Book Review: Gargoyle Hall

Book: Gargoyle Hall (An Araminta Spookie Adventure book #6) by Angie Sage with illustrations by John Kelly

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Description:

When Araminta throws cold water over her best friend, Wanda, to disperse a crowd of panicked bats, it's decided Araminta has been helpful one too many times, and she is packed off to boarding school. On arrival, Araminta is surprised to discover that Gargoyle Hall makes her home, Spook House, seems positively cosy. Strange moans and clanks echo down the corridors and the two head girls are equally creepy. Most of the other pupils have been scared away, but Araminta senses that something or someone is behind the menace. With the help of best friend Wanda and Uncle Drac's prize bat, she is going to do something about it!"



Rating: 3 stars

Review:

This was a slightly weird yet cute little story that follows would be detective Araminta Spookie as she and her best friend and sidekick Wanda Wizzard try to solve mysteries around her house and at the boarding school they both wind up at.

Araminta's aunt Tabby and uncle Drac seem to be keeping secrets from her and it has something to do with her uncle's bats. But just as she was going to start investigating, her great-aunt Emilene showed up with devastating news. Araminta will be going off to boarding school. But why? It's not her fault uncle Drac's bats got tangled up in Wanda's hair and she had to pour a bucket of water on her. She was only trying to help. But with even more less than stellar behavior happening around Spookie House it was safe to say that Araminta will find herself off to boarding school.

She was not happy about going away nor arriving at her new school Gargoyle Hall. After meeting the headmistress Mrs. Gargoyle and Violetta and Philomena, two mean students who were sisters, she went to her new room. Things perked up once she found Wanda who had stowed away in Araminta's trunk along with one of her uncle Drac's bat.

The happy reunion didn't last long because soon a loud and creepy noise was heard throughout the night. The following day brought nothing good, the headmistress was missing and her and Wanda were being bossed around by Violetta and Philomena. While Araminta and Wanda were locked in the cellar by the mean sisters, she had a suspicion where the headmistress may be but unless they could get out of the cellar they may never be able to help her.

That was not it, according to the mean sisters, there was a monster at the school. This was another mystery she had to solve. Help came unexpectedly when Araminta's cousin Mathilda showed up to rescue them but that was just the beginning of their weird time trying to solve the mysteries at the school.

Gargoyle Hall feels like it exist in the world of the Addams Family with Araminta always on the lookout for mysteries and this story has plenty of them to solve. There are also several ghosts (but they're her friends) and bats. This is a fun story for children who want a mystery book that's a little spooky (but not too spooky). Also, I love the cover art and the illustrations throughout the story they were really cute.