Washington Wax Museum

American Chillers #18

by Johnathan Rand

A field trip to the local museum by Rachel Baker's class is all fun and games...at first. But then the wax figures begin to disappear. Then there's that rumor that the museum is haunted. Trouble is melting all around!

Genres: Middle Grade

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Christopher Wright is the author of dozens of horror fiction books for children and young adults. He writes under the pseudonyms Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. Almost all of Wright's books (save American Chillers) take place in his home state of Michigan.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rachel Baker is the main character in Washington Wax Museum, but this isn't the first we've seen of her. The previous American Chiller, South Carolina Sea Creatures, introduces Rachel as a secondary protagonist partway through the story, along with her brother Derek. Derek isn't in Washington Wax Museum, but Rachel will have plenty of trouble to handle by herself when her class at school takes a field trip to a new wax museum in their home city of Seattle, Washington. Judging by promotional photos, she knows the realistic wax figures are almost impossible to distinguish from live humans. The horror exhibit, at least, promises to be entertaining, but Rachel and her friend David Rydell are about to get more adventure than they bargained for.

Being scared of wax figures seems silly, but Rachel gets a chill as she first enters the big, echoey museum. Mr. Lakley, the museum director, greets the kids in a startling yet memorable manner, then leads them on a tour of the building, explaining its long history and why the city arts council decided to turn it into a museum. Rachel and David don't mean to get separated from the group—their teacher, Mrs. Tupper, has promised to take the class out for pizza if their behavior meets expectations—but Rachel forgets about this incentive once she and David discover that a few wax figures of U.S. presidents are suddenly missing. Before they have a chance to alert Mr. Lakley, Rachel, David, and Amber Caplin—a girl Rachel does not get along with—end up lost in the basement, where they see dozens of wax figures that aren't up for display. What are so many of them doing down here, out of the public eye? The museum sure has some peculiar practices.

The field trip was meant to be fun, but Rachel, David, and Amber's lives are imperiled when they stumble onto the truth: thieves are stealing the wax figures to sell to international collectors. The whispers Rachel heard earlier from seemingly unoccupied parts of the museum weren't ghosts as she feared, but burglars in action. Would these men harm Rachel, David, and Amber to stop them from telling anyone what's going on? Can three kids bring the bad guys to justice, or will the field trip end in disaster?

There isn't much that establishes Washington Wax Museum as a story set in the Evergreen State. A few "fascinating facts" about Seattle are mentioned, but most of the action takes place indoors, and a wax museum could exist in any state. Aside from that minor issue, the story is plausible and has a scattering of exciting moments as Rachel, David, and Amber do their best against the thieves. Like a few other American Chillers—including Poisonous Pythons Paralyze Pennsylvania and Creepy Condors of California—Washington Wax Museum contains no supernatural elements. It's the best entry in the series since Virtual Vampires of Vermont, however, and David is an especially likable character whose level-headedness comes in handy when faced with outlaws. I enjoyed this book.

[Peace · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book Washington Wax Museum by Jonathan Rand is about three kids Rachel, David, and Amber who find out that there are robbers stealing the wax statues and were going to sell them illegally. The more curious they become the more trouble they get into with these robbers. They book didn't have much of a message to it other than don't steal I guess. I didn't really like the story that much maybe because I had high hopes for it, or maybe it was because it wasn't like any of the other books I had read from him that have usually either dealt with supernatural or things that can't normally happen in real life. I guess I would recommend this book to pre teens just to let them know it's not okay to steal, but other than that I didn't like it much.

[Max Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super super helpful! I was staying in a hotel room and smelled something REALLY bed...then my feet touched something wet. I lifted up the sheets and saw that I was laying in piss!

The housekeepers had forgotten to switch out the sheets!

I panicked for a moment, then noticed my fresh new copy of Washington Wax Museum on the floor. I picked it up and put it on the piss stain and it absorbed all of it! The pages became soaked but the bed was completely dry afterward.

Recommended to anyone that needs a rag.

[Kegan O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really good I like that I don't know what might happen so it's kind of like a mystery to me. I would recommend people to read this because it's a mix of mystery and horror because it's about these wax figures that are moving around and this girl named Rachel notices it but when she tells her classmates about it they don't believe her until things start going downhill and they get locked in a room surrounded by melting wax figures

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in the horror-by-state series. In this case the class has gone to a wax museum on a field trip. Rachel and David are among them and it's not long before they are encountering a person that seems to disappear, whispers in a room with statues and statues that seem to disappear.

Turns out something is up and they end up right in the middle of it. Hopefully not in the middle of a vat of boiling wax!

A pretty good story for younger readers.

[Kenneth BLANCK · Rating 5 out of 5]

its funny looking in a good way, but it is a great book.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the best of the American chillers 👍🏻

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like a 1.5

Has scooby doo vibes without the creeps. I know the next book is a fantasy and I’m not looking forward to it.

[Dakota Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I thought was really good! It had a lot of confusion because something happened at a wax museum. This girl, Rachel, had a conflict at the museum when her class took a field trip to the museum. The class was trapped somewhere and Rachel and her two friends, David and Amber, had to run around the museum trying to hide. I really liked Rachel and David because they were really brave. Rachel was also really smart and a great thinker when it comes to time in needs. Her friend, Amber, I did not really like because she was always wining and blaming stuff on Rachel and David. Amber was also really rude to them. I thought the author did a really good job at giving good details and really good context clues. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about confusion and books involving justice.

[Ethan Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Chillers: Washington Wax Museum by Johnathan Rand is overall a pretty good book. While it isn't very scary it actually has lots of unpredicted twists and turns. A good read and a quick book at only 208 pages.

If you like thrilling books this book is for you. Also it is more of a children's book, so if you're older than a high schooler then you probably shouldn't be reading this.

On a school field trip to a wax museum, three kids wander off and hear things not meant to be heard. Three robbers are robbing the wax museum. When the robbers find out they heard it is off to the races. Eventually, the kids stop the robbers just in time for the cops to come. The three kids, Rachel, David, and Amber were heroes.

[Taylor Fedewa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Washington Wax Museum by Johnathan Rand is about a girl named Rachel, her and her class take a trip to a near by museum Rachel and her friend start to realize that the wax figures have been diapering and they keeping on hearing voices. Later during the tour the tour guide says that the museum might be haunted. That's when Rachel and her friend realize that there is really something going on. Will they get out of there alive!? If you like Adventurous and mystery books this and most of Johnathan Rand's books would be books for you.

[Eagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about three kids ho go on a field trip and they get lost in a basement and they can't get out.And when they get out things really start picking up and they see a slimy monster and it attacks.

I like this book because it is spooky.Be sure to look for 22 more of his books.

The author's name is Johnathan Rand and he travels internationally. Jordan

[Anna Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay book to read. It first started when a class won a trip to a wax museum and then they notice that weird things are going on. Like the wax figures eyes would follow them and then the wax figures started to disappear. I would recommend this book for younger kids to read.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A class field trip to a wax museum is fun and games for everyone, but when wax figures start to disappear, this fun and exciting field trip turns into a mystery for the students. Written by Johnathan Rand.

[Netta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Rand's best work. Entertaining but not really chilling.

[Alex Hengesbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good it makes you want to keep reading it.

A class went on a field trip to a wax museum and they find themselves hearing and seeing weird things and it starts to get haunted.