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Babysitting Nightmares #2
Babysitting Nightmares: The Phantom Hour
The supernatural never sleeps in the second book of this spooky middle grade series!
Clio has already had one brush with the paranormal, and she's dead set on making it her last.
But her new babysitting job is in a haunted house! At first, Clio's excited to work at the historical Victorian mansion in town--until doors start closing behind her, objects move on their own, and messages appear from beyond the grave.
Clio enlists the help of her three best friends, Tanya, Maggie, and Rebecca, to uncover long-buried secrets from the past. Can Clio face her fear and solve the mystery of the haunted mansion?
An Imprint Book
"Babysitting Nightmares makes me believe in the power of female friendship to survive anything--even a haunted house and visits from the Nightmare Realm! A crackling, suspenseful tale of true sisterhood." --Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series
"These spooky stories of friendship and paranormal adventure will have young readers flipping pages well past their bedtime."-- Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, New York Times Bestselling author of Book Scavenger
"Fast-paced, action-packed, and just as fun as it is frightening, this series is a sure winner. The cast of real, relatable characters and the thrillingly vivid prose only further ensure that readers--reluctant, eager, or somewhere in between--will be left looking forward to more of Shepherd's delightfully creepy tales." --Jarrett Lerner, author of EngiNerds
?"A wicked fun friendship series, packed with deliciously creepy scares." --Lauren Myracle, co-author of the New York Times-bestselling Upside-Down Magic series
Clio has already had one brush with the paranormal, and she's dead set on making it her last.
But her new babysitting job is in a haunted house! At first, Clio's excited to work at the historical Victorian mansion in town--until doors start closing behind her, objects move on their own, and messages appear from beyond the grave.
Clio enlists the help of her three best friends, Tanya, Maggie, and Rebecca, to uncover long-buried secrets from the past. Can Clio face her fear and solve the mystery of the haunted mansion?
An Imprint Book
"Babysitting Nightmares makes me believe in the power of female friendship to survive anything--even a haunted house and visits from the Nightmare Realm! A crackling, suspenseful tale of true sisterhood." --Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series
"These spooky stories of friendship and paranormal adventure will have young readers flipping pages well past their bedtime."-- Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, New York Times Bestselling author of Book Scavenger
"Fast-paced, action-packed, and just as fun as it is frightening, this series is a sure winner. The cast of real, relatable characters and the thrillingly vivid prose only further ensure that readers--reluctant, eager, or somewhere in between--will be left looking forward to more of Shepherd's delightfully creepy tales." --Jarrett Lerner, author of EngiNerds
?"A wicked fun friendship series, packed with deliciously creepy scares." --Lauren Myracle, co-author of the New York Times-bestselling Upside-Down Magic series
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 29, 2019
6 people are currently reading
809 people want to read
About the author
Kat Shepherd
10 books25 followersKat Shepherd loves to write fast-paced series that is likely to engage reluctant readers, because as an educator, she believes that reading should be a joyful experience for every kid. A former classroom teacher, Kat has also spent various points in her life working as a deli waitress, a Hollywood script reader, and a dog trainer for film and TV. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, two dogs, and a rotating series of foster dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 10, 2019
A slight chill went up Clio’s spine as she stood up and walked into the hallway….As she reached the bottom of the stairs and passed the clock, it let out an ear splitting bong…! More of the moon’s face was visible on the clock now, and the fading light revealed the details on the wood carving. Clio reached out one finger to lightly trace the design. As soon as her fingertip touched the dark wood, the clock stopped ticking.
**I received an ARC of The Phantom Hour from Macmillan publishers to write an honest review. **
With haunts and humor in spades, The Phantom Hour is a pitch-perfect continuation to the spooky Babysitting Nightmares saga. Picking up just weeks after Rebecca, Tanya, Clio, and Maggie plunged into the nightmare realm to save baby Kyle from the lusus naturae and ruthless Night Queen in The Shadow Hand, The Phantom Hour is centered around Clio. Clio’s only too eager to leave the undead creepy crawlies behind her and return to normalcy-- like acing her classes and scoring a spot in the summer Student Leadership Conference in NYC. So when the kindly Lee family moves into the town’s gorgeous Victorian mansion and hires Clio to watch their 3-year-old daughter, Minna and ancient Deerhound Wesley she jumps at the chance. Sure, the old Plunkett Mansion was, well, abandoned for years, but Minna and Wesley are so sweet and cobwebs and creaky floors never killed anyone…Plus, the house has so much history!
But when Clio is suddenly targeted by shadowy figures, slamming doors, and a sinister antique clock with an eerily familiar design, she can’t deny something is afoot. Something dark. Something that wants to take Minna.
Can Clio, Rebecca, Tanya, and Maggie unravel the tragic history of the house before time’s up?
Confession: I loved The Phantom Hour so much I read it twice.
Unhappy haunts? Check. Ominous antique furniture with a...mind of its own…? Check. Fierce female friendships that are enough to stand up to dark forces from beyond the grave? CHECK!
Clio and her mischievous costume shop owning Aunt Kawanna were hands down my favourite characters in The Shadow Hand so I was BEYOND thrilled to see them get major “page time” in this book. But don’t worry. It’s not a solo act. Just like in The Shadow Hand, Kat Shepherd casts her character development magic on all of the girls. Clio, Rebecca, Tanya, and Maggie’s characters leap off the pages and totally steal our hearts! Their friendship shined SO brightly in the first book I’m thrilled to report it their sisterhood and girl power goes SUPERNOVA here. Like, Captain Marvel supernova. This is such gorgeous and empowering read for young girls (and boys!) it makes my heart so happy with the love and earnestness that goes into that bond and each of the girls.
Along with that, delightful and diverse new characters are peppered throughout The Phantom Hour. Especially the Korean-American Lee family, little Minna who’s Deaf, and Clio’s classmate Ethan Underwood, a dog-loving, budding psychic medium, and *gasp* boy! But don’t worry, there’s no mushy gushy puppy love. The sensitive, slightly socially awkward boy is a direct link to the restless ghosts, so he’s welcomed as an honorary member to the girl gang. Ethan has a humorous dynamic with stubborn, science-minded Tanya, who at first is unwilling to budge with her beliefs that spiritualists are frauds. His role in the group makes for a great conversation topic for young readers.
Beyond the characters, The Phantom Hour’s plot is a fast-paced and written in a fizzy, wickedly fun voice. The prose is textured with such vibrant sensory details forget just reading. The Phantom Hour is an experience!!! The cherry on top? Rayanne Viera’s whimsical art scattered about the chapters!
With its bone-chilling plot, evocative prose and diverse cast of quirky characters The Phantom Hour is a punchy paranormal page-turner sure to thrill returning readers and hook new fans of all things that go bump in the night.
The Phantom Hour makes a phenomenal gift for readers and addition to elementary and middle school classrooms, libraries, book shops, and anywhere else books chill, waiting to be read! Highly recommended.
You can find more book reviews over at my blog~!
October 31, 2019
The Phantom Hour (Babysitting Nightmares #2) by Kat Shepherd, 213 pages. Imprint (Macmillan), 2019. $15.
Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Clio, Rebecca, Maggie, and Tanya are back for more babysitting nightmares after they failed to seal off the Nightmare Realm. Clio’s current babysitting job is in a creepy, old mansion with a history, and something is bent on scaring her. Locking her in the pantry. Knocking pictures off the wall. Something or someone is trying to communicate with her and the group is sure it has something to do with a girl who disappeared many years ago. When they see the changeling from the last babysitting fiasco, they suspect the nightmare realm is involved.
There’s something morbidly interesting about weird things happening when teens are alone in a strange house. Babysitting Nightmares is for elementary kids or middle grade reluctant readers who want a little scare factor in their books. This series would benefit from a tighter plot and character differentiation. For this reason, I still recommend Mary Downing Hahn’s books for this niche.
Valerie McEnroe, Media Specialist
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Clio, Rebecca, Maggie, and Tanya are back for more babysitting nightmares after they failed to seal off the Nightmare Realm. Clio’s current babysitting job is in a creepy, old mansion with a history, and something is bent on scaring her. Locking her in the pantry. Knocking pictures off the wall. Something or someone is trying to communicate with her and the group is sure it has something to do with a girl who disappeared many years ago. When they see the changeling from the last babysitting fiasco, they suspect the nightmare realm is involved.
There’s something morbidly interesting about weird things happening when teens are alone in a strange house. Babysitting Nightmares is for elementary kids or middle grade reluctant readers who want a little scare factor in their books. This series would benefit from a tighter plot and character differentiation. For this reason, I still recommend Mary Downing Hahn’s books for this niche.
