Curses are the Worst

Scared Silly #1

by Elizabeth Eulberg

Goosebumps meets The Baily School Kids in this young middle-grade series about four unlikely friends who must band together to save their town from an evil curse! This book contains a very scary and silly story about a long-dormant witch's curse that’s been unleashed on the unsuspecting town of Cauldron’s Cove. It’s revenge, over three hundred years in the making. (Hey, better late than never!) When Regan, Sofia, Bennett, and Darius unfairly get put into detention, they know something is wrong. And they’re This detention is far from ordinary. Their science teacher, Ms. Stein, believes that by using these kids’ DNA she can create an army of “perfect” students who have Sofia’s smarts, Regan’s heart, Bennett’s likeability, and Darius’s loyalty. Soon the clones are wreaking havoc around town and getting the real kids in trouble! Will the kids be able to save the town or will they be cursed for eternity? There’s only one way to find out and fair warning, dear reader, you should definitely read this with the lights on.

Genres: Middle Grade, Humor, Horror, Childrens

208 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

About the author

The short and sweet version:
Elizabeth Eulberg was born and raised in Wisconsin before heading off to college at Syracuse University and making a career in the New York City book biz. Now a full-time writer, she is the international bestselling author of over a dozen novels, including The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom & Prejudice, Take a Bow, and Better Off Friends, along with the middle-grade series The Great Shelby Holmes and Scared Silly. She now lives in London where she spends her free time aimlessly wandering around historic streets and eating all the scones. ALL OF THEM.

To check out the long version, head over to my webpage: http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/bio/

Also, I'm not checking e-mails on my Goodreads, see my website for information on contacting me! http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/faq/

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t overly enjoy this book (I’m not the intended audience) but I think a 6-8 year old would find this book entertaining. I liked that the narrator broke the fourth wall and kept the reader engaged but I didn’t like the bullying (which was rectified in the end) or the bathroom ‘humour’ (so and so smelled like stinky farts).

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a series. There is fun and there is scary. 4 students are singled out for what seems to be unwarranted detention at their elementary school by their science teacher, Ms. Stein. As the story progresses it seems Ms. Stein is not completely in her right mind based on her appearance and behavior. The students learn each other's strengths and begin to lean on each other as they try to unravel the knot of Ms. Stein. Readers will enjoy this book at any time of the year though reading it near Halloween will certainly heighten the fear factor.

[Melanie Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a unique way of story telling and I thought it was great. This book is perfect for my nephew's library. Anyone can find a character in this book that they can relate to and gain inspiration from.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in the Sarced Silly middle-grade series where the author is a first person narrator where Regan, Darius, Sophia, and Bennett are order to detention by their science teacher for little or no reason to soon discover that she has created clones of them that are creating havoc in town and landing them in trouble with their parents. The four find out that this whole ordeal might be due to a curse from three hundred years ago when a woman was accused of being a witch. A fun horror story reminiscent of R.L. Stein "Goosebumps" series. Recommended to 2nd to 6th graders who like their horror on the lighter side.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This was reminiscent of P.J. Night's Creepover series or the Scholastic Poison Apple books. It is available only in paperback or e book, and Titlewave does have a prebind. Since my readers are wanting scarier and scarier books, I'm not sure that this will fit the bill for my library, even though I love Eulberg's work. I would definitely purchase this for an elementary library, and this will fly off the shelves at an elementary book fair.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

“To begin our story, we need to travel back to over three hundred years ago. In the dark ages before indoor toilets and the internet. (Hey, you were warned things were going to get scary!)”

Within two pages of beginning Curses are the Worst, Elizabeth Eulberg’s upcoming #mglit releasing in March from her Scared Silly series, I was already cracking up. Part snarky & silly, and part spooky & scary… the perfect mix for middle grade readers everywhere!

[Jen Calonita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself laughing out loud at this spooky (but not scary!) first book in an new middle grade series' perfect for kids just starting to read chapter books on their own, or wonderful as a read aloud (think 3rd grade as a sweet spot). Eulberg is a GREAT narrator and this group of very different student characters come together in such a wonderful way when they find themselves tangoing with a cursed teacher and trying to stop an army of clones set to terrorize Cauldron Cove

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four students get detention for no reason. They then have to work together and try to save the town from their science teacher and a 300 year old curse. A fun horror read with a narrator who gives their opinion when needed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read- good for those readers who are between early chapter books and full middle grade titles. It's got a tiny bit of creep with a lot of funny. The narrator breaks the 4th wall a lot to talk to the reader which adds a fun element to the story.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd-4th grade, equal parts spooky and funny

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting voice. A bit more juvenile than I was expecting.

[Ameliah Jayde Correia · Rating 4 out of 5]

No to interested but it was a good book

[sarah young · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 4 year old conned his way into getting this book from the book fair. We (me) have slowly made our way through it.

[Tanushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

if your 10 you will definitely enjoy it.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with the kids I nanny, and it's a great book! I don't normally rate kids' books, but I love the size inclusivity and a peek into childhood struggles/trauma in a way kiddos can digest. The main plot line was funny and had the kids interested the whole time!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

300 years ago, Cauldron Cove was where witch Ann Wilder fled to in order to escape the Salem Witch Trials, but this town blames her for lightning bolt that destroys the church and burns her at the stake. Now due to some bad math, her curse is finally bubbling out. Four students are unfairly put in detention where well-liked science teacher, Ms. Stein collects used tissues, chewed gum, and hair straight from one of their heads. She is going to make the perfect students by combining traits of the best students and cloning them. The narrator/author is funny and moves the story along, sometimes a bit overboard with the humor and generalizations. The story could have been a bit shorter without all the fourth wall breaks in the story, but I still found it entertaining to be there. The four students are diverse: one is fat and has dyslexia, one is Latine, one is Black, and one is your stereotypical white American boy, and there are brief conversations about the difficulties they all face. As is the case in most juvenile fiction, adults only listen to adults, especially when clones are misbehaving, giving no reason for the unsuspecting parents to trust their own children. For fans of Slimed and Night Frights.