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Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street School Ghost: A Halloween Book for Kids
A mysterious bell tolls at night and a glowing face is seen in a distant window—is Odd Street School haunted? The irresistible Agatha Parrott and her gang of friends are determined to help their teachers find out. Add in a turtle named Tony, a strangely smelly snack food, and the pranks of one Gwendoline Tutt, and things at Odd Street School are about to get even odder than usual.
Fans of Judy Moody and Clementine will relish the energy and exuberance of Agatha Parrot—creator of clever plans, ghost catcher, and loyal friend!
Fans of Judy Moody and Clementine will relish the energy and exuberance of Agatha Parrot—creator of clever plans, ghost catcher, and loyal friend!
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2014
9 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Kjartan Poskitt
134 books78 followersKjartan Poskitt is an author and TV presenter who is best known for writing the Murderous Maths children's series of books. Poskitt was educated at Collingwood College, Durham. In addition to his popular science and maths books, which include books on Isaac Newton (Dead Famous: Isaac Newton and his Apple), puzzles, practical jokes and secred codes, Poskitt has written a book of magical tricks, a GCSE Maths support book and four Rosie and Jim annuals. In 2007, Poskit published the first in a new series of children's novels called Urgum the Axeman.
He also wrote the theme tune for the children's art program SMart, as well as the title theme and music for the first two series of Brum. He is also the creator of a logic puzzle, Kjarposko.
He has been a presenter for a number of (mostly BBC) educational children's TV shows.
He also wrote the theme tune for the children's art program SMart, as well as the title theme and music for the first two series of Brum. He is also the creator of a logic puzzle, Kjarposko.
He has been a presenter for a number of (mostly BBC) educational children's TV shows.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 2, 2016
Cute and would be entertaining for kiddos. I believe it is the first in a new series, out in July. The illustrations are adorable BUT I did not like some of the dialogue and there was a small instance of fat-shaming that I didn't think was necessary.
June 6, 2023
Highly enjoyable romp, accurately depicting the sibling rivalry between a much smarter sister and her lugubriously stereotypical older brother. It did contain one line that went over the head of every single Year 5 in the class, but genuinely tickled my funny bone. Agatha and her pals are watching an obvious take off of Britain's got talent Agatha in role is waiting to hear the result of this year's competition, the prize is being presented by last year's winner "who has just arrived on his push bike and is just getting out of his overalls" Priceless...
May 6, 2017
My 1st grader enjoyed reading this and it seems to be at a challenging enough level where it's best read out loud with a parent to help with tough words and tricky names. I noticed my daughter was racing through text to find out what happened next (and making a lot of errors in the process!!) but she could not wait to sit down with this book. We will definitely read other books in this series since it seems like she connected with the characters and humor.
December 28, 2016
The eccentric, comical characters in this book will appeal to readers in 3rd - 6th grade. Wes Hargis' illustrations add to the humor of the text. I would recommend this title as an additional purchase for both school and public libraries.
May 20, 2018
Agatha is goofy and fun. She’s got a great group of best friends - all living next door to each other! There’s bullies at school - ugh, but best friends stand up for each other!
May 24, 2021
Clever and amusing
August 10, 2016
A GoodReads GiveAway
This is a book aimed at 7 or 8 year old girls. Or grandfathers of 7 or 8 year old girls. And it is gem-dandy.
Agatha accepts her own eccentricities and the eccentricities of her friends — Ellie, for instance, who is scared of non-fat milk because she thinks it comes from skeleton cows and who “…can’t eat sandwiches because she feels sorry for the bread that gets sliced up by a big machine full of horrible knives.”
Agatha is sensitive about the possibility of politically incorrectness hurting a friend’s feeling, especially a friend who “…can’t really share a chair because…” as Agatha so considerately states, “…if we were all grapes, then she’d (Martha) be a melon.”
