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All the Lovely Bad Ones Graphic Novel: A Ghost Story
In this eerie full-color graphic novel adaptation of one of award-winning author Mary Downing Hahn's most popular ghost stories, mischievous siblings pretend their grandmother's Vermont inn is haunted and awaken the real spirits who dwell there.
Travis and his sister, Corey, can't resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother's quiet Vermont inn, where they're spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little haunting of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms.
But Travis and Corey soon find out that theirs aren't the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Can these siblings lay to rest the restless spirits they've disturbed?
Travis and his sister, Corey, can't resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother's quiet Vermont inn, where they're spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little haunting of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms.
But Travis and Corey soon find out that theirs aren't the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Can these siblings lay to rest the restless spirits they've disturbed?
160 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2023
About the author
Mary Downing Hahn
65 books3,990 followersI grew up in a small shingled house down at the end of Guilford Road in College Park, Maryland. Our block was loaded with kids my age. We spent hours outdoors playing "Kick the Can" and "Mother, May I" as well as cowboy and outlaw games that usually ended in quarrels about who shot whom. In the summer, we went on day long expeditions into forbidden territory -- the woods on the other side of the train tracks, the creek that wound its way through College Park, and the experimental farm run by the University of Maryland.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
July 13, 2023
Out August 15th, 2023! Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for a digital cop of this!
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I've been reading Mary Downing Hahn since I was young, but this a story that I somehow missed when growing up.
What a shame, too, as I feel like it's one of her better ones.
Travis and his sister Corey have been disinvited from returning to summer camp because of their pranks, leaving them in the loving arms of their grandmother and her gorgeous inn for the summer. Ever the trouble-makers, Travis and Corey catch wind of the inn's haunted history and decide to play ghost to drum up some business. New reservations aren't the only thing they're going to drum up... their games have stirred the ghosts that have been sleeping on the land.
Look, this isn't a ghost story that you've never heard before. I suspect I've seen some version of it several times through film and fiction in my life. But this was FUN. It felt a little bit Stranger Things and a little bit Goosebumps-like. And the art was to die for. Honestly, it feels like graphic novel format is how Mary Downing Hahn deserved to be enjoyed all along.
--
I've been reading Mary Downing Hahn since I was young, but this a story that I somehow missed when growing up.
What a shame, too, as I feel like it's one of her better ones.
Travis and his sister Corey have been disinvited from returning to summer camp because of their pranks, leaving them in the loving arms of their grandmother and her gorgeous inn for the summer. Ever the trouble-makers, Travis and Corey catch wind of the inn's haunted history and decide to play ghost to drum up some business. New reservations aren't the only thing they're going to drum up... their games have stirred the ghosts that have been sleeping on the land.
Look, this isn't a ghost story that you've never heard before. I suspect I've seen some version of it several times through film and fiction in my life. But this was FUN. It felt a little bit Stranger Things and a little bit Goosebumps-like. And the art was to die for. Honestly, it feels like graphic novel format is how Mary Downing Hahn deserved to be enjoyed all along.
August 30, 2023
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title. All thoughts and opinions that follow are my own and were in no way influenced by receiving this copy.
Travis and Corey are a brother and sister combo that are staying with their grandmother at her inn for the summer, as they have been kicked out of summer camp for good this time. When at the inn they discover it was once haunted, so the trouble makers of course set out to make the visitors once again believe it's haunted. What they don't know is that by pretending the inn is haunted, walking around and making things go bump in the night themselves, they accidently disturb the old resting ground of the real ghosts, who are awoken by Travis and Corey's misbehaviors. What follows are a series of scary ghost haunts and frights, that eventually lead to Travis and Corey discovering that the inn used to be a poor farm run by an even more evil brother and sister duo that killed (or caused the death of) many families that came to stay with them. Travis and Corey were tasked to find the book that housed the true poor farm records, accounting every death and cent hoarded, that would eventually lead to the ghosts that haunted the inn to finally be laid to rest.
While spooky and overall a great story, I couldn't help be feel like this story was so incredibly wordy and long. At only 167 pages this graphic novel was on the shorter side, but it took me twice as long to read than even a thicker book. Since this is an adaptation, I feel the adaptors stayed too close to original wording and kept everything the same, copy and pasting passages of text that could have been chopped out completely or even shrunken down. In a normal novel it makes sense to be reminded of tasks or objectives every other chapter or so, as you likely aren't reading the whole book in one sitting or there is at least some passage of time. However in the graphic novel adaptation, the way it is written, they are being reminded of the objective to get to the end every other page, which is excessive. This book is also written from Travis' point of view and the yellow boxes are his internal monologue, and that is very repetitive and quite honestly boring to read over and over again. They're not adding anything to the story. Overall, I was a little disappointed in this one. Hahn has had much better GN adaptations before.
Travis and Corey are a brother and sister combo that are staying with their grandmother at her inn for the summer, as they have been kicked out of summer camp for good this time. When at the inn they discover it was once haunted, so the trouble makers of course set out to make the visitors once again believe it's haunted. What they don't know is that by pretending the inn is haunted, walking around and making things go bump in the night themselves, they accidently disturb the old resting ground of the real ghosts, who are awoken by Travis and Corey's misbehaviors. What follows are a series of scary ghost haunts and frights, that eventually lead to Travis and Corey discovering that the inn used to be a poor farm run by an even more evil brother and sister duo that killed (or caused the death of) many families that came to stay with them. Travis and Corey were tasked to find the book that housed the true poor farm records, accounting every death and cent hoarded, that would eventually lead to the ghosts that haunted the inn to finally be laid to rest.
While spooky and overall a great story, I couldn't help be feel like this story was so incredibly wordy and long. At only 167 pages this graphic novel was on the shorter side, but it took me twice as long to read than even a thicker book. Since this is an adaptation, I feel the adaptors stayed too close to original wording and kept everything the same, copy and pasting passages of text that could have been chopped out completely or even shrunken down. In a normal novel it makes sense to be reminded of tasks or objectives every other chapter or so, as you likely aren't reading the whole book in one sitting or there is at least some passage of time. However in the graphic novel adaptation, the way it is written, they are being reminded of the objective to get to the end every other page, which is excessive. This book is also written from Travis' point of view and the yellow boxes are his internal monologue, and that is very repetitive and quite honestly boring to read over and over again. They're not adding anything to the story. Overall, I was a little disappointed in this one. Hahn has had much better GN adaptations before.
