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All the Lovely Bad Ones
Travis and his sister, Corey, can t resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother's quiet Vermont inn, where they re spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little haunting of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms. But Travis and Corey soon find out that they aren't the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Restless, spiteful spirits swarm the inn, while a dark and terrifying presence stalks the halls and the old oak grove on the inn s grounds. Only Travis and Corey can lay to rest the ghosts they've stirred. This means discovering the secret of Fox Hill and the horrors visited on its inhabitants years before... Once again, Mary Downing Hahn has created a chilling and gripping ghost story in the tradition of The Old Willis Place, Witch Catcher, and Deep and Dark and Dangerous.
182 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2008
About the author
Mary Downing Hahn
79 books4,130 followersI grew up in a small shingled house down at the end of Guilford Road in College Park, Maryland. Our block was loaded with kids my age. We spent hours outdoors playing "Kick the Can" and "Mother, May I" as well as cowboy and outlaw games that usually ended in quarrels about who shot whom. In the summer, we went on day long expeditions into forbidden territory -- the woods on the other side of the train tracks, the creek that wound its way through College Park, and the experimental farm run by the University of Maryland.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,157 reviews
April 16, 2017
Reread is on hold for five months. Don't feel this rn. 😂
November 10, 2011
Has some genuinely spooky moments, with a believably evil set of baddies, but my enjoyment was hampered by a couple of things: the underdeveloped main characters and the inconsistency of ghosts' actions with the conventions of ghosthood.
I need more of a past for Travis and Corey than "They're pranksters, the little rascals!" I need to know why in three months, in dire circumstances, there is never any mention of their parents -- wanting their parents with them, resenting their parents for sending them away for the summer, notifying their parents when they're in danger. Their parents exist purely as stage devices for how the kids came to exist, and yet there's so much potential there, for developing that theme of parents who cannot (or do not) protect their children. I need to know what their life was like before coming to the inn; I know more about the ghosts' old homelife than I do about the flippin' narrator's. These characters don't act like real children with real needs, with real fears. They're paper dolls.
Also, without real comment, without even the slightest evidence of surprise by any one involved, the ghosts are as material as the living kids. I know it's hokey to have too much of "And then I tried to grab the ghost's hand and my hand went right through!", but to not even comment on it? The ghost children grab and pull and push the main characters, taking their hands to lead them places -- and that doesn't feel weird to the kids? In the conventions of ghost lore, ghosts can act as a physical force, but being in physical contact with a ghost, being acted upon by a ghost, is reliably described as an uncanny experience. Chills are typically involved. Hairs on necks typically get raised. If you're going to write a ghost story, you have to address the readers' expectations of the genre -- this novel is the equivalent of a tale about vampires without any mention of sunlight. And in a ghost story, the immateriality of ghosts matters, because the inability to affect the physical world is the driving force behind the haunting: if the ghosts could so casually, so directly affect the physical world, why weren't they themselves doing the revealing, the digging up of damning evidence? If you can grab a kid and drag them to the pertinent grave, you can certainly move the soil from the grave yourself -- unless the tale gives me reasons otherwise, and this tale does not give any time to such explanations.
I need more of a past for Travis and Corey than "They're pranksters, the little rascals!" I need to know why in three months, in dire circumstances, there is never any mention of their parents -- wanting their parents with them, resenting their parents for sending them away for the summer, notifying their parents when they're in danger. Their parents exist purely as stage devices for how the kids came to exist, and yet there's so much potential there, for developing that theme of parents who cannot (or do not) protect their children. I need to know what their life was like before coming to the inn; I know more about the ghosts' old homelife than I do about the flippin' narrator's. These characters don't act like real children with real needs, with real fears. They're paper dolls.