Valerie McEnroe, Media Specialist
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
March 17, 2021
The second book in the Babysitting Nightmares series and this time ghosts, babysitting, spooky clocks, and a new character!
First up a big big thank you to my husband for giving me this one for Christmas! I would have read it sooner than almost 3 months after, but with Lockdown/Corona I needed to spread out my reading. I am so so glad I could continue the series, because I really enjoyed the previous book and wanted more exciting (and spooky) babysitting adventures.
This time we focus on Clio! I definitely love that each girl gets her spotlight and I really liked seeing things from Clio’s POV. She is such an interesting and fun girl, plus she is a fellow booklover like me!
Ohhh, just noticed that the girls on the cover switch depending on whose POV the book is about! That is so cool, I didn’t even notice that until now.
The girls are still recovering from their recent adventure and are trying to get portals to be closed so that the Realm cannot get into their world again. So we see that, but we also see Clio get a brand-new babysitting job with an adorable girl and cute doggo. However, as you may expect given this is a book called Babysitting Nightmares, things go bump when Clio is babysitting. From clocks making strange and harsh noises to getting locked into rooms and balls getting removed from the trash. You can imagine that Clio is NOT amused given that she is still recovering from the whole previous adventure. These girls just cannot get a break it seems. Like with Murder Most Unladylike in which Hazel and Daisy kept finding dead bodies, the girls in this series keep finding mysterious and spooky going-ons.
I also loved reading about Kawanna and loved her interactions with Clio and her friends. I loved how supportive she was and how she helped them out numerous times, or was there for them to provide scary movies and yummy hot chocolate. I definitely wouldn’t mind a prequel book featuring Kawanna.
And Rebecca was there again to pass out some food that she made! Yum!
I am a bit on the fence about Ethan. On the one hand, yas a new character and one who is a medium or at least is trying to be one. On the other hand I liked my group of 4 girls and seeing their adventures. I guess we will see more of him in the next volumes but I do hope that he won’t be around too much. Again, let’s just focus on the girls.
Haha, funnily, Maggie? Who I wasn’t a big fan of in the first book? She was much better in this one (kinder and sweeter) but she still frustrated me at times with how she acted. I mean everyone is trying their best to do something and she just wasn’t into it 99% of the time. Rather doing her things instead of helping out. And then later during a crucial time she did something so stupid. Everyone warned her, but did little miss Maggie listen? Noooooooo. Why would you? I am kind of worried about the next book in the series as it is about her POV, but who knows maybe that will make me like her? Guess I will see.
There are also a few illustrations here and there and I definitely would have liked to see more of them.
All in all, tons of excitement in this. Friendship. Ghosts. Evil queens. I flew through this book and enjoyed it tons.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
First up a big big thank you to my husband for giving me this one for Christmas! I would have read it sooner than almost 3 months after, but with Lockdown/Corona I needed to spread out my reading. I am so so glad I could continue the series, because I really enjoyed the previous book and wanted more exciting (and spooky) babysitting adventures.
This time we focus on Clio! I definitely love that each girl gets her spotlight and I really liked seeing things from Clio’s POV. She is such an interesting and fun girl, plus she is a fellow booklover like me!
Ohhh, just noticed that the girls on the cover switch depending on whose POV the book is about! That is so cool, I didn’t even notice that until now.
The girls are still recovering from their recent adventure and are trying to get portals to be closed so that the Realm cannot get into their world again. So we see that, but we also see Clio get a brand-new babysitting job with an adorable girl and cute doggo. However, as you may expect given this is a book called Babysitting Nightmares, things go bump when Clio is babysitting. From clocks making strange and harsh noises to getting locked into rooms and balls getting removed from the trash. You can imagine that Clio is NOT amused given that she is still recovering from the whole previous adventure. These girls just cannot get a break it seems. Like with Murder Most Unladylike in which Hazel and Daisy kept finding dead bodies, the girls in this series keep finding mysterious and spooky going-ons.
I also loved reading about Kawanna and loved her interactions with Clio and her friends. I loved how supportive she was and how she helped them out numerous times, or was there for them to provide scary movies and yummy hot chocolate. I definitely wouldn’t mind a prequel book featuring Kawanna.
And Rebecca was there again to pass out some food that she made! Yum!
I am a bit on the fence about Ethan. On the one hand, yas a new character and one who is a medium or at least is trying to be one. On the other hand I liked my group of 4 girls and seeing their adventures. I guess we will see more of him in the next volumes but I do hope that he won’t be around too much. Again, let’s just focus on the girls.
Haha, funnily, Maggie? Who I wasn’t a big fan of in the first book? She was much better in this one (kinder and sweeter) but she still frustrated me at times with how she acted. I mean everyone is trying their best to do something and she just wasn’t into it 99% of the time. Rather doing her things instead of helping out. And then later during a crucial time she did something so stupid. Everyone warned her, but did little miss Maggie listen? Noooooooo. Why would you? I am kind of worried about the next book in the series as it is about her POV, but who knows maybe that will make me like her? Guess I will see.
There are also a few illustrations here and there and I definitely would have liked to see more of them.
All in all, tons of excitement in this. Friendship. Ghosts. Evil queens. I flew through this book and enjoyed it tons.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
May 6, 2019
Clio, Rebecca, Maggie, and Tanya are back for more babysitting nightmares. Once again the nightmare realm is wreaking havoc on their world. Clio is babysitting a girl who lives in a creepy old mansion. Something is scaring the wits out of Clio every time she babysits. Locking her in the pantry. Knocking pictures off the wall. And something is off about the old grandfather clock. They call in their friend Ethan, a medium, to see if he can contact a spirit that might have a reason to haunt the house. They are sure it has something to do with a girl who disappeared many years ago, and when they see the changeling from book 1 running around the property, they suspect the nightmare realm is involved.
I wasn't much of a fan of book 1, and I feel the same about book 2. It doesn't have enough character development for my liking. I expect more from middle grade books. If this were a book for lower elementary grades I would have lower expectations. Not much world building. Too much coincidence. Over done theme. For a better book about a mysterious tree with an opening to a scary world I recommend Juniper Berry.
I wasn't much of a fan of book 1, and I feel the same about book 2. It doesn't have enough character development for my liking. I expect more from middle grade books. If this were a book for lower elementary grades I would have lower expectations. Not much world building. Too much coincidence. Over done theme. For a better book about a mysterious tree with an opening to a scary world I recommend Juniper Berry.
May 6, 2019
This is a very cute story. Clio and her friends have already had one encounter with the paranormal. In this story Clio takes a babysitting job in a haunted mansion.
This is very much a standard series format, with detailed descriptions of every girl's clothes and hair and each of the four girls in the group good at something different. The girls are very supportive of each other, self-motivated, and adventurous. In this book Ethan, who can communicate with ghosts, joins their group. He's clueless but enthusiastic.
I think my favorite character is Clio's aunt Kawanna, a self-identified geek girl and horror lover who gets the girls to watch The Haunting of Hill House just before they stake out Clio's' babysitting job.
This is very much a standard series format, with detailed descriptions of every girl's clothes and hair and each of the four girls in the group good at something different. The girls are very supportive of each other, self-motivated, and adventurous. In this book Ethan, who can communicate with ghosts, joins their group. He's clueless but enthusiastic.
I think my favorite character is Clio's aunt Kawanna, a self-identified geek girl and horror lover who gets the girls to watch The Haunting of Hill House just before they stake out Clio's' babysitting job.
March 16, 2019
Fabulous read for young adult readers of all ages. Clio has gotten a babysitting job in a haunted house and has started noticing some strange things occurring. With the help of her friends, new and old, it is up to them to try and free the spirits from haunting the Lees new house. This is not the first book in the series so there are some references that may get missed, but as a stand alone it is still a quality story. This is the first book of Kat Shepherd's that I have read and her imagery is amazing!
March 22, 2019
This is the second book in the series, and I enjoyed this one as much as the first one. It still reminds me of a spooky version of The Babysitters Club, it is uniquely it’s own. This time the group is dealing with a ghost. It was fun, with just the right amount of creepiness. So it’s great for scaredy cats, as well as those just dipping the tip of their toes into spooky stories. I can’t wait for the next one.
October 28, 2018
Thank you to the author for sharing an ARC of this one with our #bookexpedition group.
Just as good as book one! This time Clio’s experiencing the supernatural during her babysitting job. Love the setting of an abandoned Victorian mansion in this fast-paced, action adventure spooky story. Will preorder for my MG classroom library.