August 4, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Staying true to the 2008 original, we see the story of Travis and his sister Corey. They are so fond of pranks that they get kicked out of their summer camp and are sent instead to their grandmother's Fox Hill Inn. It seems a little dull at first, but they find out from guests that the inn is famous for being haunted. Nothing seems to have happened lately, so the two kids decide to stage some paranormal activity. The caretakers who came with the place, cook Martha Brewster and her husband, frown on this and seem overly concerned. There's a good reason for this; Travis and Corey manage to wake up the ghosts that the Brewsters have kept carefully asleep. Soon, the guests have quite a show, as the Fox Hill ghosts are poltergiests who have the ability to move objects and are soon trashing the place. There are a number of suspicious, numbered stones on the property, and the history of the inn soon comes out. It was, at one point, a poor farm, run by Ada Jaggs, who was not kind to the children there. As the ghosts come and tell their story, Travis and Corey know that they must find the records, identify the graves, and help the spirits move on. Will they be able to put "the bad ones" to rest?
Strengths: This had a particularly good ratio of text to pictures, the font was readable but not crowded, and I didn't feel that there were huge gaps in information that sometimes occur in graphic novels. The art is fun, and has a nice, dark feel to it, even in the sunny scenes. The story holds up well, and the timeline is downplayed to alleviate problems there. The Brewsters are somehow enigmatically sinister, even though they really have the best intentions for Fox Hill. This creepy retelling will be hugely popular with students.
Weaknesses: There are some unnecessarily grusome instances that probably would not be written today. Ada Jaggs hanged herself, and her ghost is shown swinging from a noose; she also tries to encourage Travis to do the same. In the way that Oklahoma should never again be performed, this seemed inappropriate. The grave of Ada is also exhumed, and the records found in a box in her coffin.
What I really think: My students love scary stories, and I'm hoping that these graphic novel adaptations of Hahn's work will encourage them to pick up her classic novels. I met Hahn once at the 10th KidLitCon and wish I still had the picture of her wearing a birthday party hat. She is a wonderful lady, and I hope that the graphic novel adaptations give her comfort as she heads into her upper 80s!
Staying true to the 2008 original, we see the story of Travis and his sister Corey. They are so fond of pranks that they get kicked out of their summer camp and are sent instead to their grandmother's Fox Hill Inn. It seems a little dull at first, but they find out from guests that the inn is famous for being haunted. Nothing seems to have happened lately, so the two kids decide to stage some paranormal activity. The caretakers who came with the place, cook Martha Brewster and her husband, frown on this and seem overly concerned. There's a good reason for this; Travis and Corey manage to wake up the ghosts that the Brewsters have kept carefully asleep. Soon, the guests have quite a show, as the Fox Hill ghosts are poltergiests who have the ability to move objects and are soon trashing the place. There are a number of suspicious, numbered stones on the property, and the history of the inn soon comes out. It was, at one point, a poor farm, run by Ada Jaggs, who was not kind to the children there. As the ghosts come and tell their story, Travis and Corey know that they must find the records, identify the graves, and help the spirits move on. Will they be able to put "the bad ones" to rest?
Strengths: This had a particularly good ratio of text to pictures, the font was readable but not crowded, and I didn't feel that there were huge gaps in information that sometimes occur in graphic novels. The art is fun, and has a nice, dark feel to it, even in the sunny scenes. The story holds up well, and the timeline is downplayed to alleviate problems there. The Brewsters are somehow enigmatically sinister, even though they really have the best intentions for Fox Hill. This creepy retelling will be hugely popular with students.
Weaknesses: There are some unnecessarily grusome instances that probably would not be written today. Ada Jaggs hanged herself, and her ghost is shown swinging from a noose; she also tries to encourage Travis to do the same. In the way that Oklahoma should never again be performed, this seemed inappropriate. The grave of Ada is also exhumed, and the records found in a box in her coffin.
What I really think: My students love scary stories, and I'm hoping that these graphic novel adaptations of Hahn's work will encourage them to pick up her classic novels. I met Hahn once at the 10th KidLitCon and wish I still had the picture of her wearing a birthday party hat. She is a wonderful lady, and I hope that the graphic novel adaptations give her comfort as she heads into her upper 80s!
June 13, 2023
78%
This story ended up being pretty wholesome, despite it being surprisingly dark and a lot spookier than I expected it to be. I find that scary stories don't usually translate into graphic novels very well for me personally, but this one did actually keep me on the edge of my seat! It wasn't gory or anything like that, but it was still pretty horrific and tense. I look forward to more of Hahn's stories being adapted into graphic novel format!
~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.~
This story ended up being pretty wholesome, despite it being surprisingly dark and a lot spookier than I expected it to be. I find that scary stories don't usually translate into graphic novels very well for me personally, but this one did actually keep me on the edge of my seat! It wasn't gory or anything like that, but it was still pretty horrific and tense. I look forward to more of Hahn's stories being adapted into graphic novel format!
~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.~
October 19, 2023
'If. Such a little word to make such a big difference.'
For a graphic novel that's only 160 pages long, All the Lovely Bad Ones sure is needlessly and unexpectedly wordy. The amount of text on every single page had me looking at how much of it was left every few pages and that's never a good thing.
Some aspects are quite prone to repetitiveness and that got old kinda quick. Like I get it, some people believe in ghosts while others don't without it having to be mentioned again and again. Sadly, that wasn't the only thing getting repeated since all the characters were pretty one-dimensional and that extended to Travis and Corey, neither of whom are fleshed out enough beyond their ~mischievous natures.
I did appreciate the backstory on how the inn came to be haunted and the tragic revelation behind it. The slight eerie vibes were there, but it also kinda turned from eerie to just sad and yet not all that meaningful, or memorable. Side note, not out here judging a literal ghost but forcing kids to kill themselves like that gotta be a questionable move regardless.
The art was nice and all, but since every single page relied so heavily on dialogue, the focus was decidedly not on it since the balance was completely shot. A severe lack of visual storytelling in a graphic novel, who'd have thought.
For a graphic novel that's only 160 pages long, All the Lovely Bad Ones sure is needlessly and unexpectedly wordy. The amount of text on every single page had me looking at how much of it was left every few pages and that's never a good thing.
Some aspects are quite prone to repetitiveness and that got old kinda quick. Like I get it, some people believe in ghosts while others don't without it having to be mentioned again and again. Sadly, that wasn't the only thing getting repeated since all the characters were pretty one-dimensional and that extended to Travis and Corey, neither of whom are fleshed out enough beyond their ~mischievous natures.
I did appreciate the backstory on how the inn came to be haunted and the tragic revelation behind it. The slight eerie vibes were there, but it also kinda turned from eerie to just sad and yet not all that meaningful, or memorable. Side note, not out here judging a literal ghost but forcing kids to kill themselves like that gotta be a questionable move regardless.
The art was nice and all, but since every single page relied so heavily on dialogue, the focus was decidedly not on it since the balance was completely shot. A severe lack of visual storytelling in a graphic novel, who'd have thought.
June 27, 2023
I'd like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of All The Lovely Bad Ones, A Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn. I loved this author growing up and hadn't read this particular book. When I saw that this book was being turned into a graphic novel, I knew I had to read it. I was ecstatic that my request to read it was approved.
The storyline is an intriguing one and perfect to read around Halloween. It's spooky, not scary. It was engaging and held my interest. Since I'm not the target audience, the story was a little young for me. I'd recommend this story for children between the ages of eight and twelve. I think both females and males would enjoy this story. The illustrations were absolutely stunning. They definitely helped move the story along.
All The Lovely Bad Ones, A Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn has an expected publication date of August 15, 2023. I gave it four out of five stars.
The storyline is an intriguing one and perfect to read around Halloween. It's spooky, not scary. It was engaging and held my interest. Since I'm not the target audience, the story was a little young for me. I'd recommend this story for children between the ages of eight and twelve. I think both females and males would enjoy this story. The illustrations were absolutely stunning. They definitely helped move the story along.
All The Lovely Bad Ones, A Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn has an expected publication date of August 15, 2023. I gave it four out of five stars.
July 9, 2023
I really liked this book. It was a very simply laid out plot of a couple siblings spending the summer with their grandmother after having been kicked out of summer camp for playing pranks. Then comes the ghosts, the mystery, the hauntings, and the detective work.
This book would be perfect for teens or kids who want to read something spooky in time for October or want to read something that has ghosts in it. I've gotten many teens asking for scary books or thrillers that are similar to this title, so I'll definitely be purchasing this for my library and a few other branches.
It was just scary and spooky enough to make you keep going so I really appreciated how the graphic novel was written out. Happy Reading!!
This book would be perfect for teens or kids who want to read something spooky in time for October or want to read something that has ghosts in it. I've gotten many teens asking for scary books or thrillers that are similar to this title, so I'll definitely be purchasing this for my library and a few other branches.
It was just scary and spooky enough to make you keep going so I really appreciated how the graphic novel was written out. Happy Reading!!
July 20, 2023
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this graphic novel.
I loved reading this graphic novel. The characters, Corey and Travis, are typical mischievous siblings. In their plot to draw in more guests to their grandmother's inn, they decide to stage a haunting. It's all fun and games until their actions awaken a real ghost from the past. They must unravel the secret history of the inn in order to put the spirits to rest.
Although the main characters in this book are "troublemakers", I couldn't help but love them. It was a fun story, with some very creepy elements! I will definitely be recommending this one to some young readers I know. The illustrations were colorful and well done. They really added to the overall story.
I loved reading this graphic novel. The characters, Corey and Travis, are typical mischievous siblings. In their plot to draw in more guests to their grandmother's inn, they decide to stage a haunting. It's all fun and games until their actions awaken a real ghost from the past. They must unravel the secret history of the inn in order to put the spirits to rest.
Although the main characters in this book are "troublemakers", I couldn't help but love them. It was a fun story, with some very creepy elements! I will definitely be recommending this one to some young readers I know. The illustrations were colorful and well done. They really added to the overall story.
May 21, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
I really enjoyed this! It was a surprisingly complex and emotional story and I loved the clean and expressive art style.
My only complaint was that there was too much narration. In a visual medium, it felt like there was too much telling and not enough showing. For example, there was a part where the text said "grandma actually blushed." Seemed like a missed opportunity to do a close up panel on her blushing face.
That preference aside, I would definitely recommend this to kids and teens 10+ who are looking for a fun, spooky read!
I really enjoyed this! It was a surprisingly complex and emotional story and I loved the clean and expressive art style.
My only complaint was that there was too much narration. In a visual medium, it felt like there was too much telling and not enough showing. For example, there was a part where the text said "grandma actually blushed." Seemed like a missed opportunity to do a close up panel on her blushing face.
That preference aside, I would definitely recommend this to kids and teens 10+ who are looking for a fun, spooky read!
August 30, 2023
Ramping up spooky season with this ARC provided by netgalley!
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a cute and scary story about two siblings who spend the summer in Vermont at their grandmother's Inn. When they hear the rumors about the Inn being haunted, the trouble making siblings find an opportunity to play some pranks on the guests, but quickly discover they aren't they only trouble making kids around.
A few pages into the story, I felt like the writing seemed picked right out of an existing book. So I checked and discovered this is a graphic novel version of an older story by Mary Downing Hahn, who I haven't heard of until now, but I will definitely be looking into more of her books.
This version was illustrated and colored beautifully and I love how true to the original text the story is, as it seems the lines were pulled word for word from the original story. I think I myself would have gotten more out of the story from the original version, but still enjoyed this one none the less.
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a cute and scary story about two siblings who spend the summer in Vermont at their grandmother's Inn. When they hear the rumors about the Inn being haunted, the trouble making siblings find an opportunity to play some pranks on the guests, but quickly discover they aren't they only trouble making kids around.
A few pages into the story, I felt like the writing seemed picked right out of an existing book. So I checked and discovered this is a graphic novel version of an older story by Mary Downing Hahn, who I haven't heard of until now, but I will definitely be looking into more of her books.
This version was illustrated and colored beautifully and I love how true to the original text the story is, as it seems the lines were pulled word for word from the original story. I think I myself would have gotten more out of the story from the original version, but still enjoyed this one none the less.
July 25, 2024
So amazing. I really liked it. I would totally recommend this to anyone looking for a good horror graphic novel. It still feels very true to the source material (the good and the bad, after-school special vibes of the ending) while adding a new layer of modern interest with the illustrative aspect. I cried multiple times for different reasons.
Definitely some trigger warnings that I would give a heads-up on!
TW: suicide/suicidal ideation, child abuse, and on-the-page death of children.
Definitely some trigger warnings that I would give a heads-up on!
TW: suicide/suicidal ideation, child abuse, and on-the-page death of children.
March 2, 2024
I enjoyed this spooky graphic novel however I think it could have been a little less wordy. The story plot was good but there was a lot of small, wordy texts. I think the graphics would have supported less explanation. Overall it was a fun read.
September 26, 2023
4.5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this spooky middle grade graphic novel!
October 23, 2023
This was a great kids horror graphic novel! I enjoyed the story and illustrations, and was invested in what happened.
June 11, 2024
again, this was so fantastically fun, spooky, and sad. I'm so curious to read the original novels that these are based off of, I'm so hungry for more.
May 20, 2023
Travis and Corey, brother and sister visit their grandmothers Inn for the summer. The inn has a history of being haunted. The children love to get into mischief. They see that business at the inn is going slowly so they think they'll play ghosts and bring people back to the inn. Corey plays like a ghost and brings in lots of business but not the kind that her grandma wants. In the process of pretending to be ghosts the children awaken the real ghosts which start to ruin their grandmothers Inn. Travis and Corey then have to figure out what the ghosts want.
I enjoyed this story very much. I enjoyed the history attached and the ghosts. The illustrations were wonderful and engaging. I like this kind of horror. I would say this is middle grade horror but I fully enjoyed it as an adult.
I enjoyed this story very much. I enjoyed the history attached and the ghosts. The illustrations were wonderful and engaging. I like this kind of horror. I would say this is middle grade horror but I fully enjoyed it as an adult.
September 6, 2023
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a thrilling tale about siblings staying with their grandma at her supposed haunted inn for the summer.
In hopes to drum up more business for their grandma, Corey and Travis decide to play at being ghosts so the haunted inn rumors would start up again. Low and behold, they end up waking the actual ghosts who insist of wreaking havoc at the inn. Corey and Travis must work hard to solve the mystery of the ghosts and how they can help them move on to the beyond. Definitely would say this is more upper Middle Grade/YA, but was an absolute enjoyable read with colorful artwork!
Death and child abuse are never easy subjects, but the way in which it was handled in the story was very tasteful. I would definitely recommend this to upper middle/YA readers who are looking for something on the spooky side.
In hopes to drum up more business for their grandma, Corey and Travis decide to play at being ghosts so the haunted inn rumors would start up again. Low and behold, they end up waking the actual ghosts who insist of wreaking havoc at the inn. Corey and Travis must work hard to solve the mystery of the ghosts and how they can help them move on to the beyond. Definitely would say this is more upper Middle Grade/YA, but was an absolute enjoyable read with colorful artwork!
Death and child abuse are never easy subjects, but the way in which it was handled in the story was very tasteful. I would definitely recommend this to upper middle/YA readers who are looking for something on the spooky side.
August 12, 2023
This feels like strange feedback for a graphic novel, but this adaptation relied way too much on telling what was going on rather than showing through the illustrations. It was incredibly text-heavy, probably because it was trying to preserve the structure of the original novel, but I was hoping that it would make better use of the visual medium. Nothing against the quality of the illustrations themselves, I'm just not sure why we need an adaptation of a book that still relies so heavily on text to tell the reader what's happening in any given scene. I love the fact that graphic novels can do things with layout and imagery that text can't do, but this book didn't really take advantage of those opportunities, and as a result, the scary parts... weren't.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2023
Would I have loved this if I had the nostalgia of reading the original book from which this graphic novel is adapted? I think so. Did I still enjoy it and will I read the original? Yes to both (but eventually to the latter…this TBR is LONG!). I love a fun, spooky time and this book delivers in that regard but this was my first foray into this author’s works and I felt like I was missing something. The artwork had that nostalgic vibe that I wish I had from reading the original but thoroughly loved in the art style. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
May 1, 2023
I was a huge fan of Mary Downing Hahn when I was younger and All The Lovely Bad Ones was one of my favorites. It's so cool to see her novels be turned into graphic novels! This was still as errie and spine chilling as I remember, and having visuals of the ghosts made it so much creepier!
March 3, 2024
Set in the present day, the story revolves around Travis and Corey, siblings with a penchant for mischief. Their playful antics of pretending their grandmother's inn is haunted take a terrifying turn when they inadvertently awaken the real spirits lurking within its walls. The tale unfolds in the first person, narrated by Travis, which adds a personal touch and immerses you directly into the spooky ambiance of Fox Hill.
**Writing Style and Illustrations**
The graphic novel format, with its blend of speech and narration bubbles, perfectly complements Hahn's storytelling. The illustrations are not just mere accompaniments but integral to the narrative, conveying the eerie atmosphere and the emotional depth of the characters in a way that words alone could not. Each page is a visual delight, with illustrations that are both engaging and haunting, enhancing the overall reading experience.
**Character Development**
Travis and Corey are portrayed as relatable characters, their initial mischief giving way to a deeper understanding of the consequences of their actions. The grandmother's transformation from a skeptic to a believer in ghosts adds a layer of depth to the story, illustrating how experiences can change our beliefs. The villain of the story, Ada, is chillingly effective, her presence looming large over the narrative and adding a genuine sense of dread.
**Themes and Educational Value**
While primarily a work of entertainment, the graphic novel does touch on themes of belief, consequence, and redemption. The character diversity is somewhat limited, with a predominantly white cast, but it does make an effort to include background characters of color.
**Engagement and Pace**
The graphic novel is a quick read, but every page is packed with detail and story, ensuring that you're hooked from beginning to end. The pace is brisk, with the illustrations propelling the narrative forward and keeping you engaged.
**Personal Reaction**
As someone who appreciates a good scare that's not too over the top, I found this graphic novel struck the perfect balance. It's spooky without being too frightening, making it an excellent choice for younger readers or those new to the horror genre. The story is well-crafted, with a blend of humor, suspense, and a touch of the supernatural that is classic Hahn.
**Potential Concerns**
The inclusion of themes such as suicide by hanging and some potentially scary illustrations might necessitate parental discretion for younger readers. However, these elements are handled with care and contribute to the story's overall impact.
**Final Verdict**
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give this graphic novel a solid 3.5. It's an engaging, well-illustrated story that captures the essence of what makes a ghost story thrilling. Mary Downing Hahn proves once again that she can master any format, delivering a tale that is sure to become a favorite among her fans and newcomers alike. Would I recommend it to its target age group? Absolutely. It's the perfect introduction to horror for young readers, offering just the right amount of spookiness to delight without causing nightmares.
**Writing Style and Illustrations**
The graphic novel format, with its blend of speech and narration bubbles, perfectly complements Hahn's storytelling. The illustrations are not just mere accompaniments but integral to the narrative, conveying the eerie atmosphere and the emotional depth of the characters in a way that words alone could not. Each page is a visual delight, with illustrations that are both engaging and haunting, enhancing the overall reading experience.
