The Bellwoods Game

Accidentally devoured this book in a day!! Such a wonderful read with the perfect amount of spookiness, friendships worth doing the hard work, and a delightful mystery that unravels at exactly the right pace. Would highly recommend to readers who love mystery, spooky reads, and instant classics.

Review from my daughter Paige (13):Brave kids enter the cursed Bellwoods on a dark Halloween night to play the legendary game. Legend has it that three kids must play the game every year to keep the town safe. Things turn spooky once the stage is set, and they realize they're not alone. Something sinister is watching them, waiting to strike. As the night wears on, they face unimaginable horrors, but they must keep playing to survive. Will they make it out alive or become the next victims of the Bellwoods Game?Are you ready to embark on a spine-tingling journey? Do you dare to enter the haunted woods on Halloween? If you're brave enough, I have the perfect book for you. This book is not for the faint of heart but for those seeking a thrill and craving the unknown.This book is one of the most haunting and intriguing books I have ever read. The plot twists will leave you breathless, and the emotional rollercoaster will keep you on the edge of your seat. The game has a Hunger Games vibe but no gore and only scares.The concept of this game is straightforward yet terrifying. Selected kids enter the haunted woods on Halloween and must find and ring a bell before the Specter captures them. If they win, the town will be saved for another year. But if they lose, let's say the consequences are dire.Bailee, the main character, is a curious and daring girl passionate about horror fiction. Abigail is courageous and my personal favorite. Madison is very social, and Fen, Bailee's old best friend, is annoying. Noah, the new friend, is curious, and Carmen, another player in the game, is intelligent. But beware, the Specter, the main antagonist, is very evil and will stop at nothing to capture the players.This book promotes teamwork and having what it takes to face your fears. It's not just a book; it's an experience that will leave you breathless and craving more. The illustrations, beautifully drawn and designed by the author herself, will add an extra layer of spookiness to the story.So, if you feel brave enough to enter the haunted woods on Halloween, read this book. But be warned, once you start, you won't be able to put it down.Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚Thank you, the publisher, for sharing this excellent book with me!

The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien is about a young girl named Bailee who decides to play a game with her classmates, but things expectedly start going wrong. The residents of Fall Hollow know that the town is haunted, especially after Abigail Snook went into the woods in 1982, and was never seen again. People assume that Abigail is the one haunting the town and its residents, at least according to the legend.It’s been tradition since Abigail's disappearance for the sixth graders at Beckett Elementary to play the Bellwoods Game on Halloween Night. On this current year’s fateful night, three players are picked to go into the woods. To win, one of the players would need to ring the bell before they all get caught by Abigail. If the players win, the town is saved for another year. If the spirit catches you, you will need a “gift” to guarantee safe passage out of the woods and the spirit is given free reign to cause havoc on the town if no one rings the bell. No one knows for sure if the tale is true, as previous players are sworn to secrecy about the game.Bailee is excited that it is finally her year to play the game. Bailee loves reading and writing horror stories and is obsessed with finding out the truth. Legend has it that the winner of the game is granted one wish. Bailee is determined to win because she wants things to go back to the way they were before her grandmother got sick and her friends started hating her. Her friends believed that she ratted them out to the principal about a dangerous stunt, causing the entire class to get detention. She once was surrounded by so many friends but now with most of her friends ignoring her, she feels lonely. As the game participants get ready to play the game, strange things start to happen. Is the local legend true or is someone playing a prank on them?The book is geared towards young readers and has fun illustrations that added to my enjoyment of the novel. It was a quick read that had some scary and spooky elements that might be scary to some young readers, but I thought it was okay as an adult reader. It reminded me of the works of R.L Stine, with the creepy and scary factor but nothing that I was terrified or lost sleep over. The plot moved at the perfect pace to set the creepy mood and move the story along. I was a bit confused by the ending, I believe the author left it a bit open for more books and I would be open to reading more. If you or your young reader love mild horror books, then you will enjoy this book!

This was a delightful middle-grade horror book! I absolutely loved the story and characters in this book especially the aspects of the game! The illustrations throughout the book really helped to bring this story to life and added to the creepy elements of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Bellwoods Game and highly recommend picking this book up! I flew through this book in one sitting and I really think middle graders will love this wonderful ghost story read.

I loved this book. Read it in one sitting. I didn't expect so many awesome illustrations. The design of the pages is gorgeous. I love the concept. Kids get selected to enter the woods on Halloween and they must find and ring a bell or a year of unfortunate events will follow. They blame the spirit in the forest but discover more to this story. Friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, trust, action, and fears that are used and turned against the kids, chasing them as horrors. It's a fun read and I will surely reread it next year.

Every year at Halloween, kids play a game that seems like simple fun - run through the woods and be the first to ring a bell. But not everything is as it appears. These woods come alive at Halloween and the kids are in for more than they ever thought possible. Added themes of fractured friendships and how we never really know what others are going through made this more than a spine-tingling read, but also a thoughtful friendship story. Very fun all around.