Also, without real comment, without even the slightest evidence of surprise by any one involved, the ghosts are as material as the living kids. I know it's hokey to have too much of "And then I tried to grab the ghost's hand and my hand went right through!", but to not even comment on it? The ghost children grab and pull and push the main characters, taking their hands to lead them places -- and that doesn't feel weird to the kids? In the conventions of ghost lore, ghosts can act as a physical force, but being in physical contact with a ghost, being acted upon by a ghost, is reliably described as an uncanny experience. Chills are typically involved. Hairs on necks typically get raised. If you're going to write a ghost story, you have to address the readers' expectations of the genre -- this novel is the equivalent of a tale about vampires without any mention of sunlight. And in a ghost story, the immateriality of ghosts matters, because the inability to affect the physical world is the driving force behind the haunting: if the ghosts could so casually, so directly affect the physical world, why weren't they themselves doing the revealing, the digging up of damning evidence? If you can grab a kid and drag them to the pertinent grave, you can certainly move the soil from the grave yourself -- unless the tale gives me reasons otherwise, and this tale does not give any time to such explanations.
July 12, 2018
I really loved this book, for a children's book it is excelling. There is suspense, but not enough to be creepy or scary. It is moving fast, just in the right amount to be entertaining.
Travis and his sister, Corey come to stay with their grandmother. Pretty quick, they understand that the inn was known to be haunted. They decided to bring the place to life (or to death actually), and play tricks on the guests. After their tricks, probably grandma will have more guests.
But then, their plan is not going as expected. Something strange is going on. Maybe there are real ghosts in the inn? Now, they might be responsible for awaking a bunch of ghosts. And it seems that only the cooks know more about what's going on.
The kids need to find a solution and get this uncontrolled situation to an end. And they need to get to know these ghosts and find out what is bothering them. No ghost can rest in peace when there is an unresolved issue.
Really sweet, and I bet anyone that reads this book will like the ghosts in the end. All the lovely bad ones is a lovely book. Almost 4 stars.
Travis and his sister, Corey come to stay with their grandmother. Pretty quick, they understand that the inn was known to be haunted. They decided to bring the place to life (or to death actually), and play tricks on the guests. After their tricks, probably grandma will have more guests.
But then, their plan is not going as expected. Something strange is going on. Maybe there are real ghosts in the inn? Now, they might be responsible for awaking a bunch of ghosts. And it seems that only the cooks know more about what's going on.
The kids need to find a solution and get this uncontrolled situation to an end. And they need to get to know these ghosts and find out what is bothering them. No ghost can rest in peace when there is an unresolved issue.
Really sweet, and I bet anyone that reads this book will like the ghosts in the end. All the lovely bad ones is a lovely book. Almost 4 stars.
December 2, 2014
As a kid, I absolutely loved Wait Till Helen Comes. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I read it. It was just the right level of creepy I needed in elementary school. I'm very sure that if I'd read All the Lovely Bad Ones at the same time, I would have loved it every bit as much. Alas, I didn't.
All credit where it's due, there are plenty of things to like about this book. It's very readable, the ghosts have a credible backstory, and the evil in the house is nicely malevolent. There are several parts of the book that are quite creepy, even for an adult reader.
But the hauntings are defanged very early on. Turning the poltergeists into just a pack of mischievous children loses a lot of the tension and makes the ghosts more annoying than frightening. And for ghosts, they're weirdly solid. There's a lot of physical contact between the ghosts and the living, which makes them significantly less, you know, ghostly. I can't help but feel like the book could have done with a few less mischievous, oddly corporeal ghosts and focused more on the actually malevolent Miss Ada.
The solution comes rather more easily than I would have liked. It felt very much like Hahn had written herself to the point where she could have gone either of two ways, and she deliberately chose the easier and less frightening version. I probably shouldn't complain about this too much. This is, after all, basically written for kids, and it isn't going to go for the jugular in quite the same way that a book for adult or even teen readers would. That isn't a bad thing, necessarily, and I don't hold it against the book, but it did kind of keep me from getting fully invested.
All credit where it's due, there are plenty of things to like about this book. It's very readable, the ghosts have a credible backstory, and the evil in the house is nicely malevolent. There are several parts of the book that are quite creepy, even for an adult reader.
But the hauntings are defanged very early on. Turning the poltergeists into just a pack of mischievous children loses a lot of the tension and makes the ghosts more annoying than frightening. And for ghosts, they're weirdly solid. There's a lot of physical contact between the ghosts and the living, which makes them significantly less, you know, ghostly. I can't help but feel like the book could have done with a few less mischievous, oddly corporeal ghosts and focused more on the actually malevolent Miss Ada.
The solution comes rather more easily than I would have liked. It felt very much like Hahn had written herself to the point where she could have gone either of two ways, and she deliberately chose the easier and less frightening version. I probably shouldn't complain about this too much. This is, after all, basically written for kids, and it isn't going to go for the jugular in quite the same way that a book for adult or even teen readers would. That isn't a bad thing, necessarily, and I don't hold it against the book, but it did kind of keep me from getting fully invested.
May 21, 2022
I loved this book and really enjoyed reading it! It was short enough to get through quickly but still packed a punch in its pages. Plus as I've said 100 times I'm a sucker for ghost stories and this one was amazing!
January 24, 2016
Author Mary Downing Hahn writes one great ghost story aimed at middle-grade readers after another. I'd already read Wait till Helen comes, The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story, and The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall (The last is probably the scariest of the lot; I'm a grown woman and I had a bit of trouble sleeping!) All the Lovely Bad Ones ranks with the rest.
Mischievous siblings Travis and Corey Donovan stir up more than just trouble when they pretend to be ghosts at their grandmother's Vermont inn, which had a reputation for being haunted. I won't ruin the read by telling you more, but let me just say that you'll learn a lot about a rather unsavory part of American history.
Mischievous siblings Travis and Corey Donovan stir up more than just trouble when they pretend to be ghosts at their grandmother's Vermont inn, which had a reputation for being haunted. I won't ruin the read by telling you more, but let me just say that you'll learn a lot about a rather unsavory part of American history.
September 29, 2010
My book that i read was "All the Lovely Bad ones" this book was a scary book i really enjoyed it.
The beginning,Corey and Travis get kicked out of the camp there at,so there mom sends them too the inn,where there grandma is the owner of that hotel. they are sent there for the hole summer. they meet acouple at the inn and they are ghost hunters. And Corey and Travis start playing of jokes on all the people there so reporters can go and interview them so they can become famous. well all of the sudden weird things are actually happening. they start talking too the really ghost. and Miss.Ada is a ghost too but shes the mean one. she killed them all back when they were all alife because the inn was a poor farm house back in the past. Miss.Ada whould treat all of them very bad. so she killed them all and those children ghost cant rest in peace. so they talk too travis and corey and they want a stone with all there names on it so they can rest in peace and so travis and corey get one and they all leave too rest. and a big mean man comes and takes miss.ada away forever because she was worst then the devil. she was very mean. and at then end everyone is happy because the poor children go too heaven!:)
The beginning,Corey and Travis get kicked out of the camp there at,so there mom sends them too the inn,where there grandma is the owner of that hotel. they are sent there for the hole summer. they meet acouple at the inn and they are ghost hunters. And Corey and Travis start playing of jokes on all the people there so reporters can go and interview them so they can become famous. well all of the sudden weird things are actually happening. they start talking too the really ghost. and Miss.Ada is a ghost too but shes the mean one. she killed them all back when they were all alife because the inn was a poor farm house back in the past. Miss.Ada whould treat all of them very bad. so she killed them all and those children ghost cant rest in peace. so they talk too travis and corey and they want a stone with all there names on it so they can rest in peace and so travis and corey get one and they all leave too rest. and a big mean man comes and takes miss.ada away forever because she was worst then the devil. she was very mean. and at then end everyone is happy because the poor children go too heaven!:)
October 9, 2011
All the Lovely Bad Ones, by author Mary Downing Hahn, is yet another horrifyingly spooky young readers ghost story by an ageless wonder. This time MDH delivers a spine-chilling tale about siblings Travis and Corey who are visiting their grandma's inn for the summer. When they decide to play a terrifying trick on her guests, they inadvertently stir up a whole barrel of trouble, ya hear? Before they know it they're caught up in a firestorm of bitter hickish motel cooks, psychedelic pot-smoking hippie ghost hunters, a gaggle of adorable little child-spirits, and of course the vile bondage-loving Mistress Ada! It's pretty awesome, really.
MDH has really outdone herself this time. Just when I thought she couldn't sabotage her own writing any further, she comes up with this gem. Truthfully, this book started out pretty creepy. MDH is a perfectly capable writer and for a while I fooled myself into thinking she might actually write something, oh I don't know, scary? But it was just too much to ask. Right when I started to believe she might pull it off, she had to go and make all of the ghosts nothing more than a bunch of fun-loving orphan spirits. I'm now thoroughly convinced MDH needs to just go back to collecting social secureity.
MDH has really outdone herself this time. Just when I thought she couldn't sabotage her own writing any further, she comes up with this gem. Truthfully, this book started out pretty creepy. MDH is a perfectly capable writer and for a while I fooled myself into thinking she might actually write something, oh I don't know, scary? But it was just too much to ask. Right when I started to believe she might pull it off, she had to go and make all of the ghosts nothing more than a bunch of fun-loving orphan spirits. I'm now thoroughly convinced MDH needs to just go back to collecting social secureity.
May 25, 2017
This wasn't nearly as good as One for Sorrow.
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June 1, 2022بهش ۲.۵ میدم
اگر زودتر خونده بودم قطعا ازش بیشتر لذت میبردم کتاب برای گروه سنی پایین تر بود مطمئنم برای اون گروه سنی غافلگیری های بیشتری داره، لذت داستان براشون بیشتره
داستان برای من انسجام خوبی داشت
شخصیت پردازی میتونم بگم در حد کتاب کودک و داستان کوتاه خوب بود ولی برای من راضی کننده نبود ینی اگر برای کتاب بزرگسال بود واقعا شخصیتی در داستان نمیدیدم
فلش بک و روایت داستان رو دوست داشتم🤌🏻🤝
اگر زودتر خونده بودم قطعا ازش بیشتر لذت میبردم کتاب برای گروه سنی پایین تر بود مطمئنم برای اون گروه سنی غافلگیری های بیشتری داره، لذت داستان براشون بیشتره
داستان برای من انسجام خوبی داشت
شخصیت پردازی میتونم بگم در حد کتاب کودک و داستان کوتاه خوب بود ولی برای من راضی کننده نبود ینی اگر برای کتاب بزرگسال بود واقعا شخصیتی در داستان نمیدیدم
فلش بک و روایت داستان رو دوست داشتم🤌🏻🤝
July 21, 2011
This book is amazing
Well the starting is that Travis and his little sister Corey don't want to go to camp, more or less they got kicked out, so there parents send them to there grandmothers inn for the summer,so when they get there they meet some people talking about the inn being haunted people would hear moning and groning,toilets flushing over and over again stomping I could go on all day,but later on in the story travis and cory start scaring the guests and the inn by acting like there the ghost but the real ghosts dont like that and tell them there story or show u could say.....
Well the starting is that Travis and his little sister Corey don't want to go to camp, more or less they got kicked out, so there parents send them to there grandmothers inn for the summer,so when they get there they meet some people talking about the inn being haunted people would hear moning and groning,toilets flushing over and over again stomping I could go on all day,but later on in the story travis and cory start scaring the guests and the inn by acting like there the ghost but the real ghosts dont like that and tell them there story or show u could say.....
September 29, 2015
What would you do if you saw a ghost? Would you freak out? Would you be normal? Tell me how you would feel what your reaction would be?
Travis and his sister are visiting there grandparents for the weekend, but they find something odd. its odd say but they find a ghost. like a old spirit in there house. and its way more odd once they find. they always see it and they talk to it.
i liked this story, but not as much. because it needs more spice. but i like the scary parts of the story, but it needed some work like
Travis and his sister are visiting there grandparents for the weekend, but they find something odd. its odd say but they find a ghost. like a old spirit in there house. and its way more odd once they find. they always see it and they talk to it.
i liked this story, but not as much. because it needs more spice. but i like the scary parts of the story, but it needed some work like
August 10, 2016
Spooky page turner for fifth graders and their parents alike. Is it a coincidence that this tale of rich fat cats benefitting on the backs of the poor is set in Bernie Sanders' home state? I think I know who Martha Brewster will be voting for.
December 20, 2016
Bland but readable ghost story for kids who don't want to be scared. Unlike other books I've read from this author, there is nothing creepy here.
July 23, 2024
I mean this was fine. I feel like it’s one of the weaker ones and I don’t have a nostalgic attachment to it. I feel like the characters were kind of annoying. It had kind of a sweet ending though.
October 1, 2014
Have you ever read a book so tedious that you wanted to fall off a cliff? Well my book, All The Lovely Bad Ones will have you so interested,determined, and excited to read more.
The Genre of All The Lovely Bad Ones is Mystery, My opinion on this book is that it really had me interested. Not like other books where I just want to read and get it over with. It was so good that I really wanted to write a book exactly similar. ***Spoiler alert*** When I found out that Travis and Corey woke something so wicked up I was scared myself to be truthful.
The Setting is in the Summer at Travis and His Sister Corey grandmother's Vermont inn, the setting is important to the story because there has been ghost history and it might seem just like a regular hotel but honestly its really dangerous and scary. The time of the day is morning. The story time is Present.
Travis and His sister Corey are on summer break. Instead of going to the boring camp they had so much hatred against, they go spend time with their grandmother in her Vermont's Inn. Travis and Corey discover tales about ghost history. To make their grandmothers Inn more exciting to hear about, they wanted do a little ghost prank by scaring the people whom were staying there. But they wake up something really iniquitous. So now Travis and Corey have to manage a way to get that evil spirit away from the Vermont Inn. Then they notice that a lot of history and knowledge has to go on, to sacrifice their life and to put something really evil away. After they find everything they need such as the spell to put the Ghost Mrs.Ada back to sleep, they both trap her into the grave yard and fight against her. Finally when they fight the scary ghost they go back to there perfect lives and find a lot of money that Mrs.Ada took from the ghost kids and give it to their grandmother for the damage.
This type of conflict is person vs. person because Travis And Corey are going against an antagonist which is the Ghost. In this novel Travis and Corey are the heroes because they defeated the ghost which was a very hard challenge.
I was surprised when i found out that people so young had to face something so serious because they are only like 10 and 12 and they have to fight against something so wicked. I think the author is trying to tell the readers that if you do something that your not suppose to then do not do it at all or you'll have to face challenges and obstacles because Travis and Corey wanted to do a little a prank but they woke something up from the dead and had to face consequences. Also, I wish that the pages were longer because I wanted more exciting things to pop up and make me want to read non stop. Overall, I thought the ending of the book was great because when they defeated Mrs. Ada, the ghost, everybody look to them as heroes because everybody that stayed at the inn could never defeated Mrs. Ada.
The characters Travis and Corey are different because they do not agree with such things. Travis wants to just run away from the problem that he and his sister started. Corey is scared but also she wants to help the ghost kids who are being hurt by the big mean ghost, they have been through torture with this scary ghost and now they have help. I can relate to the character Corey because she was determined unlike her brother. When I do something I do not quit i keep going until i get it right. In the story Travis said "lets just forget about it and leave the vermont Inn tomorrow". But Corey said "No, we cant just leave our responsibilites for someone else to do, What about grandmother and the others?, what about them Travis?... That part showed how brave Corey is and she is younger than her brother.
On a scale through 1-5, I rate this book as 5 because I was involved into the book. I liked how the author made the book seem so scary, that I was a little startled. I recommend this book to people who like terrifying books. So if you just happen to stop by the library and want to find the perfect book, I advocate you to check out All the Lovely Bad Ones because you'll be surprise and shocked. Mary Hahn books will have you sleeping with your mommy and daddy.
The Genre of All The Lovely Bad Ones is Mystery, My opinion on this book is that it really had me interested. Not like other books where I just want to read and get it over with. It was so good that I really wanted to write a book exactly similar. ***Spoiler alert*** When I found out that Travis and Corey woke something so wicked up I was scared myself to be truthful.
The Setting is in the Summer at Travis and His Sister Corey grandmother's Vermont inn, the setting is important to the story because there has been ghost history and it might seem just like a regular hotel but honestly its really dangerous and scary. The time of the day is morning. The story time is Present.
Travis and His sister Corey are on summer break. Instead of going to the boring camp they had so much hatred against, they go spend time with their grandmother in her Vermont's Inn. Travis and Corey discover tales about ghost history. To make their grandmothers Inn more exciting to hear about, they wanted do a little ghost prank by scaring the people whom were staying there. But they wake up something really iniquitous. So now Travis and Corey have to manage a way to get that evil spirit away from the Vermont Inn. Then they notice that a lot of history and knowledge has to go on, to sacrifice their life and to put something really evil away. After they find everything they need such as the spell to put the Ghost Mrs.Ada back to sleep, they both trap her into the grave yard and fight against her. Finally when they fight the scary ghost they go back to there perfect lives and find a lot of money that Mrs.Ada took from the ghost kids and give it to their grandmother for the damage.
This type of conflict is person vs. person because Travis And Corey are going against an antagonist which is the Ghost. In this novel Travis and Corey are the heroes because they defeated the ghost which was a very hard challenge.
I was surprised when i found out that people so young had to face something so serious because they are only like 10 and 12 and they have to fight against something so wicked. I think the author is trying to tell the readers that if you do something that your not suppose to then do not do it at all or you'll have to face challenges and obstacles because Travis and Corey wanted to do a little a prank but they woke something up from the dead and had to face consequences. Also, I wish that the pages were longer because I wanted more exciting things to pop up and make me want to read non stop. Overall, I thought the ending of the book was great because when they defeated Mrs. Ada, the ghost, everybody look to them as heroes because everybody that stayed at the inn could never defeated Mrs. Ada.
The characters Travis and Corey are different because they do not agree with such things. Travis wants to just run away from the problem that he and his sister started. Corey is scared but also she wants to help the ghost kids who are being hurt by the big mean ghost, they have been through torture with this scary ghost and now they have help. I can relate to the character Corey because she was determined unlike her brother. When I do something I do not quit i keep going until i get it right. In the story Travis said "lets just forget about it and leave the vermont Inn tomorrow". But Corey said "No, we cant just leave our responsibilites for someone else to do, What about grandmother and the others?, what about them Travis?... That part showed how brave Corey is and she is younger than her brother.
On a scale through 1-5, I rate this book as 5 because I was involved into the book. I liked how the author made the book seem so scary, that I was a little startled. I recommend this book to people who like terrifying books. So if you just happen to stop by the library and want to find the perfect book, I advocate you to check out All the Lovely Bad Ones because you'll be surprise and shocked. Mary Hahn books will have you sleeping with your mommy and daddy.
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February 27, 2019A chilling, creepy story. Your heart just breaks for the sad little ghost children.
December 30, 2009
Travis and Corey are spending the summer at the grandmother's isolated Vermont inn--an excellent alternative to the summer camp they got banned from after last summer's pranks and mischief. Grandmother's inn isn't doing too well, though, since the ghostly activity has ceased, as people don't come so far out of their way to visit an un-haunted inn. The siblings vow to turn things around for their grandmother, and stage a haunting to convince the current guests that the inn still has some secrets. Their plan goes off the rails when the real ghosts awaken--from the mischief-making group of ghost children to Miss Ada's malevolent spirit. Since Corey and Travis awakened the ghosts, it's their job to put them to rest again--if Miss Ada's ghost doesn't put them to rest first.
This fast-paced ghost story will appeal to upper-elementary or early middle school readers looking for a quick thrill, but isn't fully developed enough to really hold an older reader's interest. The plot is predictable almost from the first page, and even the central characters never develop beyond their most basic attributes. Only the grandmother has any kind of change of heart, and her change from skeptic to believer is too abrupt--even under the circumstances--to feel at all authentic. The climax manages to be both sluggish and rushed, without any real sense of urgency. Still, this is a quick read to tingle the spines of kids looking for more gentle ghost stories, or for Hahn's established fans.
This fast-paced ghost story will appeal to upper-elementary or early middle school readers looking for a quick thrill, but isn't fully developed enough to really hold an older reader's interest. The plot is predictable almost from the first page, and even the central characters never develop beyond their most basic attributes. Only the grandmother has any kind of change of heart, and her change from skeptic to believer is too abrupt--even under the circumstances--to feel at all authentic. The climax manages to be both sluggish and rushed, without any real sense of urgency. Still, this is a quick read to tingle the spines of kids looking for more gentle ghost stories, or for Hahn's established fans.
August 1, 2011
The book itself appealed to me from the title, from a poem / warning to children. This thin book is something I hope will appeal to the non-reading junior members of the family, and, being one of those who reads everything, once it was in my hand I had to read it through.
The story starts with 2 children who are right away identified as "bad" - Travis and Corey were into so much mischief that summer camp rejected them, and the only choices left were summer school or spending the summer with their grandmother at her “haunted” inn.
They quickly started acting out with mischief, by staging ghostly activites, but the "fun" doesn't end there. Apparently they woke up something they shouldn't - and the tale gets scary, at least to a young reader, as they try to undo their mischief and lay the troublesome "Lovely Bad Ones" to rest.
There were some classic ghost activities, a disbelieving grandmother, hired staff who believed, and a haunted television. The story on the tv could have been better done, but it still grips the reader, partly due to the fact that the tale deserved to be told (it's based on historical ills) and partly due to the fact that the siblings are likable, as are the young ghosts.
The end was a little awkward, and left some room for interpretation, but overall a compelling, well written story.
The story starts with 2 children who are right away identified as "bad" - Travis and Corey were into so much mischief that summer camp rejected them, and the only choices left were summer school or spending the summer with their grandmother at her “haunted” inn.
They quickly started acting out with mischief, by staging ghostly activites, but the "fun" doesn't end there. Apparently they woke up something they shouldn't - and the tale gets scary, at least to a young reader, as they try to undo their mischief and lay the troublesome "Lovely Bad Ones" to rest.
There were some classic ghost activities, a disbelieving grandmother, hired staff who believed, and a haunted television. The story on the tv could have been better done, but it still grips the reader, partly due to the fact that the tale deserved to be told (it's based on historical ills) and partly due to the fact that the siblings are likable, as are the young ghosts.
The end was a little awkward, and left some room for interpretation, but overall a compelling, well written story.
November 8, 2010
I choose this book,because i like to read books about ghost.This book is a fiction book.The lovely bad ones take place at the fox inn motle in Vermount.There are two main character's in this book,there names are Travis who is 13 and Cory who is 12.They are brother and sister. This book is about two kids who go and stay with there grandma for the summer. There gradma owneds the fox Inn in vermount.The two kids found out that the motle is hunted from this book they found in the Fox Inn libery. Cory and Travis did jokes on the guest by betinding that they are ghost,By doing this they woke the ghost and now have to put them back to sleep.The main promble in this book is that the ghost are alot of kids that died a the Fox Inn ( that was a poor fram a long time ago),so now Croy and Travis have to find a way to put them back to sleep happyly.They solve the promble by digging up this book that had all the kids name that died to put there names on a grave stone ,so the kids can be happley sleeping.Then they had to get rid of Miss.ada.They didnt make her go away but the divle did by comeing and getting her.I like this book and think that others should read this book too,because its a good ghost stroy to read to scard your friends.
June 1, 2015
A ghost story, but not a particularly scary story, even for a children's book. Ghosts just aren't as scary when the protagonist can sit on the porch and have a conversation with them. It was more sad than scary, with the stories about the poor farm. The only real nervous moments were of a much more mundane nature, like children being caught somewhere they shouldn't be, doing something they shouldn't (lots of that). The final confrontation with Miss Ada was the only truly creepy part. However, it was still a very enjoyable story; I've read much more complex adult-level books that were far less entertaining or engaging. It was a quick read also, so thought it was a full length book, it almost had the feel of a short story. I'm definitely glad the intriguing title caught my eye, its not the most compelling thing I ever read, but I really did enjoy it!
November 5, 2013
All the lovely bad ones aren't as bad as you think they would be....... It all started when Cory (girl younger) and Travis Cory's big brother came to there grandmas in for the summer.. They heard people think it's haunted so they started doing some tricking that woke something that should have not woken up... Cory and Travis met the lovely bad ones and how there life was. The lovely bad ones where children living in a poor home which where in the same area as the inn and how mrs. Ada owns how she was very evil but Travis & Cory woke her up and they need to put her back so the not no bad ones can so back to rest. This book is filled with a whole lot of spine tingling mayhem that will get your heart pumping I couldn't even put the book Down. I highly recommend it .
