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Fright Club #1
Fright Club
Each year, on Halloween eve, Fright Club meets to go over their plan: Operation Kiddie Scare. Only the scariest of monsters can join Fright Club-Vladimir the Vampire, Fran K. Stein, Sandy Witch, and Virginia Wolf have all made the cut. They've been practicing their ghoulish faces, their scary moves, and their chilling sounds. But when a band of cute little critters comes along asking to join in the fun, the members of Fright Club will find out who really is the scariest of all!
This clever, rollicking read aloud text and delightfully spooky illustrations will have young readers laughing, cheering, and begging to be the newest members of Fright Club.
This clever, rollicking read aloud text and delightfully spooky illustrations will have young readers laughing, cheering, and begging to be the newest members of Fright Club.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2015
About the author
Ethan Long
178 books57 followersEthan Long is a popular, award-winning and internationally recognized children's book author and illustrator with over 70 children's books, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award and an Emmy-nominated television series to his credit. Just about all of his awake time is spent writing stories, drawing pictures and spending time with his family. Since graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design in 1991, Ethan has never stopped evolving, challenging his creative approach with each new project while constantly honing his instantly identifiable style. Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, his childhood memories serve as inspiration for many of his drawings and stories. He currently lives with his wife and three children in beautiful Orlando, Florida, USA and flip flops seamlessly between being a world famous children's book author and a stay-at-home dad.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
October 12, 2019
This is the 3rd book by Ethan Long with his gang of monsters we have read. My nephew loves these. When he saw the cover, he went crazy over this. He got up and was running around his room saying, YES YES YEEEESSSS.
He settled down and we read this cute read. It feels like the first one. The gang of monsters has started a fright club. A little cute rabbit wants to join and it’s only for monsters. Well, the cute rabbit gets a lawyer to get the rabbit into the club.
This is some seriously cute and funny and scarry stuff (ok, not so scarry). The nephew loves this series. He gave this an easy 5 stars. He wants to read the rest of the series again this season. It was great to make him so happy with a book.
He settled down and we read this cute read. It feels like the first one. The gang of monsters has started a fright club. A little cute rabbit wants to join and it’s only for monsters. Well, the cute rabbit gets a lawyer to get the rabbit into the club.
This is some seriously cute and funny and scarry stuff (ok, not so scarry). The nephew loves this series. He gave this an easy 5 stars. He wants to read the rest of the series again this season. It was great to make him so happy with a book.
September 27, 2018
It the annual meeting of Fright Club and Vladimir is trying to get the monsters ready for Operation: Kiddie Scare. However, it would seem that no one has been doing their homework and their spooking is not up to par. When the meeting is interrupted by a knock at the door, Vladimir sees a small bunny, one who wishes to join Fright Club. After a good chuckle, Vladimir turns the fluffy woodland creature away, only to have a few repeat visits. With Operation: Kiddie Scare hanging in the balance, these monsters had been shape up or take in some new members. It is then that things take a significant turn. While we are still a while from Hallowe’en, Neo is ready to get into the season with spooky tales. This one had him laughing, especially with the arrival of the bunny. Grab the book and get your young reader ready for the season with this cute little piece.
October 16, 2015
One night a cute little bunny goes a’knocking on Fright Club’s door hoping to join. But can cute be scary?
Vladimir, Fright Club’s Vampire leader, says only monsters can be scary. So our determined bunny with a cute critter army by his side set out to prove Vladimir and the Fright Club wrong.
This adorable Halloween tale turns labels and images upside down. Can cute and fluffy animals make ghoulish faces? Can monsters be scared?
Come and see! Join the club if you dare! :)
”Woooooo!”
September 28, 2018
Cute little Halloween story about monster trying to be scary but realizing maybe there not the best at it. Simple, cute, fun and a good way to introduce the young one to Halloween!
November 9, 2016
A club of monsters practices being scary to get ready for Halloween, but, to the dismay of their vampire leader, they aren't very good. A cute bunny shows up and demands admittance, but is told she can't join, since she's not a monster. She returns with a lawyer (!), pickets them with another group of cute animals (!!), and then the animals break in and show how amazing they are at being scary via a completely unconvincing illustration (!!!). They're accepted as part of the club and everyone gets together and sings Kumbaya scares the children.
Basically, this is a deeply held and deeply lame message of inclusiveness in book form. Story, such as it is, was distinctly secondary. I mean, an appeal to justice, or to pity, or a reference to elephants being afraid of cute mice, or the rabbit being good at scary make-up, or the butterfly being able to scout out the location of timid children, or any plot device with a thread of sense might've worked. This didn't.
DS#1 (age 5): "That's stupid, bunnies aren't scary".
DD (age 3): "I didn't like it"
Three thumbs down.
Basically, this is a deeply held and deeply lame message of inclusiveness in book form. Story, such as it is, was distinctly secondary. I mean, an appeal to justice, or to pity, or a reference to elephants being afraid of cute mice, or the rabbit being good at scary make-up, or the butterfly being able to scout out the location of timid children, or any plot device with a thread of sense might've worked. This didn't.
DS#1 (age 5): "That's stupid, bunnies aren't scary".
DD (age 3): "I didn't like it"
Three thumbs down.
October 12, 2018
Busy planning for the upcoming Halloween celebrations, Vladimir the Vampire and the other members of the Fright Club have no time for the cute little bunnies knocking at the door, wanting to join their group. When the bunnies show up with a lawyer, the monsters continue to ignore them, but then a full-blown protest gets going, and things get pretty hairy. It turns out that cute critters can be just as frightening as the monsters...
An entertaining, lighthearted Halloween-time romp, Fright Club touches upon issues of inclusion and belonging, but does so without descending into any sort of preachiness. Youngsters with a sense of humor, and a taste for ghoulish tales will enjoy seeing the bunnies and other cute animals prove that they too have a few Halloween-night tricks up their sleeves. The illustrations, done in graphite on dark paper, and then enhanced digitally, is suitably creepy, with a cartoonish style kids will enjoy. Recommended to all young monster lovers, and to anyone looking for fun new Halloween fare for the picture-book set.
An entertaining, lighthearted Halloween-time romp, Fright Club touches upon issues of inclusion and belonging, but does so without descending into any sort of preachiness. Youngsters with a sense of humor, and a taste for ghoulish tales will enjoy seeing the bunnies and other cute animals prove that they too have a few Halloween-night tricks up their sleeves. The illustrations, done in graphite on dark paper, and then enhanced digitally, is suitably creepy, with a cartoonish style kids will enjoy. Recommended to all young monster lovers, and to anyone looking for fun new Halloween fare for the picture-book set.
January 5, 2017
This is a fun little Halloween read. Bug didn't love it right off the bat, but she didn't hate it either.
October 2, 2020
Cute book that teaches even monsters can be scared! Great for a Halloween read aloud. I read an ebook version and found the text to be slightly off, but that's probably a formatting issue.
August 3, 2015
The night before Halloween, all of the monsters in Fright Club met for one last time to finalize their plans to terrify children. But just as they were about to begin showing their scary faces, a little bunny knocked on the door. The bunny asked to join Fright Club, but the monsters just laughed and sent the bunny away. The monsters went back to demonstrating their frightening faces, but none of them were actually scary at all. Another knock came on the door and it was a wolf insisting that critters be allowed into the Fright Club too and not be discriminated against. The monsters went back to practicing but then there was a pounding on the door. It was the critters with torches and signs, insisting that they were scary too. The monsters slammed the door and hid inside, waiting for them to go away. Instead of going away though, the critters got in and frightened the monsters, proving that they were ready for Fright Club after all. And it turned out that more frights meant a better Halloween night!
Long does great broad comedy in this picture book. The pace is fast and there are plenty of jokes combined with humorous action to keep it all moving briskly along. The kid appeal is also here with a Halloween theme as well as cute monsters who really couldn’t scare anyone without the help of the critters. The use of classic monsters like vampires, mummies, witches and ghosts makes for a book that has a classic flair as well.
The illustrations stick to a gloomy palette that adds plenty of atmosphere. Shadows and light are used very effectively, from the shine of the torches to the the monsters hiding in a room surrounded by light rather than shadow. The subtle use of color within that shadowy overall look really works well, almost popping against the grey darkness.
A Halloween treat, this picture book is much more fun than fright. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Long does great broad comedy in this picture book. The pace is fast and there are plenty of jokes combined with humorous action to keep it all moving briskly along. The kid appeal is also here with a Halloween theme as well as cute monsters who really couldn’t scare anyone without the help of the critters. The use of classic monsters like vampires, mummies, witches and ghosts makes for a book that has a classic flair as well.
The illustrations stick to a gloomy palette that adds plenty of atmosphere. Shadows and light are used very effectively, from the shine of the torches to the the monsters hiding in a room surrounded by light rather than shadow. The subtle use of color within that shadowy overall look really works well, almost popping against the grey darkness.
A Halloween treat, this picture book is much more fun than fright. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
October 16, 2015
This was an 'okay' book. The idea behind it was a good one but it wasn't written very well. The monsters are used to being scary and having a meeting before the big night where they need to be scary but they aren't showing much of scariness... But a fluffy little bunny knocks on the door and want to join the club but they won't let her because of her not being a monster. (the part of the book I disagreed with and almost stopped reading it) she went and hired a lawyer and he told the main monster telling him is was discrimination because she wasn't a monster etc. (Come on really? Our children are already subject to adult things when they don't need to be don't push lawyers on them at this age!) In the end the bunny and her friends show their stuff and are more scarier than the monsters were. So in the end they did incorporate all the friends so the end they did all get along but the story just wasn't written very well.
October 18, 2015
FRIGHT CLUB by Ethan Long is an adorable picture book perfect for the Halloween season.
When Vladimir vampire calls a meeting of the Fright Club, he didn’t expect a cute little bunny to show up. When the club rejects the rabbit, the bunny enlists the help of his friends and a lawyer to convince Fright Club members that they can be scary and have a lot to contribute to their club. Themes related to stereotypes and inclusion make this more than the standard Halloween story.
The spooky illustrations contain just the right balance of humor and horror for young readers. The black text on the dark background can be a little difficult to read. Otherwise librarians will find this picture book popular as a Halloween read-aloud.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.ethanlong.com/.
Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books on August 11, 2015. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
When Vladimir vampire calls a meeting of the Fright Club, he didn’t expect a cute little bunny to show up. When the club rejects the rabbit, the bunny enlists the help of his friends and a lawyer to convince Fright Club members that they can be scary and have a lot to contribute to their club. Themes related to stereotypes and inclusion make this more than the standard Halloween story.
The spooky illustrations contain just the right balance of humor and horror for young readers. The black text on the dark background can be a little difficult to read. Otherwise librarians will find this picture book popular as a Halloween read-aloud.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.ethanlong.com/.
Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books on August 11, 2015. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
January 18, 2023
This is the first book in the series and the first book I have read. The “monsters” are having a meeting to make sure they are ready to scare everyone. The artwork is great. The idea behind the book, never judge someone by their looks,etc
November 24, 2017
This is my favorite children's Halloween book I've encountered so far! The characters and artwork are beautifully done, like something you'd seen in a cartoon or animated movie. The premise is hilarious, that the cutesy little bunnies and butterflies have bigger scaring potential than the usual suspects: vampires, mummies, and Frankenstein. They want to be included in the Fright Club, too. This book made my family laugh out loud.
October 5, 2016
The monsters have a club, only for monsters, but the cute animals want to join! It was fun to see the monsters fail at being scary and the animals gave them a good lesson. With its simple story, this picture book was pleasant, and the atmosphere was good for an Halloween month, even if it wasn't scary at all.
July 29, 2015
More fun than fright.
October 3, 2016
When you see and hear a bunny growl, you can't deny their potentially terrifying nature!
December 3, 2021
The monsters are holding their last meeting before Hallowe'en to be sure they are prepared for a night of scaring. When a cute rabbit, then his cute friends, want to join the Fright Club, the monsters are sure they won't be scary enough. The cute critters have to try to prove them wrong. Entertaining story and illustrations.
September 14, 2021
So cute and funny
July 6, 2018
Bunny wants to join Fright Club but Vladimir won’t let her. Will she manage to change his mind?
This is a tale of a bunny who wants to join fright club in time for Halloween. It has become a favourite with my children and so means multiple readings for me, though thankfully I don’t mind.
The illustrations are very detailed and fit the story perfectly. They are dark in places, with lots of grey and black used. Luckily they don’t scare the children, even when Mumford the mummy does his scary party trick with his eyes (once you’ve read the book you’ll see what I mean!).
There are some references that are geared more towards the adult reading the book, for example there is a line about how the monsters moves were scary, but not in the way Vladimir had hoped, and the were-wolf is called Virginia. I would expect some of the content to go over children’s heads, though my children love the story and have no issue with me reading it repeatedly.
My children love this book, shouting out at certain parts, joining in with scary noises and frightening faces. In amongst the scary moves, and ghostly goings-on there is a lovely moral to the story – that no matter what you look like, or appear to be, you can be anything when you set your mind to it. And that you shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover.
This is a tale of a bunny who wants to join fright club in time for Halloween. It has become a favourite with my children and so means multiple readings for me, though thankfully I don’t mind.
The illustrations are very detailed and fit the story perfectly. They are dark in places, with lots of grey and black used. Luckily they don’t scare the children, even when Mumford the mummy does his scary party trick with his eyes (once you’ve read the book you’ll see what I mean!).
There are some references that are geared more towards the adult reading the book, for example there is a line about how the monsters moves were scary, but not in the way Vladimir had hoped, and the were-wolf is called Virginia. I would expect some of the content to go over children’s heads, though my children love the story and have no issue with me reading it repeatedly.
My children love this book, shouting out at certain parts, joining in with scary noises and frightening faces. In amongst the scary moves, and ghostly goings-on there is a lovely moral to the story – that no matter what you look like, or appear to be, you can be anything when you set your mind to it. And that you shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover.
October 13, 2018
Halloween creatures convene for a meeting of Fright Club when a knock on the door reveals a fluffy white rabbit and pals who want to join in on 'Operation Kiddie Scare.' But Vladimir says, “Fright Club is for monsters only!”
The cute critters return with protest signs, a discrimination lawsuit, and ultimately prove that they have the chops for the job. (And the monsters are shown to need the help.)
Fright Club has a great message about challenging authority, discrimination, and defying expectations. But it will be too complex for many; the action is often paneled, with more than one scene transpiring on a spread, and the story is fairly long.
Still, I love the interesting illustrative style, particularly the gray palette with pops of Halloween colors. Children edging towards the comic book form will be interested. And for kids who are reinforced by Halloween themes (my son Harry is this kid), Fright Club is a great way to introduce something more challenging. If you love it, you can also check out Ethan Long's other monster holiday books: Fangsgiving and Valensteins.
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I review children's books from the perspective of a parent of two kids with autism. This review is part of a list of 13 recommended Halloween picture books for autistic kids, which can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/hallow...
The cute critters return with protest signs, a discrimination lawsuit, and ultimately prove that they have the chops for the job. (And the monsters are shown to need the help.)
Fright Club has a great message about challenging authority, discrimination, and defying expectations. But it will be too complex for many; the action is often paneled, with more than one scene transpiring on a spread, and the story is fairly long.
Still, I love the interesting illustrative style, particularly the gray palette with pops of Halloween colors. Children edging towards the comic book form will be interested. And for kids who are reinforced by Halloween themes (my son Harry is this kid), Fright Club is a great way to introduce something more challenging. If you love it, you can also check out Ethan Long's other monster holiday books: Fangsgiving and Valensteins.
---
I review children's books from the perspective of a parent of two kids with autism. This review is part of a list of 13 recommended Halloween picture books for autistic kids, which can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/hallow...
August 11, 2019
Vladimir the Vampire is holding one last meeting of Fright Club. He's teaching the 3 traits of highly successful monsters: ghoulish faces, scary moves, chilling sounds. While Vlad is trying to get the class going he is interrupted by knocking on the door. When he opens the door he finds a cute bunny begging for entrance into Fright Club. He laughs and turns the rabbit away.
Back to teaching and Vlad is seriously disappointed in the efforts put forth by his students. Again he is interrupted by a knocking on the door. The bunny has returned and brought a lawyer! Vlad quickly slams the door and once again resumes class. However, again with the door!
Bunny and lawyer have alerted others who are now all standing outside the classroom door and putting on their most frightful moves. Yes, they are finally admitted to Fright Club.
Back to teaching and Vlad is seriously disappointed in the efforts put forth by his students. Again he is interrupted by a knocking on the door. The bunny has returned and brought a lawyer! Vlad quickly slams the door and once again resumes class. However, again with the door!
Bunny and lawyer have alerted others who are now all standing outside the classroom door and putting on their most frightful moves. Yes, they are finally admitted to Fright Club.
February 20, 2018
Fright club is a club full of spooks and ghouls. In order to be in the fright club you must be scary. When a little bunny comes to join, he is turned away because he is too cute. While Vlademir the Vampire is trying to teach his club how to be more scary, the bunny decides to lawyer up and make a case against the club that won't let him in. Just because he's cute doesn't mean he can't be scary too and he's going to prove it!
July 12, 2017
his is a story about all the scary characters meeting to prepare for Halloween. A little rabbit wants to join the club but Vladamir the Vampire denies him membership. The rabbit comes back with a lawyer and later with a whole group to protest the situation. They finally see the animals are better at "spooking" than the monsters. It is just ok. I would skip this one. Not recommended.
October 24, 2018
This is such a frighteningly silly book! Loved both the story and the illustrations. This was the perfect book to read with my toddler this Halloween season. The monsters are adorable... and just when you thought the animals were too cute... they surprise everyone with what they can do. Hope to read over and over again.
August 29, 2017
Monsters think they are the only ones who can truly scare this Halloween season, so they block regular creatures from their club. The regular creatures find a way to prove that monsters aren't the only ones that can frighten people.
Illustrations are fun.
Illustrations are fun.
August 15, 2018
A little bunny wants to be included in the club of scary halloween monsters. I like the illustration style a lot! A bit tricky to do for storytime because there is a lot of dialogue and a lot of different speakers, but you could practice making the scary faces scary sounds together.
October 22, 2018
Mommy picked this book out for us to read in October to get ready for Halloween. She picked it out because of the illustrations. They are so cute. However, the story was a little over my 3-year-old head.
February 4, 2019
The monsters hold the last meeting of Fright Club on Halloween Eve. All the cute creatures in the neighborhood want to join but the monsters say "No". That is until all the cute creatures scare the monsters. I think too hard to read aloud b/c so many characters.
November 9, 2016
Who knew a bunny could be scarier than a vampire, mummy or Frankenstein? Everyone is scary on Halloween!
October 20, 2017
Super cute!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews