The Hardy Boys-Murder House

Title: The Hardy Boys - Murder House
Author: Franklin W. Dixon
Genre: Mystery
Reviewer: Katie

Have you ever been in a house where a murder has taken place? The Hardy Boys are on a mission to finally get to the bottom of a deadly scare. This story takes place on the television set of the reality show "Deprivation House." The house is a huge villa in Beverly Hills, California, without a single luxury item left inside. This is a reality show where teenagers see how long they can last without the luxury items they are used to.

Frank and Joe, better known as the Hardy Boys, weren't actually contestants on the reality show. They were working undercover on a assignment for American Teens Against Crime. All of the contestants had received death threats, but they thought it was just something the producers came up with to add excitement to the show.

The contestants found messages on the walls of the house and on pieces of paper saying, "House of Death." They also discovered a drawing of a little girl carved into the library wall. There was something that happened in the same house ten years ago that may explain why the house was haunted. Katrina Decter was a actress on her way to superstardom when her husband killed her. It happened in the great room upstairs. She was just out of rehab for drugs and alcohol when she had a relapse. Katrina attacked her daughter, Nina, who was only four years old. Her husband killed her to save Nina's life. He told Nina that a demon killed her mother.

Other horrifying things also happened in the house. Brynn, one on the contestants on the show, let out a scream when she walked into the bathroom. All the contestants came running. They found a bloody teddy bear with the stuffing pulled out on the bathroom floor. After taking a closer look, they could tell that the blood was just ketchup. Later, when the contestants were out in the garden, they saw Brynn lying face down in the dirt. Her light blue jacket was red with blood. But when they turned her over, they were surprised that it was Georgina wearing Brynn's coat. Georgina had been stabbed in the back with a knife.

It seemed like there was a demon in the house that was after Brynn. The Hardy Boys were narrowing down their list of suspects when they heard another terrifying scream coming from Brynn's bedroom. Brynn had four deep claw marks cut across her right cheek and there was blood dripping from her face. She had blood and tissue also under her fingernails. The Hardy Boys thought that Brynn had probably fought off her attacker. They checked all of the contestants to see if any of them had scratch marks on them, but they didn't. Could the demon have done this or was it the producers of the show trying to get good ratings?

Near the end of the story, the Hardy Boys suspected Brynn of being Nina, the little girl who used to live in the huge house. Whenever the rest of the contestants talked about the murder, Brynn would leave the room. So Frank had a plan to talk about the murder to Brynn to see how she would react. When Frank tried to talk to her, she left the room and Joe was ready to follow her. Brynn walked quickly to the garden and dug up a large silver knife. She aimed the knife at her chest and Joe shouted to her to stop. She started to put the knife down as Frank pushed her to the ground. When they asked her what she was doing, she didn't answer. She had a blank stare like she didn't know where she was.

After this happened, the show was cancelled. Some of the contestants thought they should be given some of the million dollar prize because of this. The producer of the show told them that they had all been given something very valuable. They were all given the chance to realize that they had more than they needed. They had learned that they could get by with much less than they ever thought they could.

Brynn was actually Nina after all. She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for help. Being back in the house where she saw her mother killed by her father was very traumatic. Nina began to have blackouts. She wasn't even aware of the things she was doing. After counseling, Nina was beginning to remember what really happened that night. Her mother hadn't started using drugs or alcohol again. But she decided that she wanted to leave her husband. They fought and he killed her. Her grandparents helped her change her name to Brynn Fulgham so that she would be safe from the media. When Nina realized that a reality show was going to take place in the house where the murder happened, she wanted to go back. She thought that there would be something there to help her remember what really happened to her mother.

Frank and Joe went to visit Nina in the hospital. She was making good progress. The Hardy Boys felt like they had completed their mission, none of the contestants ended up dead.

My favorite character in this book was Ann. She would freak out about the demon every time something bad would happen. I would recommend this book to a friend because it gives you the chills as you read it. It uses good adjectives to describe the horror scenes.

The Voyage of the Dawntreader

Title: The Voyage of the Dawntreader
Author: C. S. Lewis
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Reviwere: Kimberly

This book began with Edmund and Lucy visiting their awful, disagreeable cousin Eustace. Eustace is selfish and is teasing the two about Narnia, the land that they have visited but Eustace doesn’t believe in. Suddenly, a picture on the wall of a magnificent ship begins moving and rocking, growing larger and larger; the three begin feeling the ocean spray and light gusts of wind. They land in the ocean and are hoisted onboard by the crew of the ship. There, Lucy and Edmund recognize their friends, Prince Caspian, whom they rescued the previous time they were in Narnia, and Reepicheep, the valiant Talking Mouse, who comes up to about the height of an adult’s knees. Caspian, Reepicheep, and the crew are on a quest to reach the end of the world and find the Seven Lords, who were tricked into sailing away and never returned, or avenge them if they had died. They sail across uncharted lands, settle on several strange islands, meet the inhabitants and have amazing adventures.

This book was excellent and I could hardly prevent myself from continuing reading it to the exclusion of all else. The plot was thrilling and unexpected. My favorite island was the island where dreams come true. It wasn’t what I expected and was the most terrifying of all. The adventures on the islands were extremely creative and I would never have been able to imagine them. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone who can read. Enjoy!