The Improbable Party on Plum Lane. (Babysitter Out of Control Series, Book 3). Margaret J. McMaster. Kingsville, ON: Mansbridge Dunn Publishers (mansbridgedunnpublishers.blogspot.com), 2011. 53 pp., pbk., $12.95. ISBN 978-0-9810525-3-3. Grades 2-4 / Ages 7-9. Review by Barb Taylor. ** /4

excerpt:

I could tell that she was walking right to me. FLASH! BOOM! The room lit up again. Now she was bending over me, reaching her long bony fingers towards my face.

The Improbable Party on Plum Lane is the third volume in Margaret McMaster’s “Babysitter Out of Control!” series. In keeping with the other two books in the series, this is a quick paced, plot driven novel aimed at children new to the world of chapter books.

     While I enjoyed the first two books in this series, I found this third book too contrived and formulaic. The main character, Stewart, is invited to a Halloween party hosted by his eccentric babysitter, “Mrs. Chairbottom.” Mrs. Chairbottom tells a spooky story about her sister Edna who died 10 years ago, on Halloween night, of Ethiopian jungle fever. Edna’s cat died the night after for no apparent reason.

     There is a storm, the lights go out, and Stewart’s imagination takes over. He gets lost in the house, goes into a room he has been told to keep out of and sees characters from the story Mrs. Chairbottom had previously related.

     The story ends in an “all in good fun” Halloween party prank. I think the readers of the “Babysitter Out of Control” series recognize that nothing bad is really going to happen, which takes most of the scariness and suspense out of the book. There are too many “Aaaaahhhhhs” used to express fear when a description of the fear or tension might add to the story.

     The illustrations are bright and colourful, with the right amount of spookiness for a young reader. They complement the accompanying narration and add the excitement that is sometimes missing in the actual telling.

Recommended.

Barb Taylor is an elementary school teacher-librarian in Alberta.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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