This would actually be 4.5 stars! It was excellent! ( )

A ghost story about a yearly challenge with three competitors in a town. Their mission is to get into the woods to ring the bell. If the bell isn't run, the ghost is free to move around the town for the year. If it is, the ghost has to wait until the next Halloween for the next games to be played. An unlikely group of kids takes on the challenge and is scared out of their wits, their memories played with, and decides afterward how to move on with what they discovered.
Big print, some illustrations, lots of action. ( )

Thought the illustration and cover art are great, (have seen her work in other book covers) however, they did not quite match the sinister tone of the book. There are some heavy elements to this story - a child's death, demons - pretty scary stuff. Scary read for middle schoolers. ( )

This was such a fast-paced pageturner. I had to catch my breath after each chapter. Way creepier than expected - the illustrations added to that - I had to stop reading at nighttime. But I’m a total scaredy-cat, so it’s easy to freak me out. That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. The character development plays substantially into that, as every one of them was deeply rounded and realistic. Bailee was a fantastic protagonist. She had so much going on in her life but had to put that aside to outsmart the competitors and the spectre.
I’m still not quite sure what it is that lingers in the Bellwoods, but I’m certain that I wouldn’t go in there to find out. Yet again, I learned there is always a little bit of truth in legends and that we shouldn’t dismiss them as complete nonsense.

I highly recommend this book to be read with friends at a sleepover and get excited and thrilled together. ( )

Bellwoods is a place where a young girl went missing years ago. The young people in the area believe the woods are haunted and near Halloween three are chosen to go into the terrifying wood to ring a bell deep inside. If they don't a year of bad luck will plague the people in the area, Middle graders will love the spookiness of the novel. It is easy to read with nice illustrations throughout. The book moves fast and the characters are well developed. ( )