The sound of the school’s bell-tower…well, bell-tower’s bell, awakens Agatha and her friends nightly. Together, since they believe that a ghost is ringing the bell, the girls set out to locate and —
I s’pose — exorcise the spook.
While this chapter book is aimed mostly at girls, there are boys in the story. There is one unfortunate who has cheese and onion hair!
Yes, cheese and onion hair! You will see how that is possible.
However, boys are relegated to the sidelines, so to speak. According to Agatha, “…you shouldn’t laugh at boys; it only encourages them.”
Of course there is a mean girl — Gwendoline Tutt — who, as Agatha’s nemesis, puts nasty hurdles in the ghost hunters’ way.
Will Gwendoline get her comeuppance?
There is only one way to find out since I am not telling.
This story’s setting is often a classroom; a classroom where mischief happens. So, girls and…okay, a couple of boys, it is not a spoiler for me to promise that someone sits on a thumbtack.
Books written for youngsters nearly always include a moral or, at least, offer answers to troublesome questions. Agatha Parrot’s story is no exception. It provides the answer to the question of why one should never, never ever, scare a Tiddly Tot.
Oh, and there is a creepy-crawly ghost hand in this book.
WOO HOO, says the ghost of Odd Street's school.
This is a book aimed at 7 or 8 year old girls. Or grandfathers of 7 or 8 year old girls. And it is gem-dandy.
Agatha accepts her own eccentricities and the eccentricities of her friends — Ellie, for instance, who is scared of non-fat milk because she thinks it comes from skeleton cows and who “…can’t eat sandwiches because she feels sorry for the bread that gets sliced up by a big machine full of horrible knives.”
Agatha is sensitive about the possibility of politically incorrectness hurting a friend’s feeling, especially a friend who “…can’t really share a chair because…” as Agatha so considerately states, “…if we were all grapes, then she’d (Martha) be a melon.”
The sound of the school’s bell-tower…well, bell-tower’s bell, awakens Agatha and her friends nightly. Together, since they believe that a ghost is ringing the bell, the girls set out to locate and —
I s’pose — exorcise the spook.
While this chapter book is aimed mostly at girls, there are boys in the story. There is one unfortunate who has cheese and onion hair!
Yes, cheese and onion hair! You will see how that is possible.
However, boys are relegated to the sidelines, so to speak. According to Agatha, “…you shouldn’t laugh at boys; it only encourages them.”
Of course there is a mean girl — Gwendoline Tutt — who, as Agatha’s nemesis, puts nasty hurdles in the ghost hunters’ way.
Will Gwendoline get her comeuppance?
There is only one way to find out since I am not telling.
This story’s setting is often a classroom; a classroom where mischief happens. So, girls and…okay, a couple of boys, it is not a spoiler for me to promise that someone sits on a thumbtack.
Books written for youngsters nearly always include a moral or, at least, offer answers to troublesome questions. Agatha Parrot’s story is no exception. It provides the answer to the question of why one should never, never ever, scare a Tiddly Tot.
Oh, and there is a creepy-crawly ghost hand in this book.
WOO HOO, says the ghost of Odd Street's school.
July 5, 2016
There are children's books and there are children's books. This book, wasn't just made for children, it tossed me back to my days of being a child, reading Judy Blume! The ideals, Agatha's way of thinking and how she went about the story made for a boisterous read for both my son and myself!
We finished the book in one sitting and thought, "I could read another one of these!" My son agreed- laughing loudly and rolling about our classroom floor (that's where we read together; in my office, lying about the floor is the best place).
We also found the introduction to The Gang and their qualms entertaining and good to know. Illustrations of the characters, like Ellie who's afraid of nonfat milk because she believes they come from skeleton cows- only elementary kids can think of things like that! The other illustrations of the book are hilarious, all squiggly and such. I don't see this sort of stuff every day, so it was a blast!
For the full review: http://tinyurl.com/zyrwyw4
**Book provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for an honest review.
We finished the book in one sitting and thought, "I could read another one of these!" My son agreed- laughing loudly and rolling about our classroom floor (that's where we read together; in my office, lying about the floor is the best place).
We also found the introduction to The Gang and their qualms entertaining and good to know. Illustrations of the characters, like Ellie who's afraid of nonfat milk because she believes they come from skeleton cows- only elementary kids can think of things like that! The other illustrations of the book are hilarious, all squiggly and such. I don't see this sort of stuff every day, so it was a blast!
For the full review: http://tinyurl.com/zyrwyw4
**Book provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for an honest review.
July 6, 2016
Agatha Parrot has crazy red hair and freckles. She lives on Odd Street which is so named because the houses are located on the odd side of the street. Coincidentally Agatha’s 3 closest friends, Ivy, Bianca, and Martha, also live on Odd Street. And at the end of the block is their school, aptly named the Odd Street School. Oddly enough the school bell begins chiming in the middle of the night, disturbing everyone on Odd Street and beyond. After the tolling carries on for several nights, Agatha and company are certain that a ghost is to blame. Word travels fast and ghost fever takes over the school. At the principal’s hastily organized Ghost Watch, a spooky situation quickly turns silly as Agatha and her friends discover who haunts the hallowed halls. Poskitt uses liberal doses of humor to take the scary out of this mystery. Hargis’ hilarious black and white illustrations comically mock the characters’ antics. “Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street School Ghost” is a cheeky little ghost story for young readers.
Read
July 6, 2016Though it's difficult for me to evaluate this book from the perspective of a 10-year old, I thought the storey was engaging and the illustrations cute. Agatha Parrot and her friends Ivy, Ellie, Bianca and Martha live on Odd Street, where all the houses have odd numbers, and attend the Odd Street School just down the street. During a dark and stormy night, Agatha hears the school bell ringing incessantly - DONG! - DONG! - DONG!, and the whole gang becomes convinced that it is the work of a ghost. So they about trying to solve the mystery.
The book is populated with many other characters, none of them "normal", but all interesting in their own way. I did find that perhaps there a few too many characters, and I started to get them mixed up... Agatha warns the reader that it is a scary ghost story, but it's definitely not too scary for a young reader; I don't think it will keep anyone up at night, unless they're reading under the covers with a flashlight, which is not the worst thing that can happen to a child, in my opinion!
The book is populated with many other characters, none of them "normal", but all interesting in their own way. I did find that perhaps there a few too many characters, and I started to get them mixed up... Agatha warns the reader that it is a scary ghost story, but it's definitely not too scary for a young reader; I don't think it will keep anyone up at night, unless they're reading under the covers with a flashlight, which is not the worst thing that can happen to a child, in my opinion!
May 9, 2017
This books is quite peculiar in that the main character, Agatha Parrot and her friends live on Odd Street and their homes are all lined up on the odd side of the street, with odd numbers for each of their addresses. Agatha Parrot is quirky at best and most of her friends are quirky as well. One night they hear the bell in the school bell tower ringing and they decide that it is a ghost and that the school is actually haunted. The rest of the book is about volunteering each of her friends to locate the ghost and prove or disprove that the ghost actually exists. The story demeans one student who is very large and it comes up several times in the book which is not an example of good role modeling on how to treat someone who may or may not have a weight issue. This book is not a favorite of mine, but will excite some readers, those with girls as main characters! The readers of Junie B. Jones and that kind of book of thing might be more comfortable with a book such as this one.
July 27, 2016
Agatha Parrot and her crowd are all unique and wacky kids with strange habits and wonderfully odd lunches. They are able to agree on something, however. Something is going on with the school bell. It's ringing in the middle of the night, and far more than 12 dongs. Is there a ghost haunting the school? This is a light-weight easy chapter book with occasional black and white illustrations. The concept is cute, but the book just tries too hard. It keeps pointing out to the audience how terribly clever and funny it is. Look, if you have to point it out then you're not doing your job. Part of this may be the book's origins in the U.K. This is part of a series and I'm not going to purchase the series for my libraries. Go with Captain Awesome or Heidi Heckelbeck instead.
June 27, 2016
Agatha Parrot is a cute little story about a grade school girl, her friends, her school, her family, and a ghost.
While it's a cute story, it's also a sad commentary about what this country does to it's most valuable resource, our children. Freedom of association is one of our most basic rights: It's even the first inalienable right spelled out in The Constitution of the United States. Unfortunately, it's also one of the first rights denied to the majority of United States Citizens under the age of 18.
I certainly understand why it was taken on by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as it helps ingrain forced association as a cultural norm, and that's how they make their money.
While it's a cute story, it's also a sad commentary about what this country does to it's most valuable resource, our children. Freedom of association is one of our most basic rights: It's even the first inalienable right spelled out in The Constitution of the United States. Unfortunately, it's also one of the first rights denied to the majority of United States Citizens under the age of 18.
I certainly understand why it was taken on by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as it helps ingrain forced association as a cultural norm, and that's how they make their money.
July 13, 2016
Thanks to Goodreads and Clarion Books for a free copy.
Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street School Ghost is a fun and silly book, that I'm sure would appeal to young readers. I particularly enjoyed how the author introduced the main characters through illustrations at the beginning of the book. The magic trick at the conclusion of the book offered a fun way to end the story.
The only issue that I had with the book was the way that Martha's weight was addressed. Perhaps I'm overly sensitive but I was very uncomfortable with the unchecked comments that were made about her appearance.
Apart from that, it was a cute, enjoyable and sneakily educational read.
Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street School Ghost is a fun and silly book, that I'm sure would appeal to young readers. I particularly enjoyed how the author introduced the main characters through illustrations at the beginning of the book. The magic trick at the conclusion of the book offered a fun way to end the story.
The only issue that I had with the book was the way that Martha's weight was addressed. Perhaps I'm overly sensitive but I was very uncomfortable with the unchecked comments that were made about her appearance.
Apart from that, it was a cute, enjoyable and sneakily educational read.
May 3, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Agatha Parrot books because they are just so hilarious! I loved this one in particular though because I found it one of the funniest. I love Bianca and I think it's very funny when she gets the words backwards! I love that all the teachers join in (particularly Motley, I think he's the best teacher because he is very funny)!
January 26, 2016
Die Agatha-Parrot-Bücher sind einfach immer wieder zum Totlachen. Agatha und ihre Freundinnen sind so witzig und schräg, da muss man mitgrinsen! Auch "The Odd Street Ghost" macht wieder gute Laune und ist ein tolles Kinderbuch.
June 18, 2016
I won this book in a good reads giveaway that I received in the mail. It is a cute and funny chapter book for younger kids. My granddaughter should love reading it since she loves the Judy Moody books.
November 3, 2016
Summary:
Agatha and her fellow students believe there is a ghost at their school and they are out to find out if it is true.
Recommendation:
This is not your typical mystery; it is more of a fun read for kids who like funny stories.
Stars: 3/5
Reviewed By: Jen T.
Agatha and her fellow students believe there is a ghost at their school and they are out to find out if it is true.
Recommendation:
This is not your typical mystery; it is more of a fun read for kids who like funny stories.
Stars: 3/5
Reviewed By: Jen T.
May 15, 2016
An enjoyable chapter book for early readers. I'm waiting for this to hit shelves so i can reccommend.
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May 18, 2016June B. Read-a-Like
May 30, 2016
The first entry in a cute series about Agatha and her friends on Odd Street.
August 6, 2016
Such a cute little book.
July 29, 2016
I thought this book was really cute! Definitely for younger kids, but highly recommended. I also thought it was really funny! I enjoyed it!
July 14, 2016
Harmless ghost story though there is some unkind behavior among the students trying to top each other in the best ghost story.
November 22, 2016
So funny.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews