the Haunted Surfboard

When Jack enters a new school that is near the ocean, he meets Peter Stafford, a dare-devil surfer who insists on risking his life every time he enters the water.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–8—Both of these hi/lo books are written at a second-grade reading level, but while the protagonists of Arf appear to be eight or nine years old, those in Surfboard look like teens. In the first title, Arf opens his neighbor's package and, finding a metal detector inside, decides to take it to the park. He makes a bet with his sister that he'll find treasure, "borrows" his mother's jewelry to win the bet, and panics when he can't find his buried box. The artwork is light and cartoony, and the story ends on a positive note with Arf being praised (rather generously) as being "clever" for helping the dim-witted police find a real treasure buried in the same park. In Surfboard, the artwork leans more toward angst-ridden close-ups and the story is darker, as well. Jack, who loves surfing, moves with his mother to a new home by the ocean. He becomes friends with Peter, a daredevil surfer whose twin, Tom, was killed when he tried to surf over Crab Rock. Tom makes several appearances throughout the story, from the first scenes in which Jack sees his ghost in the waves to the credulity-stretching ending in which Tom rescues his brother from drowning. The bright covers and simple plots of both titles might entice younger reluctant readers.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Anthony Masters wrote many novels, short stories, and nonfiction books for children and young adults. His most recent works included a children's version of Shakespeare's play Hamlet and a young adult series on World War II. Anthony Masters died in 2003.

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