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Spooksville #12
The Hidden Beast
When a dragon attempts to destroy Spooksville in the wake of its missing treasure, Adam and his friends begin a desperate search while out-racing the dragon's flames. Original.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
About the author
Christopher Pike
238 books5,218 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 17, 2020
When Bryce Poole and his cousin, Leah, approach Adam and his friends about a treasure map, they’re skeptical. They aren’t sure they trust Bryce, and they don’t know Leah at all, but they’re lured by the promise of half the treasure and a chance to decode the clues. Their search leads them to a set of mountains called the Teeth and deep inside the tallest mountain, where it’s said an ancient beast slumbers and guards the treasure. Unfortunately, all the stories in Spooksville are true. Trigger warnings: parent death (off-page), fires/burns, drowning.
This is probably my favorite Spooksville book since The Witch’s Revenge, and there’s an obvious reason for it. It stays purely in the action-adventure/fantasy genre rather than trying to blend in science fiction, and there are, finally and hooray, no alien subplots. It’s a straightforward treasure-hunting story with a clear goal, a single cool obstacle, and an unexpected solution. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The story also expands to include some new characters. Bryce Poole has made brief appearances throughout the series, but he’s a major player here, along with his cousin, Leah. For all that he’s played the hero in the past, it’s mostly down to Watch (as usual) and Cindy to save the day. I enjoy seeing all the characters at their best: Sally, who’s always looking for a bit of mischief, Adam, who’s always determined to play the hero, Cindy, who’s a supportive friend to all of them, and Watch, who’s usually counted on to puzzle their way out of any problem. The adventures are fun and often, as advertised, spooky, but their friendship is the heart and soul of the series.
In that vein, Watch and Cindy have what turns out to be a heartfelt conversation about friendship but begins as a joke about water turning them into alien monsters, and Watch makes a weird comment about his family all moving away because they were afraid he wasn’t human. It’s an on-going joke in the series that Watch is the only character without a last name, and he’s always the cleverest character on the page. Is this a continuation of that characterization, or is there some foreshadowing here? Is Watch not actually human? In Spooksville, nothing would be a surprise. (No spoilers, please! I can’t wait to find out on my own, either way.)
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
This is probably my favorite Spooksville book since The Witch’s Revenge, and there’s an obvious reason for it. It stays purely in the action-adventure/fantasy genre rather than trying to blend in science fiction, and there are, finally and hooray, no alien subplots. It’s a straightforward treasure-hunting story with a clear goal, a single cool obstacle, and an unexpected solution. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The story also expands to include some new characters. Bryce Poole has made brief appearances throughout the series, but he’s a major player here, along with his cousin, Leah. For all that he’s played the hero in the past, it’s mostly down to Watch (as usual) and Cindy to save the day. I enjoy seeing all the characters at their best: Sally, who’s always looking for a bit of mischief, Adam, who’s always determined to play the hero, Cindy, who’s a supportive friend to all of them, and Watch, who’s usually counted on to puzzle their way out of any problem. The adventures are fun and often, as advertised, spooky, but their friendship is the heart and soul of the series.
In that vein, Watch and Cindy have what turns out to be a heartfelt conversation about friendship but begins as a joke about water turning them into alien monsters, and Watch makes a weird comment about his family all moving away because they were afraid he wasn’t human. It’s an on-going joke in the series that Watch is the only character without a last name, and he’s always the cleverest character on the page. Is this a continuation of that characterization, or is there some foreshadowing here? Is Watch not actually human? In Spooksville, nothing would be a surprise. (No spoilers, please! I can’t wait to find out on my own, either way.)
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
February 18, 2022
In 'The Hidden Beast', Bryce and his cousin, Leah approach Adam, Sally, Watch and Cindy for help. Leah's late father had left her a treasure map which she could not quite decipher. Not long into their quest, things go awry.
The beginning was good and suspenseful, what with the arduous journey being punctuated by questions and suspicions. Could Bryce and Leah be trusted? What was the ancient pet? Was there really treasure in the cave?
This one was a bit lacking in the action and challenge departments:
- They were quick to There was too much talk about locating her.
- I liked the dragons but they did not pose much of a threat. A lot was easily achieved such as
Overall, 'The Hidden Beast' was an average read that did not fully live up to its fantastic synopsis.
The beginning was good and suspenseful, what with the arduous journey being punctuated by questions and suspicions. Could Bryce and Leah be trusted? What was the ancient pet? Was there really treasure in the cave?
This one was a bit lacking in the action and challenge departments:
- They were quick to There was too much talk about locating her.
- I liked the dragons but they did not pose much of a threat. A lot was easily achieved such as
Overall, 'The Hidden Beast' was an average read that did not fully live up to its fantastic synopsis.
September 27, 2018
When a group of teenagers, who are extremely intelligent, go on a hunt for treasure they find themselves in a bad situation. They run into a fire breathing creature who blames them for the stealing the treasure, it threatens to destroy their town unless they bring the treasure back right away! Although the problem is, they don’t know where the treasure is. I was definitely hooked on the book but was disappointed by the ending, I wanted more! I wanted a more elaborate explanation on how it comes to an end but felt it was cut short. The author does use intertextuality referencing the other series but not enough where you’ll get lost, it makes me want to read the other books to know what other adventures this group of friends went on. This is a children’s fantasy book not only because of the fire breathing creature but also the special abilities the treasure hold. The narrator does switch perspectives towards the middle of the book but a child reader can still keep up. The cover of the book definitely caught my attention because you get a glimpse of the creature they run into. Overall I like the book for children, it creates an opportunity for imagination and is easy to follow.
June 4, 2015
The Hidden Beast didn't go in the direction I was expecting, but I enjoyed it just the same. Harve was an adorable addition to the book and an even cuter resolution to the conflict. I was surprised by Sally who, I assumed based on other books in the series, would simply betray Leah as this was the simplest solution. But, like I said, this book definitely threw me for a loop, though it certainly was not an unpleasant one.
December 29, 2019
I had higher expectations for this book, especially since I love Dragons. Sadly lots of the story fell rather flat. And it's not just that it's a kid's book either as I often do read kids books and enjoy them.
One of the problems was there was very little character development. I felt throughout the story I had no idea who these characters really were. They were little more than names doing various actions. And I know Pike can write books well as I have read tons of his scary teen novels years ago so I'm not sure what happened here.
Another thing that was even weirder was how abruptly the story came to an end. It just ended very suddenly! I was reading along and the characters were in a real mess, a bad situation. But I also noticed that the book had only like two pages left..which I felt to be really, really strange. And I thought "The story can't be ending already..." But it did soon after that! Like for some unknown reason an ending was stuck on for unknown reasons? It was almost like it ended in the middle of the action...
There was also a plot detail involving a cell phone that was not realistic or even believable. Kids these days are very smart about stuff like phones (I've seen two year olds know how to play songs on YouTube and find the songs they want) so I'm sure kids will notice the big mistake too.
The thing I liked best about this book is...get this...the cover. The artwork on this particular edition is very cool. The gigantic eye, the colors...very cool!
And I'm not even going to mention the thing that happened on page 103. Poor critter!
One of the problems was there was very little character development. I felt throughout the story I had no idea who these characters really were. They were little more than names doing various actions. And I know Pike can write books well as I have read tons of his scary teen novels years ago so I'm not sure what happened here.
Another thing that was even weirder was how abruptly the story came to an end. It just ended very suddenly! I was reading along and the characters were in a real mess, a bad situation. But I also noticed that the book had only like two pages left..which I felt to be really, really strange. And I thought "The story can't be ending already..." But it did soon after that! Like for some unknown reason an ending was stuck on for unknown reasons? It was almost like it ended in the middle of the action...
There was also a plot detail involving a cell phone that was not realistic or even believable. Kids these days are very smart about stuff like phones (I've seen two year olds know how to play songs on YouTube and find the songs they want) so I'm sure kids will notice the big mistake too.
The thing I liked best about this book is...get this...the cover. The artwork on this particular edition is very cool. The gigantic eye, the colors...very cool!
And I'm not even going to mention the thing that happened on page 103. Poor critter!
June 5, 2020
This is the weirdest reading, respectively listening experience I had in a long while. I took this book out as an audiobook from the local library. I was really curious to see what this story was about. But then, oh boy.
First of all, the narrators voice, who has this very blasé tinge to it and makes you feel that these kids, or are they adolescents? really are above everything else and look at life with this level of contempt because they are so clever.
However, when you look at their actions, you soon come to realise that they would not survive for 5 minutes in an actually wild environment. In addition their actions are thoughtless and disrespective to any other being than humans.
Now, if you look at the story itself, it lacks everything, the plot is thin, to say the least, all the female characters seem mentally retarded, they need to get everything explained at least two times by a male character, otherwise they just don't get it and possibly would be unable to make one step by themselves.
The monster they encounter switches from one moment to the next from being it to being a she without any further explanation nor interaction as to how they come to the conclusion the monster is female. It is a mystery. Then she becomes an it again and then back to a she again.
The biggest mystery though is why this book, first published in 1996, has been reissued in 2016. It is really a mind boggle.
First of all, the narrators voice, who has this very blasé tinge to it and makes you feel that these kids, or are they adolescents? really are above everything else and look at life with this level of contempt because they are so clever.
However, when you look at their actions, you soon come to realise that they would not survive for 5 minutes in an actually wild environment. In addition their actions are thoughtless and disrespective to any other being than humans.
Now, if you look at the story itself, it lacks everything, the plot is thin, to say the least, all the female characters seem mentally retarded, they need to get everything explained at least two times by a male character, otherwise they just don't get it and possibly would be unable to make one step by themselves.
The monster they encounter switches from one moment to the next from being it to being a she without any further explanation nor interaction as to how they come to the conclusion the monster is female. It is a mystery. Then she becomes an it again and then back to a she again.
The biggest mystery though is why this book, first published in 1996, has been reissued in 2016. It is really a mind boggle.
November 28, 2017
My kindergartener picked this out at the book fair and we’ve been reading a chapter a night. He is really enjoying it, surprisingly, as I thought this might be over his head. We have had to stop a bit to explain things but overall it’s been a huge hit!
This is our first Sppoksville book, btw. Nothing like starting with book #12. It’s been fine to read this alone but I’m def curious about the 11 Books previously written.
I couldn’t wait for the ending and one night finished it after he fell asleep. I thought that 3/4 of the Book was fantastic. My interest was held, I was curious about the plot and enjoyed reading it ... until the end! I didn’t like the ending at all. It was wrapped up in 2 minutes and voila! The story was done. Ugh. I don’t like when books rush the ending. I feel cheated out of the true ending that takes more time to go into details.
That said if you have a Mystery Book Report coming up for your 2-4 grader this would be a great choice. And if you’re trying to get your son to read more... another great option for that as well.
I’m hoping Mr. Pike doesn’t end all of his stories so quickly. I’m going to the library for the rest.
This is our first Sppoksville book, btw. Nothing like starting with book #12. It’s been fine to read this alone but I’m def curious about the 11 Books previously written.
I couldn’t wait for the ending and one night finished it after he fell asleep. I thought that 3/4 of the Book was fantastic. My interest was held, I was curious about the plot and enjoyed reading it ... until the end! I didn’t like the ending at all. It was wrapped up in 2 minutes and voila! The story was done. Ugh. I don’t like when books rush the ending. I feel cheated out of the true ending that takes more time to go into details.
That said if you have a Mystery Book Report coming up for your 2-4 grader this would be a great choice. And if you’re trying to get your son to read more... another great option for that as well.
I’m hoping Mr. Pike doesn’t end all of his stories so quickly. I’m going to the library for the rest.
January 18, 2021
The ending of this one was extremely rushed. It was wrapped up in 3 pages and most of the interesting action took place off page. It was odd.
February 23, 2022
Es uno de los mejores libros que eh leído, aunque sean cortos estos libros cada uno transmite una sensación única que va atrapando cada vezas al lector en la historia.
February 23, 2023
Reading these with my 9 year old. Loved Christopher Pike when I was younger.
November 9, 2023
Mi primera vez leyendo sobre un dragón vegetariano..
Igual es divertido de leer
Igual es divertido de leer
April 4, 2024
3.25 stars
April 24, 2023
Bon, l'un des objectifs de cette année va être de finir la saga Spooksville. Il me reste douze tomes et comme ils se lisent assez vite, cela ne devrait pas être un souci. Depuis le temps que je traîne à la finir…
La bête cachée a plutôt été une agréable surprise. Je ne sais pas si je me suis faite au style de la saga et à ses petits défauts, mais j'avoue qu'ici, je me suis prise bien plus facilement au jeu que dans certains des autres romans. Les enfants ont toujours un manque cruel d'instinct de survie, mais on ne peut pas leur reprocher d'être inventifs face à toutes les situations improbables qu'ils rencontrent.
Ici, nos héros partent pour une chasse au trésor lorsque Brice (qu'on aime pas du tout) débarque avec sa cousine avec une carte. On sent rapidement l'entourloupe mais qui pourrait résister à une chasse aux trésors (enfin… pas quand on vit à Spooksville…). Ni une ni deux, ils partent donc à l'ascension d'une montagne où semble être la cachette, mais les indices parlent aussi d'une bête endormie. Oui, les ennuis arrivent rapidement, sans suspens !
La première partie consiste à étudier les indices de la carte. J'avoue qu'aimant beaucoup ce genre de choses, j'étais plutôt enchantée par cette mise en bouche. de quoi mettre en avant les capacités de déduction de Tic-Tac et de découvrir un autre endroit de la ville (où personne ne devrait aller… encore !). Puis vient la partie action avec la découverte du trésor et de son gardien. Là encore, Christopher Pike sait faire monter l'adrénaline et donner du peps à son histoire. On ne s'ennuie absolument pas dans la deuxième partie entre les multiples dangers auxquels sont confrontés nos héros, et la ville à sauver. de quoi mettre en avant les capacités de nos autres héros. Pour une fois, j'ai même trouvé que l'auteur ne se moquait pas de ses personnages et ne les tournait pas en dérision. Un plus indéniable.
La fin par contre a été un chouia étrange pour moi. L'arrivée d'Hervé était très mignonne et improbable, mais ensuite tout se passe très très vite, et la conclusion a un petit goût de « emballé, c'est pesé ». J'avoue que je me suis demandée si mon livre n'avait pas été amputé de quelques pages, mais non. J'aurais aimé un peu plus, et surtout que Léa ne s'en sorte pas aussi bien. On peut la comprendre, mais clairement, elle n'a jamais été sympathique durant tout le roman, et la conclusion manque cruellement de morale pour le coup.
La bête cachée a plutôt été une agréable surprise. Je ne sais pas si je me suis faite au style de la saga et à ses petits défauts, mais j'avoue qu'ici, je me suis prise bien plus facilement au jeu que dans certains des autres romans. Les enfants ont toujours un manque cruel d'instinct de survie, mais on ne peut pas leur reprocher d'être inventifs face à toutes les situations improbables qu'ils rencontrent.
Ici, nos héros partent pour une chasse au trésor lorsque Brice (qu'on aime pas du tout) débarque avec sa cousine avec une carte. On sent rapidement l'entourloupe mais qui pourrait résister à une chasse aux trésors (enfin… pas quand on vit à Spooksville…). Ni une ni deux, ils partent donc à l'ascension d'une montagne où semble être la cachette, mais les indices parlent aussi d'une bête endormie. Oui, les ennuis arrivent rapidement, sans suspens !
La première partie consiste à étudier les indices de la carte. J'avoue qu'aimant beaucoup ce genre de choses, j'étais plutôt enchantée par cette mise en bouche. de quoi mettre en avant les capacités de déduction de Tic-Tac et de découvrir un autre endroit de la ville (où personne ne devrait aller… encore !). Puis vient la partie action avec la découverte du trésor et de son gardien. Là encore, Christopher Pike sait faire monter l'adrénaline et donner du peps à son histoire. On ne s'ennuie absolument pas dans la deuxième partie entre les multiples dangers auxquels sont confrontés nos héros, et la ville à sauver. de quoi mettre en avant les capacités de nos autres héros. Pour une fois, j'ai même trouvé que l'auteur ne se moquait pas de ses personnages et ne les tournait pas en dérision. Un plus indéniable.
La fin par contre a été un chouia étrange pour moi. L'arrivée d'Hervé était très mignonne et improbable, mais ensuite tout se passe très très vite, et la conclusion a un petit goût de « emballé, c'est pesé ». J'avoue que je me suis demandée si mon livre n'avait pas été amputé de quelques pages, mais non. J'aurais aimé un peu plus, et surtout que Léa ne s'en sorte pas aussi bien. On peut la comprendre, mais clairement, elle n'a jamais été sympathique durant tout le roman, et la conclusion manque cruellement de morale pour le coup.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews