Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting series ender has robot, kraken, wild revelations.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Theo and Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom's HAUNTED HOLIDAY just keeps getting weirder, as big sister Wil has gone off with newfound friends, including the treacherous Essa, who was only pretending. But not before leaving them under the watchful eye of ghostly Aunt Saffronia, who's charged with keeping them safe. How is this helping them find their vanished parents? And maybe get them back? Who can they trust? Things get even more muddled and confused as the kids learn that a long-ago rift between their parents, all friends back in the day, is not only resurfacing but bringing on an epic clash between a colossal battle robot and a giant kraken. What remains to be seen is whether the kids can avert this disastrous scene.
Is It Any Good?
Kiersten White's zany summer series comes to a close, as the Sinister-Winterbottom kids hit up one last creepy travel destination in an attempt to find their missing parents. Over the course of the last four books, The kids have made surprising discoveries at a series of creepy destinations, made friends with a number of tweens and teens whose parents have also mysteriously vanished, and learned the hard way that not all those friendships are to be trusted. Haunted Holiday brings Theo and Alex new pals and togeher they brave theme parks, tunnels, and betrayals in pursuit of their vanished parents. As their Haunted Holiday winds down, there are relatable emotions, laugh-out-loud moments, and unexpected revelations galore. Also fun with vocabulary words. It all gets a little confused toward the end, but... battle robots vs. kraken is pretty epic.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories like Haunted Holiday that put kids in scary -- but also funny -- situations. Do you think the humor makes the scary stuff less scary? What stories do you know that do this well?
Aunt Saffronia, a family ghost, is stunned when Alexander asks about how she's feeling, because he's the first person to do so in the centuries she's been dead. Do you have people in your life who you take for granted and never think about how they're feeling? Are there people who treat you that way? How can being thoughtful and compassionate make things better?
Do you like battle robots? Do you watch them on videos -- or maybe make your own?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Perseverance , Self-control , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Delacorte Press
- Publication date : January 23, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 272
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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