Scream, Team!

Graveyard School #12

by Tom B. Stone

When the Bellville Bears, the one-time worst soccer team in the universe, begin to clobber the Graveyard School Tigers, Tyson begins to suspect foul play and learns that the Bears have been replaced by monsters

Genres: Childrens

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Tom B. Stone is a pseudonym used by the published author Nola Thacker.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ripoff round time again and hopefully we can make up for that weak Spinetinglers book. Graveyard School is usually fun so let’s hope for a winner.

Tyson Walker and Algernon/Algie Green are on the soccer team, with the former being a soccer nut and the latter being a reluctant goalie. Their team usually kills but for the first time they lose and it’s against rival team the Bears. They notice the players look way different, being way beefier and not acting like they usually would. Something seems to be afoot and it ain’t steroids…but it is a metaphor for them.

I enjoyed this one, I’d place it in the middle of the pack for these. It’s good, just nothing too special. I like the unique set up of it. The horror is coming from this other team who are zombie like and rather tough, they are somewhat like what you see on the cover. We later see the coach is behind this and it becomes a pretty obvious stand for for performance enhancing stuff and it is effective.

We see that some people will do anything to win and while it’s not the deepest, it works. It’s interesting how we have two protagonist, both of which are established side characters. We get the usual cameos from the likes of Polly as well. Should be noted that Walker in other books is at least implied to be black so we get our 2nd non white lead in this series, kinda.

They both work although I’d have gone with just Algie. He almost has an arc where he’s worried about ruining things for the team. Tyson almost has something where his confidence is shot but it doesn’t go anywhere. I kinda wanted Algie’s arc to be a bit bigger although at least there is sort of an ending to it in the wrapup.

My main complaint is that it could have been more involved. The soccer scenes are fun but it can drag a bit between them. It can feel a tad dry and it could have gone deeper. We don’t see the POV of these kids that are being forced to become these zombies and that would have made things richer.

At 101 pages, the pacing is decent and it was enjoyable. It stands out but lacks an extra something to make it really special. As it is, it’s nothing amazing but has enough unique elements to make it a solid enough read. Not top tier for the series but after last book, it wasn’t too bad.

And yeah that’s all I got. Next we have Bone Chillers. Not much could top the banger I last read from the series but let’s see if another one with a great title can compete. See ya then.

[Lacy Lovelace · Rating 3 out of 5]

You would have to be into soccer to really get into this book. I feel like Tom B. Stone tries to teach the reader about the moral of good sportsmanship through this book. I still am not too into this series but I feel compelled to finish it up since I’m in the teens! Might as well make it an accomplishment by finishing up the series although I’m ready to move onto a different one. This one is all about how a team changes. The Bears always lost their games but now they are winning every one by stomping their opponents into the ground...thanks to their new coach- Coach Sandman. He changes and controls the players through his formula of zombie juice. Algie and Tyson decide to do some sleuthing to find out what is going on with the Bears and end their creepy winning streak once and for all.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give Scream, Team! one and a half stars. It actually exceeded my expectations somewhat. It's short, and perhaps ideal for one who wants a good scary story that is simple and direct. Tom B. Stone's style is notably different from R.L. Stine's.