Chasing Whales aboard the Charles W. Morgan

January 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-This series aims to add some spookiness to real-world places and events, but suffers from a lack of suspense and compelling characters. Joey DeAngelo, native New Yorker and Yankee die-hard, arrives in Boston to the reception one would expect from Sox fans-chilly. Classmates Tank and Gil are especially unfriendly until some spooky events bring them together. They fight ghosts on the Dartmouth, the ship made famous as the location of the Boston Tea Party, the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, and the Bird Island Lighthouse. Character development is sacrificed for plot movement. Dialogue is often inauthentic and stiff. While pacing is quick, the suspense generated is mild. Each story comes to an abrupt conclusion that may ring hollow for readers. The comic-inspired illustrations are bold, with thick black outlines. The layout makes for easy reading, but it is occasionally difficult to decipher the action depicted in panels. Back matter provides context with a short description of the real-life location featured in the book, and a note to visit the publisher's website for related information (a search yielded no results). While these titles might generate interest because of their format, flat characters and poor plot development won't inspire long-term interest.-Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Joey and his friends take ghostly trips back in time to experience maritime New England history in these formulaic graphic novels. The cartoon-panel illustrations, sometimes appropriately spooky, omit necessary visual details and leave confusing action gaps. Time travel adds some interest to the bland history lessons, which suffer without context or vivacity. Glos.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)