Scare Scape

by Sam Fisher, Sam Bosma (Illustrations)

Three wishes go awry in a middle-grade debut as comical as it is spooky.

Toxic Vapor Worms. Shark Hounds. King-Crab Spiders. Two-Headed Mutant Rodents.

These are just a few of the beasts featured in the pages of Scare Scape, the creepiest comic book around. They are vicious. They are terrifying. They are, luckily, totally made up.

Morton Clay is a huge fan of Scare Scape, so he isn't easily frightened. He's not afraid of the dark, or grossed-out by bugs and slugs. But when Morton and his siblings, James and Melissa, find an old stone statue buried in their yard, they discover that there is good reason to be afraid. . . .

Spooky, funny, and fresh, Sam Fisher's middle-grade debut explores the bonds and rivalries that are unique to siblings . . . even as it revels in monstrous mayhem!

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Childrens

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Sam Fisher worked as a scenic carpenter on movie sets before quitting his day job to become a writer and teacher. A native of England, Sam now lives with his wife and children in Canada, where he teaches screenwriting and film production at NSCAD University. "Scare Scape" is his first novel.

Source: Scholastic.

Reviews

[Sam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm probably too biased to be allowed to review this...

[Julie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be careful what you wish for...right??? In this book Morton, his brother James, and his sister Melissa move into an old run down house with their father. While mowing the lawn Morton discovers a gargoyle with a mysterious message about breaking fingers and getting wishes. Not taking it seriously Morton wished that his scary toys from the magazine Scare Scape would be more realistic and his sister wished for an enormous closet. James also makes a wish after a huge fight with his sister but can't actually remember what he wished for. Unfortunately, the wishes do come true in a way they did not imagine. The three siblings and some friends must figure out how to hide the results of their wishes and how to reverse them before it's too late.



This was a fun read. Kids who enjoy the Goosebumps series or American Chillers will enjoy it. The descriptions and illustrations of the creatures at the beginning of the book was a lot of fun. The book was scary and adventurous without being overly so.

[Moakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

hi peeps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
scar scape is a book for grade four's and up. the book is really scary book . it is all so really good to. I liked it because it's funny in some parts and some parts are scary and some really sad.

[Bridget]

This reminded me an awful lot of the Goosebumps movie with Jack Black. Weird monsters, a mystery, sketchy teachers, lots of red herrings. Perfect for our 6th graders who want something scary without being too grown up.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Clay family moves to a large house in the country, youngest boy Morton is delighted to learn that it once belonged to the man who wrote extremely frightening stories featuring horrible monsters in a comic series called Scare Scape. Morton stumbles upon a gargoyle buried in the yard, and he and his siblings Jake and Melissa each make a wish. As expected, the wishes are only briefly satisfying since there is dark magic at their roots. Morton's collectible versions of the monsters dreamed up by his favorite author come to life and start attacking his family. Melissa wishes for a larger closet, and she gets one that goes on forever, but it too holds horrors. Meanwhile, all the local cats are disappearing, and Morton's friend Robbie comes under suspicion for their disappearance. There are plenty of creepy crawlies and scenes of courage as the three siblings and their two friends fight to rectify everything that has gone wrong. There are hints about how much the loss of their mother much earlier before the move has affected the youngsters, and their father is so distracted by his work at night that he hardly has any idea of what's going on. Readers will enjoy viewing the artwork that shows how horrible are each of the creatures that have come to life. The description of the destructive power of 100 angry cats was especially memorable. Readers should be warned not to read this right before going to bed.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who wouldn’t want to see their toy monster collection come to life? Morton digs up a strange gargoyle in the garden of his new home and when he finds out that the maker of his creepy Scare Scape comics was the home’s last owner, he realizes he is in over his head. This story will thrill and chill young monster lovers. Fun illustrations and a monster guide helps complete the picture.

[Vivian Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this "young reader" book, though I'm far from being one. It is similar in feel to the Harry Potter books or to Roald Dahl. Somewhat scary, more so to younger readers, but there's no gratuitous violence in it. The characters are well drawn and the story carries you along. Very much recommended!

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morton moves into what could easily be a haunted house, only to unleash Dark Magic that has been previously hidden there, he wishes for his ScareScape Magazine figurines to come to life and they do! Tween boys will love Morton, who is not only the youngest but the bravest of his siblings. Recommended for avid readers with a love of Goosebumps and Pokemon.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful mystery adventure, with unexpected revelations and lots of suspense. Well crafted character relationships and a plot that was on point in its pacing made this quite the enjoyable read.

[Jak Krumholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son (5) and I loved this. Although halfway through he said "It's getting weirder than better."

[Zevastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book leans more toward character interaction then monsters they are much less about slaying monsters and more like a fun adventure of siblings bonding all the characters seemed likable all tho i have a bad taste of main character is good at everything naturally

[Galion Public Library Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

M.H. liked "reading it" and recommends it to "everybody."

[ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

For those who enjoy goosebumps and tales of the crypt your likely to enjoy this as well. It’s a long read which makes it worth the kindle price in my opinion.

[Candy Chaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book

[Ian M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade/interest level: 3-7
Reading level: 820 Lexile
Genre: Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Suspense
Main Characters: Morton, Melissa, James, Robbie, Mr. Brown, John King, Dad
Setting: House, School, Backyard
POV: 3rd Person POV

Morton is a kid who loves monsters, horror, and terrible deaths. He is also a huge fan of scare scape a comic made by a man named John King. Morton moves into King's house unknowingly. The house turns out to be a large mansion dating back to around the victorian era. Morton really likes the house as soon as he steps foot in it. Morton loves scare scape to the point that he purchased several toys from the back of his comics. Now the main part of the story is where Morton is mowing the lawn. While he is mowing the lawn the mower breaks due to a buried statue.

The statue has 3 fingers. There is inscription that says if you break a finger off of it you must expel selfish desires when wishing. The whole story revolves around the statues and the wishes made these 3 siblings.
I really enjoyed the story, I especially enjoyed the action/horror concept of it.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got kids who can't get enough of Goosebumps? Give them this.

Scare Scape is about a family who moves into a creepy old mansion. The youngest of the family is obsessed with "Scare Scape" - a world of comic books. He has an extensive collection of action figures based on the gruesome creatures featured in the comic. His one wish is that they become more realistic...

The cover is awesome, and colorful, and the book pays off.
The siblings relationships are realistic and honest, and the plot takes twists and turns I didn't expect. It makes me happy that we have something a little more challenging to give to our monster-obsessed kids.

Unfortunately, the trading-card-like pages at the center of the book describing each monster are black and white - kids have to go to the website to see the author's imagined colors.

I plugged this at my school visits this morning, and the kids went bananas over the Flesh Eating Slugs, the Visible Fang, and the Shark Hound. A sure winner.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a cross between “Jumanji” and the Spiderwick Chronicles. A boy named Morton finds an ancient statue when his family move into an old house once owned by a horror comics writer. He and his older brother and sister make three wishes that come true…sort of. There is dark magic so the wishes get twisted and horrible things happen. There are monsters and bullies but also new friends. There is a “surprise” turn of events at the end that isn’t fully explained. It takes 250 pages to build up to the climax and only 20 to wrap things up. It’s a little too neat and not everything is resolved. This could be to leave room for a second book, but I don’t think there needs to be more. This book is NOT for young readers. A person dies at the end by getting devoured by cats and there is talk of human sacrifice. Though nothing is too grap hic, the images are there and things could be frightening for young readers.

[Carolyn Arrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Junior Library Guild selection.

Thirteen year old James wishes that the action figures from his favorite horror comic book series Scare Scape would become more realistic. They do; they come to life! James and his older sister Melissa who normally spend most of their time squabbling must join forces with James' new friend Robbie to battle the ferocious monsters, solve the mystery of the missing cats, and defeat a villain.

The horror genre is not my favorite; however, it was engaging enough that I sympathized with the characters and wanted to read on to find out how they fared.

There are a number of references to demons, demonic power, dark magic, and possession. There is quite a bit of fighting and killing (the main characters killing some of the monsters)with all the requisite ooze.

Spoiler alert -- The villain is attacked and eaten by zombie cats.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Morton and his siblings move to a new town after their mother dies, he really isn't up to a new adventure. But when the kids find a strange statue buried in their new front yard, weird things begin to happen. For example horrible creatures from Morton's favorite comic begin to come to life and take over.

Can the kids get control before things really get out of hand?

A great "scary story" for upper elementary kids.

[Stephanie Mohler · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK for what it is- a scary book for kids. Morton (who's a BIG fan of Scare Scape comics) and his older siblings move into a old, run down house with their father. While mowing the yard, Morton unearths an old statue that grants 3 wishes to the siblings. Needless to say, the wishes don't go as planned and the kids have to figure out how to reverse them. Wish the book cover was spookier.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for upper elementary students and junior high. It has kids, monsters, excitement and a touch of horror. My grade 4 and 5 students LOVED it. The suspense had them on the edge of their seats. The three main characters: Morton, James and Melissa are very believable as two brothers and a sister trying to find their place in a new town.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the reviewer who recommended this for lovers of Goosebumps and Pokemon.

The read itself was fun, but don't expect a lot of depth to this story. Too many elements spoil the plot, and the plot looked like swiss cheese by the end, but still wrapped up relatively well.

[Sharon Layburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

5th/6th&up
A wonderfully gruesome, but heartfelt tale.
After their mother's death, Morton and his family seek a fresh start with a new town and a creepy new home where their darkest wishes unfortunately come true.

[Mrs. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fantasy read which is reminiscent of Harry Potter but with a twist of a storyline based on the creatures in a comic book coming to life after the teens in the family make 3 wishes on an ancient statue.

[Cupcakes122]

I really liked it when sam fisher went to my school and read all of chapter one.I would recommend for grade 4-6.

[Danica Midlil]

IL: Middle Grades
AR: 5.4

[Calder · Rating 5 out of 5]

89000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Bonus points for Scare scape .

"Ooooh, Scare Scape. I would give that like 52 stars!" (2/26/15)

[Erin Pauley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun!!! I would recommend this to any one who loved goosebumps or fear street or to anyone who likes a fun scary tale.

[Jessie Peng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meh.

Interesting but at times I were a little bored.

[Kamron B.]

Scary Scape is a very creative and interesting book. I loved this book. The very moment I opened this book I was hooked. It is a fun and intense book and is filled with intriguing stories. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Goosebumps. Goosebumps and this book are similar in the way that there is monsters and stuff. Scary Scape is just like a newer version of that. When the Clay family moves to this old house Morton (one of the main characters) find a gargoyle that grants a wish to all of the kid in the clay family, James, Melissa, and morton. But be careful what you wish for because there wishes came true but not as they expected. So they need to find a way to fix it all. This is just a great book you should go and read it or not I can't do anything I am just a review not a police officer.