Sam, Antonio, and Lucy think they are getting a snow day when the weather turns bad, but instead they learn that the evil Orson Eerie has a terrible plan to return back to human form if the school gets cold enough. How can they prevent the school from freezing over if Orson Eerie haunts the building and causes it to bend to his will?

This book is clearly part of an ongoing series, but the author gives the reader enough background to jump right into the story without feeling the loss of the previous books. He also wraps up this storyline sufficiently while leaving room for the next adventure. This book is action-packed, as evidenced by the arguably excessive use of exclamation marks. The short chapters and the continual obstacles will keep young readers on the edge of their seats. That being said, this is really not my cup of tea. I prefer books that focus on characters, and the characters here are all pretty one-note (i.e., all good or all bad). While the trio of friends do almost everything together, Sam is clearly the ringleader and protagonist (to the extent that the other two characters are known as his assistants). This is too bad because it centers the white male character over the African-American and female ones.

Overall, however, I could see this title be appealing to certain readers, particularly those who like adventure-type stories. It is a slim book overall, so I could see this being a good transition book from basic early readers to the more intimidating middle grade novels. ( )