Campfire Stories

Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol #8

by Andrés Miedoso, Víctor Rivas (Illustrator)

Desmond Cole goes camping and tells some scary campfire stories in the eighth book of the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series!

Camping with Desmond Cole is a lot of fun, until he starts telling ghost stories around the campfire. Most kids tell creepy stories that are totally fake, but Desmond tells totally true stories that will give you goosebumps. So, settle in while Desmond, Andres, and their ghost-friend, Zax, take turns trying to tell the scariest story of all.

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Chapter Books

128 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2019

About the author

Andres Miedoso is still afraid of everything as a grown-up, even after all his adventures with Desmond Cole. He lives in New York City with his family, and he remains best friends with Desmond but returns to Kersville only when he's needed.

Reviews

[Shankar B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Desmond, Andres and Zac told scary stories around the campfire because I like stories.

[Tamara Govia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Funny!!!
My 7 year old loved it!!!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was the eighth book when we checked it out from the library, but that’s okay. An extremely quick read and it was definitely more cute than creepy.

[Lia Carlile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol: Campfire Stories is a fun chapter book that follows best friends Desmond Cole and Andres Miedoso as they encounter mysterious ghostly events during a camping adventure. Filled with humor, suspense, and age-appropriate scares, the story keeps readers engaged while exploring themes of friendship, courage, and problem solving.

This book is also a strong example of formula fiction, which contributes to its appeal among young readers. Throughout the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series, readers can expect a familiar pattern: a strange supernatural problem appears, Desmond eagerly embraces the mystery, Andres reacts with caution and humor, and the friends work together to solve the ghostly challenge. This predictable structure helps readers feel confident and comfortable because they know what to expect while still enjoying a new adventure in each book.

The combination of recurring characters, humor, illustrations, and a consistent story structure makes the series especially accessible to developing and reluctant readers. Students who enjoy one book are often motivated to read others in the series because they know they will encounter the same engaging style and familiar characters. The manageable chapter length also helps build reading stamina and confidence.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot here is pretty simple - two best friends go camping and tell spooky stories around the campfire. The humorous voice, increasingly absurd stories and fun illustrations are what make this a winner. The stories get increasingly scary and although they all resolve happily I can see more sensitive younger readers being frightened so maybe avoid this one around bedtime. On the other hand, it is a well paced easy to read chapter book that will keep their newer readers turning pages. If your child loves this one make sure to check out the rest of the series.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute addition to the series! While it isn't my favorite in the series, I absolutely adore the fact that Andres decided to revert back to the old school scary campfire stories as the basis for this installment. As per usual, Andres and Desmond continue to be the perfect complement to each other as characters.

[Deatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great books! My 8 year old reads through them from cover to cover within an hour. The only thing that could make these books better is. . . nothing! Wish there were more of them!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

spooky but not scary, good for very begining chapter book readers

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best story-wise, but a fun subject, and good illustrations!

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super cute series for younger kids that does a great job of being a little mysterious and creepy with a lot of humor mixed in. My 6 year old son loves this series.

[Arman Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now they're patrolling other monsters and creatures besides ghosts.

[LaBrie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn’t as fun as the Zombie Zookeeper but still cute. My daughter is excited to go to the library and get more of them.

[Rebecca Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as adventurous as the other ones, but still cute and funny.

[Chris Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a hit with my son. Spiders being scary helped this become a good thriller.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does anyone really enjoy sleeping in the woods?

[Bobbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute story to read to the kiddo 👍🏻

[Georgie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are fun. I just ordered 3 for my school library. Read this one, know my kids will love it! I will order the rest in August, and I recommended the series to 39 peer elementary school librarians in my school district. These are perfect for early readers, struggling readers and English language learners. Thank you, Mr. Miedoso for the stories and Mr. Rivas for the engaging art. These are so fun!

[Reading With Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andres’ best friend Desmond Cole has a knack for tracking down ghosts and monsters. Even though Andres is more cautious (and scared), he always goes along for the adventure to find out where these spirits and creatures are lurking and why they are causing havoc.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Eleanor says: I have never been camping, but I really want to go camping. It would be fun to tell spooky stories. And it would be fun to scare my mom.