**Character Development**
Travis and Corey are portrayed as relatable characters, their initial mischief giving way to a deeper understanding of the consequences of their actions. The grandmother's transformation from a skeptic to a believer in ghosts adds a layer of depth to the story, illustrating how experiences can change our beliefs. The villain of the story, Ada, is chillingly effective, her presence looming large over the narrative and adding a genuine sense of dread.
**Themes and Educational Value**
While primarily a work of entertainment, the graphic novel does touch on themes of belief, consequence, and redemption. The character diversity is somewhat limited, with a predominantly white cast, but it does make an effort to include background characters of color.
**Engagement and Pace**
The graphic novel is a quick read, but every page is packed with detail and story, ensuring that you're hooked from beginning to end. The pace is brisk, with the illustrations propelling the narrative forward and keeping you engaged.
**Personal Reaction**
As someone who appreciates a good scare that's not too over the top, I found this graphic novel struck the perfect balance. It's spooky without being too frightening, making it an excellent choice for younger readers or those new to the horror genre. The story is well-crafted, with a blend of humor, suspense, and a touch of the supernatural that is classic Hahn.
**Potential Concerns**
The inclusion of themes such as suicide by hanging and some potentially scary illustrations might necessitate parental discretion for younger readers. However, these elements are handled with care and contribute to the story's overall impact.
**Final Verdict**
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give this graphic novel a solid 3.5. It's an engaging, well-illustrated story that captures the essence of what makes a ghost story thrilling. Mary Downing Hahn proves once again that she can master any format, delivering a tale that is sure to become a favorite among her fans and newcomers alike. Would I recommend it to its target age group? Absolutely. It's the perfect introduction to horror for young readers, offering just the right amount of spookiness to delight without causing nightmares.
August 8, 2023
SUMMARY
Siblings Travis and Corey are incorrigible trouble makers. When they get sent to their grandmother’s supposedly haunted inn for the summer, they decide to stage a haunting of their own. It will be fun to prank the guests, and besides, a ghost will be good for business.
Turns out, though, the ghosts of Fox Hill are easy to wake. When Travis and Corey realize what they’ve done, they must uncover the inn’s dark past to lay the restless spirits to rest.
REVIEW
It’s been ages since I’ve read Juvenile (the last one being Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from a middle-grade horror. I was pleasantly surprised to get a fantastic ghost story with beautiful art that got unexpectedly (but, I think, appropriately) dark. I won’t spoil anything, but the final confrontation had my jaw dropped.
The art is gorgeous. The character designs are fantastic (the kids are all adorable and I just wanted to hug them), the colorwork is richly gorgeous, and I love the expressive style and use of lineart. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share an excerpt, but the cover, included below, is accurate to the inside.
The illustrators are Naomi Franquiz, Brittany Peer, and Joamette Gil. All three absolutely knocked it out of the park. I’d love to see more horror graphic novels from them as a team in the future!
The ghost story elements are very American folklore, reminding me of ghost stories I’ve seen both as an adult in the horror space and heard as a kid at summer camp: wicked rich folk using their power and wealth to suppress poor folk, accompanied by all the resulting the bloodshed and tragedy.
What is especially vital about All the Lovely Bad Ones’ ghost story is the treatment of historical tragedy; the narrative urges acknowledgement of tragedy and honoring the dead, rather than profiting off of or making a spectacle of very real pain.
Ghost stories are about the past, but they’re about the future, too. In a digital age where it’s all too easy to make a spectacle of death and pain, it’s especially important for narratives to explore how to respect tragedies while honoring and acknowledging the dead.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I had such a blast with All the Lovely Bad Ones. I should read more juvenile horror, especially ghost stories–they’re where the spooky stuff is at.
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a treat for middle-grade readers and adult readers alike who love Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Fans of the original story by Hahn will love how the artists brought the characters to life (or conversely, unlife? undeath?).
Thank you to Clarion Books for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in All the Lovely Bad Ones, the graphic novel releases 15 August 2023. Find more information from the publishers, including preorder information. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org!
Siblings Travis and Corey are incorrigible trouble makers. When they get sent to their grandmother’s supposedly haunted inn for the summer, they decide to stage a haunting of their own. It will be fun to prank the guests, and besides, a ghost will be good for business.
Turns out, though, the ghosts of Fox Hill are easy to wake. When Travis and Corey realize what they’ve done, they must uncover the inn’s dark past to lay the restless spirits to rest.
REVIEW
It’s been ages since I’ve read Juvenile (the last one being Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from a middle-grade horror. I was pleasantly surprised to get a fantastic ghost story with beautiful art that got unexpectedly (but, I think, appropriately) dark. I won’t spoil anything, but the final confrontation had my jaw dropped.
The art is gorgeous. The character designs are fantastic (the kids are all adorable and I just wanted to hug them), the colorwork is richly gorgeous, and I love the expressive style and use of lineart. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share an excerpt, but the cover, included below, is accurate to the inside.
The illustrators are Naomi Franquiz, Brittany Peer, and Joamette Gil. All three absolutely knocked it out of the park. I’d love to see more horror graphic novels from them as a team in the future!
The ghost story elements are very American folklore, reminding me of ghost stories I’ve seen both as an adult in the horror space and heard as a kid at summer camp: wicked rich folk using their power and wealth to suppress poor folk, accompanied by all the resulting the bloodshed and tragedy.
What is especially vital about All the Lovely Bad Ones’ ghost story is the treatment of historical tragedy; the narrative urges acknowledgement of tragedy and honoring the dead, rather than profiting off of or making a spectacle of very real pain.
Ghost stories are about the past, but they’re about the future, too. In a digital age where it’s all too easy to make a spectacle of death and pain, it’s especially important for narratives to explore how to respect tragedies while honoring and acknowledging the dead.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I had such a blast with All the Lovely Bad Ones. I should read more juvenile horror, especially ghost stories–they’re where the spooky stuff is at.
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a treat for middle-grade readers and adult readers alike who love Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Fans of the original story by Hahn will love how the artists brought the characters to life (or conversely, unlife? undeath?).
Thank you to Clarion Books for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in All the Lovely Bad Ones, the graphic novel releases 15 August 2023. Find more information from the publishers, including preorder information. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org!