Just as good as book one! This time Clio’s experiencing the supernatural during her babysitting job. Love the setting of an abandoned Victorian mansion in this fast-paced, action adventure spooky story. Will preorder for my MG classroom library.
October 24, 2018
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the first book in this series and this one is just as well-written and creepy! I like the characters and their diversity. I would hand this book to anyone who loves a spooky story with good character development.
December 13, 2018
BABYSITTING NIGHTMARES: THE PHANTOM HOUR is another great read in this fresh, spooky series. Readers will love getting creeped out with Clio as she and her friends try to figure out what is going on in the old Plunkett Mansion! This series is perfect for middle grade readers looking for a fright!
August 23, 2020
I liked that this expanded on the universe from the first book, so it's building this bigger world instead of just jumping from story to story. I also appreciated that this gives some of the ghouls a more multi-faceted backstory instead of just making every supernatural being a villain.
November 24, 2018
This second book in the series is just as spooky and scary as the first! I love how fast-paced and relatable the characters are. I will most def be buying this for my classroom library.
January 1, 2019
Great follow up to the 1st book! Just as creepy, and I love the addition of a boy to the group.
January 9, 2019
Fun follow up to book one. I know kids will be excited to see book two is out! It is sort of babysitter’s club meets goosebumps...need I say more!
February 19, 2019
Just as full of fast-paced, spooky fun as the first! But with a creepy ol' house this time (one of my personal favorite horror tropes)! Phant-astic sequel, can't wait for the next installment!
March 14, 2019
Perfect for readers who are looking for a good scare - I read it during the daylight!
March 21, 2019
Thought this one was even better than the first one. Looking forward to getting more for my library.
March 8, 2024
I'd have given this book 4 stars but the ending might be the most perfect book ending I've read in probably a decade at least. I give the ending an Italian chef mwah kiss and a 5th star!
September 27, 2024
I liked this.
It's somehow better than some adult horror that I've read and I don't know why 😆
It's somehow better than some adult horror that I've read and I don't know why 😆
May 31, 2019
*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*
This was a properly creepy ghost story, but with a lot of humor, and at its core this is a friendship story.
Clio and her friends are still recovering from their trip into the Nightmare Realm when Clio begins babysitting for a new family and discovers that their house has something weird going on. The friends decide to investigate and get pulled into another paranormal mystery.
For the most part, I did enjoy this book. I wish Shepherd wouldn't go into such minute detail about everyone's clothes because I feel like it interrupts the flow of the story, but otherwise an enjoyable middle grade spooky read.
This was a properly creepy ghost story, but with a lot of humor, and at its core this is a friendship story.
Clio and her friends are still recovering from their trip into the Nightmare Realm when Clio begins babysitting for a new family and discovers that their house has something weird going on. The friends decide to investigate and get pulled into another paranormal mystery.
For the most part, I did enjoy this book. I wish Shepherd wouldn't go into such minute detail about everyone's clothes because I feel like it interrupts the flow of the story, but otherwise an enjoyable middle grade spooky read.
Want to read
November 28, 2018I received a copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2019
The second book in the Babysitting Nightmares series did not disappoint. It has me turning pages as fast as I could to find out what was going on in that house with that clock. This group of girls has quite the calling and they are determined to figure out every mystery they come across, even if they're terrified. Kat Shepherd knows how to write for her market. Her story flow and arc are perfect and she holds readers in each and every chapter. I love this series and can't wait for the next!
March 31, 2019
3 1/2 stars. The four middle-school friends are back for another paranormal babysitting adventure and this time they are joined by a boy with a talent for understanding animals and ghosts. This has proven a great series to hand to newly confident readers in 2nd & 3rd grade. Awesome to help students ready to move on from the Rainbow Fairy series or Thea Stilton. It also works for 4th grade with it’s upper middle school setting and focus on relationships.
While the writing is not the main attraction - lots of description of the girls outfits, hair styles and snacks - and paranormal isn’t my favorite genre, this ticks the boxes for kids who want semi-realistic adventures with a diverse cast of aspirational friends, full of bravery, resilience and realistic disagreements.
While the writing is not the main attraction - lots of description of the girls outfits, hair styles and snacks - and paranormal isn’t my favorite genre, this ticks the boxes for kids who want semi-realistic adventures with a diverse cast of aspirational friends, full of bravery, resilience and realistic disagreements.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews