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The Nightmare Club #3
A Dog's Breakfast
Glen is a nasty little boy who always moans and lies. After a strange encounter in the woods, he suddenly disappears, and the only one who seems to know what happened to him is a dog. And everyone knows that dogs can’t talk. Right?
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First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 29, 2019
I'm not even sure how to categorize this. It's more like a chapter book than a picture book, except there are no chapters. Let's just call it a text-heavy picture book.
Surprisingly, the writing itself isn't that bad. Unfortunately, the story is silly and not scary at all. Glen is annoying (he's supposed to be) and it's difficult to feel bad for him because he's just so unpleasant.
The idea of these books being written by a twelve-year-old orphan is probably supposed to appeal to kids, but it's clear that it's just a gimmick. "Annie Graves" has a better grasp of the English language than many adults. Her narrative reads like an adult pretending to have a child's voice. (Now, if I'm wrong and there actually is an Annie Graves, I apologize. I find it doubtful, though, considering the copyright for the text is held by the publisher.)
This is the third book in the series, but it appears to be self-contained. That's just as well. I'm not in any rush to read any of the other books. If they're anything like this one, they're probably pretty forgettable.
Surprisingly, the writing itself isn't that bad. Unfortunately, the story is silly and not scary at all. Glen is annoying (he's supposed to be) and it's difficult to feel bad for him because he's just so unpleasant.
The idea of these books being written by a twelve-year-old orphan is probably supposed to appeal to kids, but it's clear that it's just a gimmick. "Annie Graves" has a better grasp of the English language than many adults. Her narrative reads like an adult pretending to have a child's voice. (Now, if I'm wrong and there actually is an Annie Graves, I apologize. I find it doubtful, though, considering the copyright for the text is held by the publisher.)
This is the third book in the series, but it appears to be self-contained. That's just as well. I'm not in any rush to read any of the other books. If they're anything like this one, they're probably pretty forgettable.
May 1, 2018
I read A Dog’s Breakfast to fulfill the prompt of “A book about or set on Halloween” for the 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.
This book barely fit the prompt by being a tale that was told during a Halloween sleepover.
Glen is a whiny kid who always blames others for everything. After getting lost in the woods (definitely not HIS fault), he falls victim (because isn’t he always?) to a curse of sorts.
This is an early reader’s cautionary tale—sort of like Stephen King’s Thinner, only for the barely post-kindergarten set. It sounds like it was written by a barely literate 7-year-old who isn’t intent on making sense, just elaborating on their “spooky” story.
I feel like it isn’t going to be viewed as spooky by its target audience.
I didn’t hate it, but it wouldn’t have interested me even if I still used safety scissors and had just stopped eating glue.
2 out of 5 stars
This book barely fit the prompt by being a tale that was told during a Halloween sleepover.
Glen is a whiny kid who always blames others for everything. After getting lost in the woods (definitely not HIS fault), he falls victim (because isn’t he always?) to a curse of sorts.
This is an early reader’s cautionary tale—sort of like Stephen King’s Thinner, only for the barely post-kindergarten set. It sounds like it was written by a barely literate 7-year-old who isn’t intent on making sense, just elaborating on their “spooky” story.
I feel like it isn’t going to be viewed as spooky by its target audience.
I didn’t hate it, but it wouldn’t have interested me even if I still used safety scissors and had just stopped eating glue.
2 out of 5 stars
December 10, 2020
The first book of Annie Graves’ The Nightmare Club series is A Dog's Breakfast illustrated by Glenn McElhinney. I would recommend the book for 10-13 yr olds.
Annie Graves is the narrator of this story. She is hosting a sleepover where everyone has to tell spooky stories. This story is about a very mean kid, Glen, who walks into a forest with Annie Graves. He is the antagonist of the story. Once they go off the trail and get lost, they hear a voice. The voice ends up being a little gnome wizard guy who is the protagonist. When the antagonist steps out of line, the gnome wizard shows him who’s boss. I found the ending a little weird but enjoyable.
I would recommend this book for anyone ages 10-13 years old who like suspenseful and mysterious stories. The book is a very quick read because there are not a lot of sentences on each page and there are a lot of fun pictures.
My favorite part was the ending of the book. It was very revengeful in a surprising way. I also enjoyed the pictures in the book, they helped me understand it better.
Annie Graves is the narrator of this story. She is hosting a sleepover where everyone has to tell spooky stories. This story is about a very mean kid, Glen, who walks into a forest with Annie Graves. He is the antagonist of the story. Once they go off the trail and get lost, they hear a voice. The voice ends up being a little gnome wizard guy who is the protagonist. When the antagonist steps out of line, the gnome wizard shows him who’s boss. I found the ending a little weird but enjoyable.
I would recommend this book for anyone ages 10-13 years old who like suspenseful and mysterious stories. The book is a very quick read because there are not a lot of sentences on each page and there are a lot of fun pictures.
My favorite part was the ending of the book. It was very revengeful in a surprising way. I also enjoyed the pictures in the book, they helped me understand it better.
May 1, 2018
Yikes. The design of the book leaves a lot to be desired. The text was in such tiny blocks and there was so much space on each page! The books were published in the UK before being published in the US and they have a lot of unfamiliar phrasings and syntax that I think is just off-putting enough for a North American reader. Based on the sub par design and the weird ugly illustrations, I am more likely to recommend James Preller's Scary Tales instead. Judging by the circulation, our patrons have made the same choice!
This is also part of my ongoing quest to read a book from all of the children's series my library has.
This is also part of my ongoing quest to read a book from all of the children's series my library has.
July 6, 2017
This series is compelling and slightly off-putting. The exaggerated illustrations are a great compliment to the off kilter storytelling. There's just enough oddity to draw in the target audience without being annoying.
September 13, 2020
Dumb, TBH.
Short, not much text, but also not many pictures.
It’s supposed to be scary, but isn’t at all. More like a fairy tale that’s supposed to remind kids to be nice?
Wouldn’t read the others and wouldn’t recommend.
Short, not much text, but also not many pictures.
It’s supposed to be scary, but isn’t at all. More like a fairy tale that’s supposed to remind kids to be nice?
Wouldn’t read the others and wouldn’t recommend.
October 26, 2022
This was a fun, fast, spooky read! The writing style reminds me of Lemony Snicket, mixed with Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark. I love scary stories with a lesson, and this one has a great lesson! DON'T BE MEAN TO PEOPLE, INCLUDING ANIMALS.
March 11, 2018
Fun text, fun illustrations. I like that in this book a person gets what they deserve. However, there was very little text per page. Too much blank space.
July 23, 2018
Children
February 5, 2021
Fun. Cute. Creepy. And dark. This book is a good quick read.
March 5, 2021
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2021
It was an okay 10-min read for a book that has 50 pages with each page taking a minute or less to read. Definitely good for a child who just started reading.
June 23, 2021
this is illustrative bool for kid. and this is my first time to read this. a kid who always lie to everyone and he was eaten by a big dog? omg.
October 14, 2015
This book was originally posted on the Children's Book and Media Review.
Every year Annie Graves hosts a Halloween sleepover with all her friends where they take turns telling scary stories. The first story is about a boy named Glen who was mean, always complained, and lied to everyone. When his class goes on a field trip to hike through the woods, Glen gets lost. He runs into a small person, about the size of the fairy. The small person places a spell on Glen. The next time Glen makes someone feel bad he'll start to turn into something more useful, but if he can go a full day without making anyone feel bad he'll turn back. The next day, Glen doesn't recognize himself in the mirror. His skin is pinker and pudgier than normal and he smells distinctly of ham. Glen goes to school and tries to be nice to everyone, but when he’s walking home from school he runs into a dog. When he goes the kick the dog, he turns into a pig. Nobody ever saw Glen again, but the dog looked fatter.
The Nightmare Club is a series of books supposedly written by Annie Graves. Each story is told by an attendee of her sleepover part, and as the host she gets to write them down. A Dog’s Breakfast is the first story in the series. While not actually scary, this book will get readers in the Halloween spirit. It’s a quick read, with no more than one or two paragraphs per page. There is a small, black and white illustration about every other page to help readers visualize the story. It’s a perfect book to help readers transition from picture books to novels. The story is also a good reminder to children to be nice to others.
Every year Annie Graves hosts a Halloween sleepover with all her friends where they take turns telling scary stories. The first story is about a boy named Glen who was mean, always complained, and lied to everyone. When his class goes on a field trip to hike through the woods, Glen gets lost. He runs into a small person, about the size of the fairy. The small person places a spell on Glen. The next time Glen makes someone feel bad he'll start to turn into something more useful, but if he can go a full day without making anyone feel bad he'll turn back. The next day, Glen doesn't recognize himself in the mirror. His skin is pinker and pudgier than normal and he smells distinctly of ham. Glen goes to school and tries to be nice to everyone, but when he’s walking home from school he runs into a dog. When he goes the kick the dog, he turns into a pig. Nobody ever saw Glen again, but the dog looked fatter.
