Ghoulfriends Just Want to Have Fun

Ghoulfriends #2

by Gitty Daneshvari

GFFs Rochelle, Robecca, and Venus begin to settle in at Monster High and are having a fangtastic time getting involved in the student body. Rochelle is tutoring the trolls, Robecca is blasting onto the Skulltimate Roller Maze team, and Venus is starting a compost pile with Lagoona Blue! The ghoulfriends are even recruited to help Toralei and Cleo plan the Hex Factor Talent Show. But during Mr. Mummy's Catacombing class, the ghouls find a Doll of Doom that hints at a new threat to the school. And when white cats start showing up around the Creepateria - a bad omen for monsters! - the GFFs begin to wonder if their fun is over. Is Toralei playing pranks? Or is something more sinister at work in the halls of Monster High?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Paranormal, Boarding School

Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Gitty Daneshvari was born in Los Angeles to an Iranian father and an American mother. As a child she talked incessantly, feeling the need to comment on everything around her. While at first charmed by her verbose nature, her family soon tired of the constant commenting. This is how she found writing — it was better than talking since she didn't even need anyone else to do it with.

She currently lives in New York City and yes she still talks too much.

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all things Monster High and I am an adult so take this under consideration as you read my review. I think Mattel's characters are unique and adorable. I love the little webisodes and special shows. I collect the dolls. And I loved Lisi Harrison's Monster High series. I was a little disappointed when that series, aimed at young teenagers, was discontinued as I could read and really enjoy those. Ginny's series is aimed at a much younger crowd and I am sure that they are trying to target the same age group as they aim the dolls towards. The illustrations are cute and I always enjoy the new trip to Monster High that we get in Ginny's books, however the story lines are overly simplified. I am most displeased by the fact that the storylines are not completed at the close of each book. The first one was better as it closed a major plotline but still left some threads dangling so that readers would be eager to read book two. This book just feels like it ends right in the middle of the action. I closed the book feeling slightly dissatisfied. The books are clean and easy to read so young children should find them to be pleasant reading.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a used book store and I had no clue that it was part of a series. I am already a fan of Ever After High and wanted to learn more about its sister series, Monster High. Although I didn't read the first book, this was such a fun romp and filled to the cauldron with adorable monster puns. Ge-Ogre-phy, Creep-ateria, and even something as silly as Creep Cries as a potato substitute all made me chuckle. This book focuses on three ghouls at Monster High who are trying to investigate what is happening at their school other than the usual creatures who matriculate there.



Venus McFlytrap

Venus is the daughter of a plant monster and closely resembles a Venus Flytrap. Venus was a bit prickly at times but that may have just been due to her monster heritage. She was assertive and made sure her friends were protected. She could be aggressive but she is definitely a ghoulfriend you want on your side. She was a nice asset to the trio but she was my least favorite. I ordered a vinyl figure of her online before all the prices are jacked up. She even has little fangs on her lips like a real venus flytrap! She was definitely giving off the rebel rocker vibe and her plant powers of persuasion were rad.



Robecca Steam

Robecca was such a copper-plated ray of sunshine and I had already liked her from the Roller Derby-themed movie I saw on Netflix. She was built nearly a century ago by her inventor-father Hexiciah Steam and she was only recently rebuilt. She was very sweet and spouted plenty of outdated exclamations to her friends. She provided the cheer to the trio and the heart of the group while Venus was the brawn. Robecca is described to have copper skin and I think that is reference to being a person of color. I applaud the diversity and I imagine Robecca would be doing cartwheels with her steam-powered flying boots.



Rochelle Goyle

Rochelle was my favorite ghoul of the trio because she was French gargoyle who emigrated from Scaris. She was obliged to always tell the truth, no matter how awkward, due to the Gargoyle Code of Conduct. I adored her integration of French and monster puns whenever she would say si ghoul plait or boojour! She provided the brains to Robecca's heart and Venus' brawn. They made an excellent team and had a wonderful friendship together. Her vinyl figure is way too expensive but I need it.



This was my first Monster High book and it was so unique. I think this series has more of a rock n roll vibe to it while Ever After High is more pop. They are both fun in their own regard but it's nice to listen to a different cd every once in a while. This was a nice surprise and I can't wait to read the other books in this series. Perhaps there will be more Deuce Gorgon, my ultimate favorite Monster High babe, despite his questionable taste in ghouls...

[Molly Pie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monster high never misses

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series, and we continue where we last left our girls. :)

Sadly, this book is not like the other. There we had a problem, a climax and also an ending. In this book, we still have a problem, and then it suddenly ends and you will have read book 3. :\ Oh well.

The girls are back and better, I really liked them in this book, you could see them start to become even better friends. It was at times really exciting and I couldn't wait to find out who made all the bad signs/omens etc. I of course have my suspicions as to who it could be.

I didn't like every character in the book. The blog girl was just annoying, that werecat girl was just urgh, a total bitch to everyone.

But all in all, it was a nice story, and I will be sure to read book 3. :)

Review first posted on: http://twirlingbookprincess.com

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only giving this 3 stars because I think the Monster High concept is adorable and because my 7 year old and 2 year old love the movies and toys. With that said, I bought my 7 year old (well she will be 7 in July, whatever) this book at a book fair. She loves to read and is pretty good at it. I warned her it is probably geared more toward the 10-12 'tweens'. I told her, read what you can and highlight words you don't know. The book became forgotten REAL quick. A few nights ago, I pulled it out to read to her for her nightly reading. What...the...heck. I could barely read this!!!!! This book is far too advanced for children to read. How are they supposed to be able to pronounce a lot of these words, let alone know what they mean???

[Richard Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my daughter who loves Monster High. While I generally hate cliffhangers in books, this series promises to continue. I know she can't wait for book three.

[sbirkazvadlejchruzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

priserny

[Idk_stuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Aga · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Yuiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im giving this monster high book 4 out of 5 stars manly because the complexity of the words!! I'm 21 and some of the words are to hard to pronounce and some i have to look up!! And im pretty good with vocabulary!!
The story's was pretty good like the first book but left me wanting more....i felt it was really good but not as good as the first!! Even with what I put I would still recommend this book to MH lovers!!! :)

[Bara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tenhle díl byl naprosto o ničem. Tahle série mohla klidně vyjít jen ve dvou nebo třech dílech s tím, že dvojka by byla proškrtaná a spojená s dalším dílem.
Tohle je fakt literatura jen pro největší fanoušky Monster High.

[polcia krejzolcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

monster high moja milosc

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

A good follow-up to the first book. Weird things continue to happen at Monster High and the trio is concerned about how things are progressing.

My main critique of the book is that not much happens. There is a lot of filler and it appears to just set the stage for the third book. It is very drawn out with no real resolution and a cliff hanger ending to set up the next book in the series.

The story as a whole was interesting and I will be reading the third book to find out what happens, but it was a little disappointing that there wasn't much going on in this one. It was filled with side-plots and odd conversations that went nowhere. It very much felt like it was dragging the story on toward the third book rather than being a complete story in itself.

Also, the same issues I had with the first one apply to this one as well. The derogatory term "gypsies" is used as an identity along with some stereotypes of them. It also seems to normalized thin bodies and appears anti-fat. The narration is overly concerned with emphasizing that Rochelle is not fat at all, she's just heavy because she's a gargoyle. Lines like "Rochelle appeared as lithe and slim as any other monster" sets thin bodies as the standard. Other body types are seen as gross and bad such as the assertion, "At least they're getting some exercise" regarding the trolls. I understand it's a series based on fashion dolls but the overemphasis on appearance, especially weight, was disheartening.

Overall, an okay read. I didn't like it as much as the first one. It has the same problems and less plot/resolution. Still, I will be continuing the series as I have the boxed set. I am hoping more happens in the third book.

[Aulanie Olivares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghoulfriends Just Want To Have Fun by Gitty Daneshvari is a decent book!As I said before about the series on my review for the first book,I enjoyed the series more when I was in 2nd grade because I was into Monster High.I think it is ok to read books you used read when you were little because you can do some reflecting.What I mean by this is as I read the book and wrote this review,I have been thinking why I was into the series and enjoyed it way more when I was small then I do now.For example,the series is mostly about a group of teenage monsters who mostly go on an adventure in some way.This may have been more appealing to me when I was a kid because I had also collected the dolls at the time( I still have all of my dolls in a box inside my closet since I no longer use them).This book is similar to other fantasy books because it is one of those fantasy books for smaller children.I feel that my little sister would actually enjoy it more than me.If I had to recommend this book to someone it would be still be to kids in elementary school.

[Christy Chabassol-Moynham · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Monster High, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t my favourite book by any means, but it was enjoyable; however, in terms of the age group this book is intended for, it is a fantastic book. The storyline is one that will catch young readers attention and give them something they can sink their teeth into. The book had a few spelling errors in some of the words and names which are reinvented to fit into the world of Monster High, however, the grammar was well done, with sentences that were easy to follow and understand. Also commendable is the use of words that I would not expect to see in the typical novel for young readers: providing young readers with a chance to learn new words and expand their vocabulary. All in all, I would recommend this book for both young readers and Monster High fans alike.

[Asia | Adventures with Asia Minor · Rating 3 out of 5]

23 April 2021

3.5 stars!

I read this a looooong time ago. (Okay, maybe it wasn't that long, but it was before middle school.) As far as I remember, it was a decent book.

~~~~~

Want more bookish stuff?

・ Comment below to discuss this book more. I'd love to hear what you think!
・ Send me a private message on Goodreads to discuss this book (and/or other books)!
・ Join the Book Nerds Unite group to discuss this book and other books, as well as to receive book recommendations or just to chat in general with other book nerds like me!
・ Like this review, and follow my reviews for more book reviews.

Happy Reading!

[Nicole Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading these books with my daughter and I love them. They are so cute and bring some of the characters I knew to life in a different way for kids today.

I think these books are amazing for younger kids who love the ghouls from Monster High. It is a way to get them to read. I will admit for some readers, though a mom or dad might be needed to help out with some of the words for a time or two before they get them down. The pictures through out the book are cute and add a bit to the book as you read. I just love it all together. Rochelle, Robecca and Venus are the main characters and through them you journey through Monster High.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't really have much of a point except to set up for the next book. My thoughts while reading:
- The gypsy vampires were hilarious like wtf they really just be nonchalantly sleeping under random people's beds
- I love Penny the penguin so much and it broke my heart every time she got left behind and each time it made me love her even more
- I hate Rochelle. She's the true villain in all these books because nothing is worse than a know-it-all. How does she even have friends?

[Terry]

Teen Student Reviewer (16): The creature (v. human) and supernatural aspects make this book more interesting. Each of the characters is based on a supernatural creature and is named accordingly. Get more in the full review.

[Dolores Barragan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro está en mi biblioteca desde 2013 que lo compre y nunca lo leí, este año me propuse leer todos mis libros pendientes, incluyendo este. No es un mal libro hablando objetivamente, pero claro está que no es para mi edad, pero para un niño de 10-13 años seguramente sea muy interesante

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

just finished reading this with my daughter. she loved it. I love how names of things were changed a little to fit the monster theme.

[AMY · Rating 1 out of 5]

262 pages. This is not really an elementary school book. It was on the book fair. I read one chapter and that was enough. Skip this one.

[Katya Starling · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is probably great for monster-loving kids, but it doesn't hold up well at all for older fans or when compared to the movies.

[Victoria Sitkiewicz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2+

[thais ama o sol]

Robecca Steams e Venus pau a pau tentando roubar meu coraçãozinho de criança gay.

[Asia Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved monster high as a child so naturally I gave this book 5 stars

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[allyson hm · Rating 3 out of 5]

its a good book i like how kinda dramatic it gets at the end but honestly it was kinda boring until nearer to the end and i like books that dont really have to wait that long to get exciting

[Rio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this less than the previous book for ending on a cliffhanger, but it's a fast and cute read.