What do You think about Groosham Grange (1988)?
I read this book years and years ago. I just thought of it again this afternoon, but couldn't remember what it was called, so I ran off to Goodreads and lo! after some rooting, found out what it was called.Anthony Horowitz is a great writer who really shouldn't be writing for kids. His books kept me busy all through late elementary and middle school, and every one I read just blew my mind. I mean... so dark and so violent!So, a troubled, British boy goes off to a private school in a Gothic castle on a remote island, and the teachers and students are all witches and wizards... and it's not a Harry Potter knockoff. It was actually written four years before Harry Potter, and Horowitz seems to have The Wicker Man on his mind more than anything else. I'm not joking.This is pure 80's kid's horror in the vein of R. L. Stein, with lots of gross-out and shock-scares and an ending that'll have you sleeping with the covers over your head that night (assuming you're somewhere under the age of 14). And it's somehow much scarier today... as a kid picking this up and expecting another Harry Potter clone, I got the kind of twist that neither me nor the author could ever have expected.The shock I got is probably similar to the way the audiences of 1960 must have felt when their heroine got knifed 40 minutes into Psycho.Dark stuff, man - nothing a kid should be reading. And Horowitz Horros is even more horrifying and I read that at about the same time. It's no wonder I turned out a little weird.
—Brady
I loved this book! David is trapped in an insane world, going to an insane public school and living with his even more insane father. I was laughing out loud throughout most of this book, especially when his parents are described. It's just a fun book. I had fun reading it, and it seems like Horowitz had fun writing it.It did contain a LOT of similarities to Harry Potter (I've heard that JK Rowling read this book when it first came out). There were moving portraits, a werewolf teacher, etc. But, this is much more of a horror version and it's way shorter than Harry Potter.What works for the story is that the reader has a very good idea about what's going on at Groosham Grange while the characters live in denial about what their school actually teaches. It is somewhat predictable, but that just adds to the irony of the situation David finds himself in, so it works out. The only problem I had with this story was that, for as short as it is, it did drag a bit in the middle. Not for long, but enough for me to want a little more action going on. However, the ending is extremely satisfying. I would most definitely recommend this.
—Alyssa Archambo
I read this book for our local K-5th grade school. The front cover is scarier than the story. Which was good for me. I don't like scary books. Yikes! It starts out with David getting expelled from a boarding school. His parents are embarrassed and furious. His dad, in his anger, keeps hurting his mom. It's kind of shocking and funny at the same time, but it is also disrespectful. (Since fourth graders will be reading this, it concerns me a bit.) David is immediately sent to another school called Groosham Grange where his parents are not allowed to visit him and he can only visit them one day a year. All the teachers including the assistant headmaster are very strange and David knows something is going on and it scares him. He has come to the school with two other students. They team up, try to figure things out while they try to escape. One person dies and another person's body is "hurt badly" - yuck. I don't think there were any swear words. To my surprise, I really liked the end. I recommend this book to 12 & up.
—Connie
