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How to Speak Spook
A hilarious new ghostly adventure story from the award-winning writer of BEAST and SPARKS. Donald can see, hear and chat with ghosts. So can his mum, but she isn't very good at it (not that she knows that, so don't tell her). She's often called to help solve ghostly problems, like ridding the local supermarket of a ghoulish flip-flopping display of reanimated fish. Donald actually solves the problems himself by having a chat with the ghosts, but he pretends it was his mum, just to be nice. But now some sort of ancient monster ghost has turned up and seems like it wants to cause a lot of trouble. And this monster ghost doesn't want to talk.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2015
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13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 26, 2024
I bought this book not expecting a lot (it's a children's book) but I WOULDN'T even recommend it to five year olds , this is the emptiest book I ever read , no action took place, and I paused the book so much it took me 1 year to finish (be close to finishing actually, if you read the blurb it sounds interesting, but don't let it deceive you , DO NOT RECOMMEND so not worth the price (7 pounds) Welp , if it was free it wouldn't be worth it
February 16, 2020
A great ghost book for children - link to fossils and Mary Anning.
August 31, 2025
It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING I would really recommended this book.I am 11 and fit right into this book. It was a bit hard to get into but by chapter 3 it was easy to read. In this book you follow Donald Danny Merry and April and the funny narrator made the book 10x better.
Finally I rate this book 10/10.
Finally I rate this book 10/10.
May 13, 2019
Not one of my favorite reads. Sorry.
September 9, 2015
This review was also published on:
http://wordsofwonders.com/2015/04/10/...
An interesting book loaded with character and humour, a perfect introduction to the world of ghosts and ghouls.
As a child, I grew up reading a lot of the Goosebumps books by R.L Stine so naturally How to Speak Spook(And Stay Alive) hit a childhood chord with me. Though not intensely scary, actually, not at all scary, the interesting premise of lots of ghosts just casually wandering through Donald’s life, on the walk to school, at his desk, in the bath, is intriguing enough by itself.
Donald our main character is very special. He can taste colours, smell sounds and see and talk to ghosts.
Most ghosts are friendly, and range from normal people like you and me, all the way to birds and worms. Donald sees and hears them all, his mother can too but Donald is a lot better at it and pretty much does his Mom’s job for her. He regularly visits his Dad even though their family has separated, and even though his Dad is dead.
His Mother regularly takes him out to ghostly disturbances and Donald usually solves the problem with a quick chat however, some ghosts can’t be spoken too.
There are a lot of interesting characters in this book, Donald’s Dad being one of them, there is also a ghost dog, a TV celebrity Palaeontologist and a witch named Estella. Each character is brilliantly thought out and even the ghosts have palpable back story and add an extra dose of weirdness to the mix. My favourite scene being when Donald and Merry(his best friend but not his girlfriend) are trapped in the crypt.
Even though Donald seems to find himself in awkward situations involving ghosts and the supernatural, he soon discovers that the most dangerous things of all are often regular people.
Estella is the leader of The Believers, a psychic and clairvoyant group that Donald’s mother is a part of. Estella has invited Donald and his family down to Dorset for what hopes to be the haunting of the century! She needs every able bodied psychic she can muster to help her banish the spirit once and for all. Though it is true that there is a very dangerous spirit roaming around wreaking havoc, Estella has a very different spirit in mind.
For a children’s book, this story is loaded with action and tense scenes, but it more than entertains and delivers for younger children. With seances and fainting and destruction and kidnapping and spells! Everything comes to a head in this short and snappy story. And with a rip roaring ending that somehow manages to mix a hurricane and a dinosaur together, you’re in for one hell of a ride!
Definitely a good book to start your children on the long and winding road to some of the best spooky story tellers out there, this funny and exciting story will be devoured in no time!
http://wordsofwonders.com/2015/04/10/...
An interesting book loaded with character and humour, a perfect introduction to the world of ghosts and ghouls.
As a child, I grew up reading a lot of the Goosebumps books by R.L Stine so naturally How to Speak Spook(And Stay Alive) hit a childhood chord with me. Though not intensely scary, actually, not at all scary, the interesting premise of lots of ghosts just casually wandering through Donald’s life, on the walk to school, at his desk, in the bath, is intriguing enough by itself.
Donald our main character is very special. He can taste colours, smell sounds and see and talk to ghosts.
Most ghosts are friendly, and range from normal people like you and me, all the way to birds and worms. Donald sees and hears them all, his mother can too but Donald is a lot better at it and pretty much does his Mom’s job for her. He regularly visits his Dad even though their family has separated, and even though his Dad is dead.
His Mother regularly takes him out to ghostly disturbances and Donald usually solves the problem with a quick chat however, some ghosts can’t be spoken too.
There are a lot of interesting characters in this book, Donald’s Dad being one of them, there is also a ghost dog, a TV celebrity Palaeontologist and a witch named Estella. Each character is brilliantly thought out and even the ghosts have palpable back story and add an extra dose of weirdness to the mix. My favourite scene being when Donald and Merry(his best friend but not his girlfriend) are trapped in the crypt.
Even though Donald seems to find himself in awkward situations involving ghosts and the supernatural, he soon discovers that the most dangerous things of all are often regular people.
Estella is the leader of The Believers, a psychic and clairvoyant group that Donald’s mother is a part of. Estella has invited Donald and his family down to Dorset for what hopes to be the haunting of the century! She needs every able bodied psychic she can muster to help her banish the spirit once and for all. Though it is true that there is a very dangerous spirit roaming around wreaking havoc, Estella has a very different spirit in mind.
For a children’s book, this story is loaded with action and tense scenes, but it more than entertains and delivers for younger children. With seances and fainting and destruction and kidnapping and spells! Everything comes to a head in this short and snappy story. And with a rip roaring ending that somehow manages to mix a hurricane and a dinosaur together, you’re in for one hell of a ride!
Definitely a good book to start your children on the long and winding road to some of the best spooky story tellers out there, this funny and exciting story will be devoured in no time!
May 3, 2015
Loved this. Funny narrative voice, sweet and spooky story. Can't wait for it to come out so I can introduce people to it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews