may seem single-minded and lazy, but as a reader you know that he's got good intentions. He has the ability to see a need and finds a way to use his talents to meet that need - even if scaring isn't the optimal solution. Tatulli's story once again comes alive in the art - whether it be Desmond's scribbles or the intermittent illustrations between paragraphs. It's another reason to like this series: the hybrid novel/graphic novel really expounds on the characters and their actions while giving the reader a visual point of reference for some of the tricks Desmond is using to make sure the show goes on. Highly imaginative and humorous, Desmond will continue to make magic with readers both on and off the page.

'Desmond Pucket and the Cloverfield Junior High Carnival of Horrors' by Mark Tatulli is the third book in the series of a young man who likes to scare people with monster magic.In the last book, Desmond took a field trip to try to save a ride called The Monster Full of Mountains. This time around, he's back in school and excited for the school carnival. The problems occur when he finds out who the new principal is and that the carnival has been cancelled. He also has a rival that wants to take over as king of the scares. Can Desmond and his friends save the carnival of horrors? Can Desmond stay out of the school's gossipy newspaper with his secret crush?I like this series. I felt like this one was a little weaker than previous books in the series. The cast of characters is fine and it's an okay story. There were some good twists and turns along the way. I also always like the how to sections that they include in the back of the books.I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This book is the third in the Desmond Pucket series. It is a cross between an illustrated story and a graphic novel. Desmond tells the story and adds his own drawings and comments throughout. In this story, Mr. Needles has returned and is now Principal Needles. The first thing he does is cancel the School Carnival of Horrors and get Keith Schminsky released from Military School to keep Desmond in line. When Desmond, Ricky and Becky create a ghost of Mr. Needles hero to get him to reinstate the carnival, they are surprised it works so well. With the carnival back on, Keith and Desmond are now in a contest to see who can create the best "ride" for the carnival. The loser has to give up scaring for the rest of junior high and high school. When Desmond's monsters get stolen he does not know what he is going to do. Keith, of course, is the culprit, but when he stole the monsters he also finds out what Desmond has done. He threatens to tell Mr. Needles what he has done unless he agrees to create a lame ride. Desmond does not want to give up but it seems he has not choice. Tina, Keith's sister, has an idea. Again the illustrations are black and white cartoons which the kids will love, with notes and facts to add to the story. A fun book that kids (ages 8 to 12)will love. There are more recipes and directions to the reader for some of Desmond's tricks at the end of the book. The children will love that. I am sure that this book will be enjoyed by the kids as much as the adults who may read it with them.Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I always make the distinction between graphic novels and stories with drawings; since this had a lot of talking in it, too much for speech bubbles, it’s thankfully the latter. It’s the start of a new school year and the main character, who loves monsters and lives to scare people, not only gets the cushy class schedule, he gets to do his “What I did over the summer” creative writing project as a graphic novel. And he’s in tight with the girl he likes, if in the friend zone so far; life is good. . . until the twist! (Otherwise it would be a really short book.) The reader has to be on the lookout to get all the nuances here, some written, others drawn. The library is “like Google exploded!” and the librarian with the fist pump when the kid shouts, “I found it!” is pure gold. There are friends and enemies, at least to start, thought it takes a lot of personality changes and heel-about-face to make the story work out in the end. I found the plot resolution a little weak, but at least I was able to read it without that most hideous of earworms running through my head. . . until I thought about it just now. Dammit! After the story there’s a “make your own monsters” section. And snot. (Not actual snot, how to make it. Almost as bad.) Smarter than most.

I don't usually jump into a series on the third book but this looked like a lot of fun and I hadn't heard of it before this. It's a hybrid cross between chapter book and graphic novel. Written in chapters, illustrated with comic strips and whole graphic novel sections. Early on there is a graphic section that explains what has happened in the series so far so I had no trouble jumping in at this point. I really enjoyed the book. Desmond likes scaring people and he has a collection of monster props procured from the last book.The book is all monster/scary themed but it's not paranormal at all, just realistic (though far-fetched) day in the life of a grade 7 student. Fun characters, fun situations, silly without any toilet humour I think this is a cut-above the usual fair and I'll probably go back and read the first two before the next book comes out.