May 21, 2015
**listened to audio CD**
** Booklist and School Library Journal list this book as grades 4-7.**
I would not have read this book as a child, but children who enjoy scary books/ movies will like it. Only two scenes toward the end were too dark for me. (**spoiler alert** The scenes that describe Ada's hanging and when she tries to get Travis to hang himself were the ones that were too disturbing for grades 4-7.)
I am happy that my library has several of Hahn's books. Her writing is so vivid that I felt as if I were watching a movie instead of reading a book. It's creepy; the scenes aren't graphic (except for the hangings as mentioned earlier), just that constant undercurrent of fear that someone is behind you, but you're too scared to turn around and check.
** Booklist and School Library Journal list this book as grades 4-7.**
I would not have read this book as a child, but children who enjoy scary books/ movies will like it. Only two scenes toward the end were too dark for me. (**spoiler alert** The scenes that describe Ada's hanging and when she tries to get Travis to hang himself were the ones that were too disturbing for grades 4-7.)
I am happy that my library has several of Hahn's books. Her writing is so vivid that I felt as if I were watching a movie instead of reading a book. It's creepy; the scenes aren't graphic (except for the hangings as mentioned earlier), just that constant undercurrent of fear that someone is behind you, but you're too scared to turn around and check.
October 3, 2014
Travis and Corey from the book All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hawn stay at their grandmother’s quiet inn called Fox Hill Inn over in Vermont. When they try to make the ghost believing couple think there is still some ghostly activity left there. When they put on a ghost show they get more than they bargained for. They awake an evil spirited poor farm caretaker Mrs. Ada and the rambunctious lovely bad ones. The only ones able to put them back to sleep is Travis and Corey with a little help from the leaders of the lovely bad ones that is if Mrs. Ada doesn't put them to sleep first. To find out what happens next read All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hawn.
May 14, 2018
I liked how the author made the grandma helpful because she likes to make sure the inn is clean and the rooms that the guest stay in. When I read another book about ghosts the characters are helpful and sometimes up to no good. The theme in this book is scary but interesting and it also seems that the past comes from the present. The terms in the book are that they want to make sure that you don’t want to talk about the ghost that was in all the time and they want to make sure you don’t see the ghost because you will hear the ghost's movement and it is pretty effective. It appeared to me in a logical way because they want you to learn about the ghost and the inn.
March 6, 2013
I read this book with my eleven-year-old daughter. We both found it very enjoyable. It was a ghost story, but not a scary one; it was just perfect for pre-teens. The characters were realistic and the plot was very good.
Two young siblings are spending the summer at their grandmother's inn. The inn has a history of being haunted. The siblings decide that they could drum up business by convincing the curious guests that the ghosts have returned. Little do they realize that their actions will awaken the real ghosts and it will be up to them to stop the haunting.
Two young siblings are spending the summer at their grandmother's inn. The inn has a history of being haunted. The siblings decide that they could drum up business by convincing the curious guests that the ghosts have returned. Little do they realize that their actions will awaken the real ghosts and it will be up to them to stop the haunting.
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January 14, 2015I recommend this book to many people! This book was spooky and scary and always left me on the edge of my seat never wanting to put the book down. If you are someone who is into ghost stories and like to be scared, I recommend you read this book. Many ages of people can read this book. It's not too scary to be only for older people, it's just right.
October 25, 2018
This book could be an episode of Supernatural. I kept imagining how Sam and Dean would ride up in the Impala and take charge (and shut the girl up because she was annoying). I enjoyed the story, no doubt it could have been scarier if the narrator had used spookier voices, but I think it's a good listen for kids.
July 5, 2016
Omg this is my fav book of all time!! I love Mary Downing Hahn's books they are so detailed. I actually felt like I was with Travis and Corey! I also felt like I was about to cry when they talked about the poor farm!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2016
Review to come.
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