October 21, 2023
Mary Downing Hahn is one of those authors that I started reading in elementary school and continue to rave about after graduating college. Her ghost stories are legitimately chilling and engaging in a way reminiscent of scary stories told around a campfire. Her climaxes are incredibly memorable, and to this day I would love to see film adaptations of any number of her works. And of these, although All the Lovely Bad Ones is not, perhaps, the most unsettling (that honor goes to Deep and Dark and Dangerous for me), it is my favorite and the one I reread the most and remember exactly where I was and how I felt reading the last few chapters on a rainy day bus ride home from a fifth grade field trip, pages carefully angled to catch whatever light I could.
In other words, I was very excited to have seen this one get the graphic novel treatment. All the Lovely Bad Ones is one of those books that really holds up at any age, centering around two troublemaker siblings who accidentally wake a hoard of child ghosts and the abusive poor farm overseer responsible for their deaths by playing ghost-related pranks in their grandmother's inn. Since they were the ones to wake the ghosts, it's their responsibility to put them to rest once and for all.
This was a damn solid graphic novel adaptation, if a little wordier than I tend to like them. Much of it is dominated by narration boxes, which does make sense for this story, but sometimes makes it feel like a one-to-one copy-paste of the original. I will say, the climax - which is so unsettling every single time I read it in the original - was not as effective in this form, likely because it happens a lot quicker and without the main character's internal monologue. (Which is significant because . Which is honestly part of the sickening part.) If they would have lingered on these events a little more, or actually used the narration boxes more to express internal thoughts rather than scene narration, I think this could have been so much better.
However, I loved seeing this story in visual form and it's great to see these stories get a new lease on life and hopefully a new audience who loves and appreciates them as much as I do. I really hope they end up doing Deep and Dark and Dangerous someday, too!
In other words, I was very excited to have seen this one get the graphic novel treatment. All the Lovely Bad Ones is one of those books that really holds up at any age, centering around two troublemaker siblings who accidentally wake a hoard of child ghosts and the abusive poor farm overseer responsible for their deaths by playing ghost-related pranks in their grandmother's inn. Since they were the ones to wake the ghosts, it's their responsibility to put them to rest once and for all.
This was a damn solid graphic novel adaptation, if a little wordier than I tend to like them. Much of it is dominated by narration boxes, which does make sense for this story, but sometimes makes it feel like a one-to-one copy-paste of the original. I will say, the climax - which is so unsettling every single time I read it in the original - was not as effective in this form, likely because it happens a lot quicker and without the main character's internal monologue. (Which is significant because . Which is honestly part of the sickening part.) If they would have lingered on these events a little more, or actually used the narration boxes more to express internal thoughts rather than scene narration, I think this could have been so much better.
However, I loved seeing this story in visual form and it's great to see these stories get a new lease on life and hopefully a new audience who loves and appreciates them as much as I do. I really hope they end up doing Deep and Dark and Dangerous someday, too!
May 16, 2023
I read All the Lovely Bad Ones for the first time last year. I went on a Mary Downing Hahn kick to pay tribute to the younger me.
I think it is a really cool idea to adapt a book into a graphic novel. The most important thing about reading and books is that it be available for everyone. Some people can read and picture in their heads the story and others need visuals! Both are perfectly okay! If you like graphic novels over regular printed books you should have equal access! It’s also a great way to revamp a classic. Whatever gets someone to start reading is great by me!
MDH does a wonderful job of mixing ghost stories and making them kid/YA friendly in a way that adults can still enjoy. All of the books I’ve read of hers have moments where I’m actually a little afraid! When I was younger (and honestly still) I craved being scared. I was constantly searching for books about ghosts. My teacher read Wait Till Helen Comes to the class and I wish I had been encouraged to search out more books by MDH. It would’ve set my little spooky heart on fire! I love that kids today can continue reading her books.
The Inn at Fox Hill in the graphic novel reminded me of The Pink Palace in Coraline. It was cool to see what images matched up with the ones I created in my mind when originally reading.
The graphics of the ghosts are actually pretty creepy! Not so scary that you’d have nightmares but enough to get the thrill! The story of the children is very sad so be prepared for some conversations later if your child reads this book.
I loved searching for all the little hidden details in each comic. The artists captured so much in each small frame! It’s amazing!
I highly recommend the graphic novel for All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hall! I think it would be a great book to recommend for younger kids getting into reading bigger books. If you love classic ghost stories, this is the book for you! Make sure to check out the other graphic novel adaptations as well. Thank you to Netgalley and Mary Downing Hahn and team for the opportunity to read this book. I have written this review voluntarily.
I think it is a really cool idea to adapt a book into a graphic novel. The most important thing about reading and books is that it be available for everyone. Some people can read and picture in their heads the story and others need visuals! Both are perfectly okay! If you like graphic novels over regular printed books you should have equal access! It’s also a great way to revamp a classic. Whatever gets someone to start reading is great by me!
MDH does a wonderful job of mixing ghost stories and making them kid/YA friendly in a way that adults can still enjoy. All of the books I’ve read of hers have moments where I’m actually a little afraid! When I was younger (and honestly still) I craved being scared. I was constantly searching for books about ghosts. My teacher read Wait Till Helen Comes to the class and I wish I had been encouraged to search out more books by MDH. It would’ve set my little spooky heart on fire! I love that kids today can continue reading her books.
The Inn at Fox Hill in the graphic novel reminded me of The Pink Palace in Coraline. It was cool to see what images matched up with the ones I created in my mind when originally reading.
The graphics of the ghosts are actually pretty creepy! Not so scary that you’d have nightmares but enough to get the thrill! The story of the children is very sad so be prepared for some conversations later if your child reads this book.
I loved searching for all the little hidden details in each comic. The artists captured so much in each small frame! It’s amazing!
I highly recommend the graphic novel for All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hall! I think it would be a great book to recommend for younger kids getting into reading bigger books. If you love classic ghost stories, this is the book for you! Make sure to check out the other graphic novel adaptations as well. Thank you to Netgalley and Mary Downing Hahn and team for the opportunity to read this book. I have written this review voluntarily.
April 28, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the advanced copy.
Mary Downing Hahn is one of my favorite children's authors, and I devoured her books as a kid, same as I did those by RL Stine. The novel this comic is based on, All the Lovely Bad Ones, is one that I haven't read, however, as it came out while I was in college and no longer following the author (something I aim to correct, seeing that she's still regularly writing at 85 years old!).
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a generic ghost story with a bit of a twist. You'll have likely seen or heard a story similar to this one before, in movies like The Innkeepers, tv shows like 50 States of Fright (Red Rum) or Supernatural (The Real Ghostbusters), and a variety of books collecting classic scary/ghost stories, like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. For people who may get mad at me saying that, it's ok - this is Mary Downing Hahn's thing (and RL Stine's too tbh). She takes a story archetype and embellishes on it, giving it her own twist.
So what is the Mary Downing Hahn twist? Family and interpersonal relationships. Emotions and empathy or compassion. Doing the right thing. Perhaps not the most out there of themes for a children's author but for some reason I've always read more heart into her stories than others. And I love, love, love that her novels are being adapted into graphic novels, so those kids who may struggle to read can now enjoy her work!
Which leads to the artwork - Naomi Franquiz has a fun, youthful and expressive style that is perfect for a children's comic. Very reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, and super cute. The colorization was also done well done, especially as a lot of scenes take place at night, in the dark.
Overall a great pick, especially for little kids into spooky stories! I'll be sharing this with my niece and nephew for sure.
Mary Downing Hahn is one of my favorite children's authors, and I devoured her books as a kid, same as I did those by RL Stine. The novel this comic is based on, All the Lovely Bad Ones, is one that I haven't read, however, as it came out while I was in college and no longer following the author (something I aim to correct, seeing that she's still regularly writing at 85 years old!).
All the Lovely Bad Ones is a generic ghost story with a bit of a twist. You'll have likely seen or heard a story similar to this one before, in movies like The Innkeepers, tv shows like 50 States of Fright (Red Rum) or Supernatural (The Real Ghostbusters), and a variety of books collecting classic scary/ghost stories, like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. For people who may get mad at me saying that, it's ok - this is Mary Downing Hahn's thing (and RL Stine's too tbh). She takes a story archetype and embellishes on it, giving it her own twist.
So what is the Mary Downing Hahn twist? Family and interpersonal relationships. Emotions and empathy or compassion. Doing the right thing. Perhaps not the most out there of themes for a children's author but for some reason I've always read more heart into her stories than others. And I love, love, love that her novels are being adapted into graphic novels, so those kids who may struggle to read can now enjoy her work!
Which leads to the artwork - Naomi Franquiz has a fun, youthful and expressive style that is perfect for a children's comic. Very reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, and super cute. The colorization was also done well done, especially as a lot of scenes take place at night, in the dark.
Overall a great pick, especially for little kids into spooky stories! I'll be sharing this with my niece and nephew for sure.
June 5, 2023
The premise of this story sounded cool, two tweens staying at their grandmother's haunted inn for a summer and going on ghost adventures. Not only that, it's set in Vermont, a place I have a forever soft spot for after having lived there for a bit when I was younger. I'm a fan of middle-grade horror, so I thought that this graphic novel would be right up my alley.
Unfortunately, the execution of this story was a huge letdown. I believe that this is an adaptation of a book previously written by the same author, and I have to wonder if it's just a poor adaptation.
One of the biggest gripes I had with this graphic novel is that it's overwritten and relies WAY too heavily on dialogue and inner narration from the characters. There is SO much text in every single frame. It felt like paragraphs were just copied and pasted from the novel and put into the dialogue & narrative blocks in the illustration panels. The majority of the visuals are also just of characters talking back and forth, which results in a huge lack of visual storytelling in this adaptation. If your graphic novel is relying most heavily on text for its storytelling, then what's the point of it being a graphic novel?
Overall, I found the prose to be clunky and overwritten. The dialogue style and tone really didn't change between characters (even though they varied widely in age and background) and felt stiff. The characters themselves felt flat and in need of way more fleshing out. Which perhaps happened more in the novel and had to be cut in the interest of the adaption, I don't know.
The art style itself, I thought was nice, however, I really wish that this graphic novel had leaned into visual storytelling and less on depicting back-and-forth verbal conversations between characters. I thought that the premise behind the haunting was interesting, however, it and the rest of the story didn't come together for me in a meaningful or memorable way.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to the book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, the execution of this story was a huge letdown. I believe that this is an adaptation of a book previously written by the same author, and I have to wonder if it's just a poor adaptation.
One of the biggest gripes I had with this graphic novel is that it's overwritten and relies WAY too heavily on dialogue and inner narration from the characters. There is SO much text in every single frame. It felt like paragraphs were just copied and pasted from the novel and put into the dialogue & narrative blocks in the illustration panels. The majority of the visuals are also just of characters talking back and forth, which results in a huge lack of visual storytelling in this adaptation. If your graphic novel is relying most heavily on text for its storytelling, then what's the point of it being a graphic novel?
Overall, I found the prose to be clunky and overwritten. The dialogue style and tone really didn't change between characters (even though they varied widely in age and background) and felt stiff. The characters themselves felt flat and in need of way more fleshing out. Which perhaps happened more in the novel and had to be cut in the interest of the adaption, I don't know.
The art style itself, I thought was nice, however, I really wish that this graphic novel had leaned into visual storytelling and less on depicting back-and-forth verbal conversations between characters. I thought that the premise behind the haunting was interesting, however, it and the rest of the story didn't come together for me in a meaningful or memorable way.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to the book in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2023
Another solid adaptation of a Mary Downing Hahn novel done by Scott Peterson and a team of illustrators. This one is far less dark in color palate than the previously adapted Took and Wait Till Helen Comes which may lead some to feel it is less scary, but like my take on the original works, this is still my favorite in both traditional format and graphic novel. Pranksters Corey and Travis are spending the summer with their grandmother at her inn and their shenanigans awaken unsettled spirits of children and the woman who operated the poor house where they died. The hauntings begin to torment Corey and Travis, terrorize the guests, and finally manifest themselves clearly enough to change the mind of rational, skeptical “granny.” A trio of more readily seen young poltergeists reveal what needs to be done to end the ghostings and this is accomplished in a satisfyingly creepy way. It’s been a while since I’ve read Hahn’s version, but I think some creative license was taken but the key elements remain the same and should please fans of her work and certainly those who haven’t read them will shiver deliciously as they read this one. No profanity or sexual content and the violence is limited to tales of abuse and starvation heaped upon the residents of the poor house. The hauntings are blood free, however, the intensity make this book more appropriate for the upper elementary through junior high. Some high school collections, especially those with large circulation numbers in horror and/or graphic novels and interest in illustrating may want to consider this one as well.
Thanks for the full color digital arc, NetGalley and Clarion/Harper Collins.
Thanks for the full color digital arc, NetGalley and Clarion/Harper Collins.
May 10, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I expected this to be a calm and only slightly spooky horror tale. Imagine my surprise when elements of the story were WAY darker than I expected them to be! I've never read anything by Mary Downing Hahn before, and honestly, this novel makes me want to look into her other works. Or see more graphic novel adaptions of her works! The beginning of the novel feels very stereotypical, a common "We're spending the summer with Grandma and have an adventure" type of story. But in the middle, it changes into something with genuinely good suspense and a mystery that keeps you hooked. While yes, this is intended for middle school age readers, it is still very much a horror story and doesn't shy away from that fact. Though I will say, even as an adult reader, my jaw dropped at how gruesome some of the plot elements are. I'm not going to say what those exact elements are, because I don't want to spoil it, but if I read this while I was in middle school, I think I would have lost my marbles just a wee bit. The ending was bittersweet and so well done. All of the plot threads are tied up neatly in a bow, and everyone gets what they deserve. The art style is excellent! They really made you feel just how terrifying some of the ghosts are, through the art alone. I will admit, the main reason I even choose this graphic novel to read is because I loved the art on the cover. If there are more adaptions of Hahn's ghost series, I really hope they have this team illustrate those as well!
I expected this to be a calm and only slightly spooky horror tale. Imagine my surprise when elements of the story were WAY darker than I expected them to be! I've never read anything by Mary Downing Hahn before, and honestly, this novel makes me want to look into her other works. Or see more graphic novel adaptions of her works! The beginning of the novel feels very stereotypical, a common "We're spending the summer with Grandma and have an adventure" type of story. But in the middle, it changes into something with genuinely good suspense and a mystery that keeps you hooked. While yes, this is intended for middle school age readers, it is still very much a horror story and doesn't shy away from that fact. Though I will say, even as an adult reader, my jaw dropped at how gruesome some of the plot elements are. I'm not going to say what those exact elements are, because I don't want to spoil it, but if I read this while I was in middle school, I think I would have lost my marbles just a wee bit. The ending was bittersweet and so well done. All of the plot threads are tied up neatly in a bow, and everyone gets what they deserve. The art style is excellent! They really made you feel just how terrifying some of the ghosts are, through the art alone. I will admit, the main reason I even choose this graphic novel to read is because I loved the art on the cover. If there are more adaptions of Hahn's ghost series, I really hope they have this team illustrate those as well!
May 22, 2023
This graphic novel is an adaptation of the novel All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn. I haven't read the original novel, so I can't speak to how closely this adaptation follows the original, but I CAN say that reading the graphic novel does make me want to give the novel a try. I imagine that the novel is every bit as creepy (if not more so)!
All the Lovely Bad Ones is about a brother and sister that are staying with their grandmother at her inn for the summer. They enjoy playing pranks and when they discover that the inn has been rumored to be haunted, they can't resist the temptation to scare the inn's visitors. However, things go a little further than they anticipate and soon the siblings are the ones that are being frightened. They need to clear their names and prove that they're not the ones causing all the mayhem that is scaring everybody.
All the Lovely Bad Ones is an enjoyable middle grade horror book. I enjoyed that it was creepy without being over-the-top scary. The title was woven into the story and eventually explained as more of the backstory was revealed. The illustrations in this graphic novel greatly added to the atmosphere of the story with mysterious, and at times creepy, visuals.
This is a book that I would recommend to middle grade readers that are looking for a "scary" book. I also have high school students that are HUGE Mary Downing Hahn fans and I think they would love revisiting her books through the graphic novel adaptations.
All the Lovely Bad Ones is about a brother and sister that are staying with their grandmother at her inn for the summer. They enjoy playing pranks and when they discover that the inn has been rumored to be haunted, they can't resist the temptation to scare the inn's visitors. However, things go a little further than they anticipate and soon the siblings are the ones that are being frightened. They need to clear their names and prove that they're not the ones causing all the mayhem that is scaring everybody.
All the Lovely Bad Ones is an enjoyable middle grade horror book. I enjoyed that it was creepy without being over-the-top scary. The title was woven into the story and eventually explained as more of the backstory was revealed. The illustrations in this graphic novel greatly added to the atmosphere of the story with mysterious, and at times creepy, visuals.
This is a book that I would recommend to middle grade readers that are looking for a "scary" book. I also have high school students that are HUGE Mary Downing Hahn fans and I think they would love revisiting her books through the graphic novel adaptations.
August 26, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley + Harper Collins for the review copy.
I really enjoyed the more dramatic moments in this book. The monochrome coloring of the night scenes and the intensity of the climax were particularly gripping as a reader. The backstory of why the inn is haunted added depth and nuance that I really didn’t expect from this book.
The living characters felt shallow, though. Some of them felt completely unnecessary to the book (most of the inn guests and staff). Even the two main characters, Travis and Corey, felt flat and lacked clear personalities and backstories.
My biggest confusion with this book from a teacher’s perspective: who is the intended audience? At first, the language seemed some cleaned up and wholesome (“rude noises” instead of “fart sounds,” etc.) that I imagined upper elementary school students reading this. Then the history of the inn is introduced, and that felt more appropriate for middle schoolers. In the climax of the story, the villain encourages the two main characters to do something that I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about in a classroom with students younger than 8th grade. By I know my former 8th grade students would have already lost interest by that point because of the cheesier language choices of the first act. Confusing.
I still found this to be a fun read for the spooky season, but I’m not sure which of my teacher friends I would actually recommend it to.
I really enjoyed the more dramatic moments in this book. The monochrome coloring of the night scenes and the intensity of the climax were particularly gripping as a reader. The backstory of why the inn is haunted added depth and nuance that I really didn’t expect from this book.
The living characters felt shallow, though. Some of them felt completely unnecessary to the book (most of the inn guests and staff). Even the two main characters, Travis and Corey, felt flat and lacked clear personalities and backstories.
My biggest confusion with this book from a teacher’s perspective: who is the intended audience? At first, the language seemed some cleaned up and wholesome (“rude noises” instead of “fart sounds,” etc.) that I imagined upper elementary school students reading this. Then the history of the inn is introduced, and that felt more appropriate for middle schoolers. In the climax of the story, the villain encourages the two main characters to do something that I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about in a classroom with students younger than 8th grade. By I know my former 8th grade students would have already lost interest by that point because of the cheesier language choices of the first act. Confusing.
I still found this to be a fun read for the spooky season, but I’m not sure which of my teacher friends I would actually recommend it to.
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