The Nightmare Club is a series of books supposedly written by Annie Graves. Each story is told by an attendee of her sleepover part, and as the host she gets to write them down. A Dog’s Breakfast is the first story in the series. While not actually scary, this book will get readers in the Halloween spirit. It’s a quick read, with no more than one or two paragraphs per page. There is a small, black and white illustration about every other page to help readers visualize the story. It’s a perfect book to help readers transition from picture books to novels. The story is also a good reminder to children to be nice to others.
June 27, 2015
Don’t even bother showing up for a famous Annie Graves slumber party unless you are prepared to share a truly terrifying tale. A story so horrifying that sleep will be made impossible for your fellow party goers.
These quick reads should be shared in darkness with only a flashlight and a creepy sinister voice. Although the books are numbered the haunting yet humorous story-lines appear to be independent from one another and do not need to be enjoyed sequentially.
These quick reads should be shared in darkness with only a flashlight and a creepy sinister voice. Although the books are numbered the haunting yet humorous story-lines appear to be independent from one another and do not need to be enjoyed sequentially.
July 24, 2015
This would be a great book for a mid-to-late elementary/early middle school-aged child who is smart but who isn't big on reading, who likes scary stories but more thoughtful/suspenseful than gory, and who reminds one of a young Wednesday Addams. Read alikes would probably be along the lines of Roald Dahl's The Witches, Edward Gorey's Cautionary Tales for Children, and Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories series.
July 28, 2015
Grades 2-4. I was hoping this short book would be a nice transitional read I could give to students who wanted something scary but not too scary. The text is very sparse. I am not sure why there is so much empty space on the page. The illustrations are small, but helpful. The vocabulary is more advanced then I expected (intention, conveniently, pinnacle-- in the first 5 pages alone).
Choose one of the Preller Scary Story collections instead.
Choose one of the Preller Scary Story collections instead.
April 18, 2016
Short, quick, and not all that scary. Perhaps the other books are a little more spine-tingling. There isn't that much in the book. This edition is about a boy who disappeared after getting lost in the woods on a school trip. After the trip he begins looking odd and eventually disappears. There is a bit of a moral about being nice to people and creatures. Good one to hand to kids who ask for a scary story but you are worried about handing them a really scary story.
Good for grades 2-4.
Good for grades 2-4.
December 17, 2015
Hilarious and reminiscent of Roald Dahl. Always hard to find a good creepy book for elementary, and this fits the bill pretty well. Short, simple, but weird and creepy. It looks like it would be a great early chapter book, but it's not something I'd hand to a younger reader unless they specifically asked for scary. I'd definitely give this to older kids (grades 3 and up).
June 5, 2016
This was an easy read. I kept waiting/hoping for something surprising and exciting to happen. Unfortunately, it never did. I might recommend this book to kids in 3rd-4th grade depending on reading levels.
September 21, 2014
I reviewed this book for School Library Journal. If/when the review is published, I will repost it here.
February 5, 2015
I was a little disappointed with the illustrations. The story was kind of cute in its storyteller tone, but I wasn't enthralled.
July 4, 2015
Nothing special. I think there are some younger kids that will enjoy reading this book as well as the rest in the series for the spook and creepy factor.
March 12, 2015
For kids wanting more Scary Stories. Has a snarky sense to the writing that I think will work well for kids with a more mature sense of humor who will go on to love Roald Dahl.
March 21, 2015
I loved this! It's the kind of book you can enjoy yourself while reading to children because of the snark.
May 24, 2015
A not to scary horror story series for second and third graders.
May 29, 2015
Read to see how "scary" or suspenseful this book would be - and not very. Although, I'd like to see what a nine-year-old would think. They might like it.
November 1, 2018
A nice, short story about scary story-telling. This one involved dogs. It made me laugh, I like the descriptive words.
April 2, 2017
At first, I thought the illustration of the 12-year-old was an old woman, not a child. I had to look closely - the pigtails must be what makes her young.
It was a fun story and started off very scary, but the ending kind of lost me. It didn’t flow very well. I thought it was going somewhere else. As an adult, it wasn’t my favorite. As a kid, I think I would have loved it. I would read other books in the series and recommend it to kids.
It was a fun story and started off very scary, but the ending kind of lost me. It didn’t flow very well. I thought it was going somewhere else. As an adult, it wasn’t my favorite. As a kid, I think I would have loved it. I would read other books in the series and recommend it to kids.
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August 23, 2018JFIC
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews