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Spooky #4
Spooky and the Bad Luck Raven
Cats Spooky and Snowball sabotage the Witches' Sabbat Race, creating chaos never before seen at the event.
- GenresPicture BooksHalloween
Hardcover
First published August 16, 1988
15 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Savage Carlson
56 books53 followersNatalie Savage Carlson was born on October 3, 1906, in Kernstown, Virginia. After she married, she moved around a great deal as the wife of a Navy officer, living for many years in Paris, France.
Her first story was published in the Baltimore Sunday Sun when she was eight years old.
Her first book, The Talking Cat and Other Stories of French Canada (where her mother was born), was published in 1952. One of her best-loved books is The Family Under the Bridge (1958), which was a Newbery Honor book in 1959. Many readers will remember her series of Happy Orpheline books about a group of French orphans and their carefree lives.
In 1966, Ms. Carlson was the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Award.
Materials for fifteen of her novels are held at the Children's Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ms. Carlson lived in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, California, the Pacific Northwest, Florida, and abroad. She died September 23, 1997, in Rhode Island.
Her first story was published in the Baltimore Sunday Sun when she was eight years old.
Her first book, The Talking Cat and Other Stories of French Canada (where her mother was born), was published in 1952. One of her best-loved books is The Family Under the Bridge (1958), which was a Newbery Honor book in 1959. Many readers will remember her series of Happy Orpheline books about a group of French orphans and their carefree lives.
In 1966, Ms. Carlson was the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Award.
Materials for fifteen of her novels are held at the Children's Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ms. Carlson lived in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, California, the Pacific Northwest, Florida, and abroad. She died September 23, 1997, in Rhode Island.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 17, 2019
Spooky and Snowball, two ex-witch's cats who now live a (mostly) peaceful life with the Bascomb family, return in this fourth adventure, following upon
Spooky Night
(which introduced Spooky himself),
Spooky and the Ghost Cat
(which introduced Snowball), and
Spooky and the Wizard's Bats
. When Snowball goes missing, and Spooky notices a croaking raven hanging about, the intrepid feline suspects that his old nemesis (and former mistress) the witch is somehow involved, and heads for the woods, where he finds himself caught up in a Witches' Sabbat Race...
Although it is the fourth entry in Natalie Savage Carlson's five-book series about two witch's cats who become family pets, but find themselves continually entangled with their old mistress, Spooky and the Bad Luck Raven is actually the fifth and final title from the collection that I have read. I don't usually read out of order, but an initial inability to obtain this one made it seem that I might have to forgo it altogether. I'm glad it did eventually come in through ILL, though, as I ended up enjoying it far more than Spooky And The Witch's Goat (the uninspiring fifth title). Andrew Glass' illustrations were no more appealing to me here, than in the other books, but the story, with its witches' race, provided quite a bit of narrative excitement. All in all, my initial response stands: this is an engaging series, perfect for those young readers looking for moderately spooky cat and witch tales for Halloween. The final installment is undoubtedly weak, but the first four are quite engaging.
Although it is the fourth entry in Natalie Savage Carlson's five-book series about two witch's cats who become family pets, but find themselves continually entangled with their old mistress, Spooky and the Bad Luck Raven is actually the fifth and final title from the collection that I have read. I don't usually read out of order, but an initial inability to obtain this one made it seem that I might have to forgo it altogether. I'm glad it did eventually come in through ILL, though, as I ended up enjoying it far more than Spooky And The Witch's Goat (the uninspiring fifth title). Andrew Glass' illustrations were no more appealing to me here, than in the other books, but the story, with its witches' race, provided quite a bit of narrative excitement. All in all, my initial response stands: this is an engaging series, perfect for those young readers looking for moderately spooky cat and witch tales for Halloween. The final installment is undoubtedly weak, but the first four are quite engaging.
March 10, 2018
Witchy characters have gone out of fashion, which is kinda too bad. But this book isn't one that needs to be kept in print. Maybe the earlier ones in the series are more interesting. But this seems kinda pointless. And I don't like that the raven is maligned without having a voice with which to defend itself. And the illustrations are ugly.
April 25, 2016
Spooky and the Bad Luck Raven is a mystery for young readers. Spooky the cat notices that his friend snowball is gone when he does not meet him on the porch one night. Spooky then sees the raven, and he knows that means bad luck. Spooky then suspects it must the the witch who took snowball! Spooky ventures out to go find snowball, he then sees the witches chanting spells and sees snowball with them! Will Spooky and Snowball be able to get back home?!
"Spooky and the Bad Luck Raven" is one of Nancy Carlson's many books! The copyright of this book is 1988, making it a little dated but still very easy for children to connect to. Carlson makes it a point to always have the pictures flow to the right, to keep the readers turning the pages. This is one of her earlier works, but is still very well done. This picture books keeps the pages turned and the story going, along with connecting with the illustrations that help tell the story.
"Spooky and the Bad Luck Raven" is one of Nancy Carlson's many books! The copyright of this book is 1988, making it a little dated but still very easy for children to connect to. Carlson makes it a point to always have the pictures flow to the right, to keep the readers turning the pages. This is one of her earlier works, but is still very well done. This picture books keeps the pages turned and the story going, along with connecting with the illustrations that help tell the story.
June 13, 2021
These stories end abruptly.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews