The Day the Ants Got Really Mad (Scaredy Cats) - Softcover

Grade 1-3?The first volume in a new series for the younger siblings of "Goosebumps" fans. Michael, like most children, is not afraid of ants?until he is bitten by them on the playground. He then watches a movie in class that explains that there are more than a quadrillion of them on the planet and learns that his family's house was built on top of the biggest anthill in the world. It's no wonder that the third grader has trouble sleeping in his new home. The angry insects become so enraged that they remove all of the furniture from the house, including the beds?with the family members asleep in them. Michael is an engaging character who tries hard to resolve the problem. Stanley combines humor and a semi-scary situation with some interesting information about ants to create a story children will find immensely entertaining. The print in this easy chapter book is large, and the full-page drawings add to the fun. Booktalking this one will be a picnic.?Maura Bresnahan, Topsfield Town Library, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2^-4. Michael's new house in the country was built over a huge ant colony, and the ants aren't happy about it. The first night, Michael wakes up with ants crawling all over him. The second night, the ants carry all the furniture out of the house, and the whole family wakes up in the backyard. The next day, Michael suggests to his dad that they pick up the house and move it to town. His dad won't listen--but the ants do. This first episode in the Scaredy Cats series, which is aimed at the younger siblings of kids who like the Goosebumps books, is more creepy than scary, but it doesn't really deliver many chills. Still, youngsters will be attracted by the short, simple story line and controlled vocabulary and by the thrill of reading a chapter book. The illustrations were not available for review. Lauren Peterson