Where were this book when I was a little thing and looked for haunted stories that won't have blood and gore?!!! Enough spooky to keep a kid hooked, but not too much to give him horrible nightmares. Perfect for 9-13 year olds.
I loved it more due to the fact that the story is based on real life haunted places, and the author really did all the fact checks before turning it to a fiction.

8 year old me would have been all over this book! 11yo Jayla and her younger brother Dion have been left to their own devices in a haunted hotel while their dad is working. On their first night there, they wake up to the ghost of a hotel maid walking through their room. From that point on, Jayla is determined to discover who the dead woman is and free her from her nightly vigil.

This book is child-friendly in that there's no gruesome deaths or violence, the scares come from rattling door handles and bits of furniture being thrown around - I feel like there could have been a more satisfying ending though, one that would explain why the ghost is doing what she does. 

The writing style is perfect for young readers and the story the right length to grip their interest without insulting their intelligence. The ARC copy didn't contain illustrations but did have place holders for them to be added in the final edit, all I can say is that if they're anything like the cover then they'll be a great asset to the final book.

I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley and was excited to get into a horror book. I mean, just look at the cover - isn't it screaming spooky ghost story?

Except, turns out this book is for kids. I probably should have researched the author before I requested the book, but I didn't. Unfortunately, nothing in the book synopsis eluded to its age range/ target audience either. And hence, I, an adult, was stuck reading a juvenile book about a couple of kids on a reluctant holiday in a haunted hotel. Sounds like a grand adventure! Somehow, it turned out not to be one.

Jayla and Dion are two, incredibly annoying kids - they're on holiday in a grand old hotel, and all they do is complain. Also, their dad is not father of the year, either. He takes them out of school for an early spring break and then just leaves them to fend for themselves in this hotel. Anything could happen. He has a tough job and honestly should plan his kids' lives better. We are told that their mother left, but we never find out why or understand the impact of such an event on the children.

There is no character development in this book. The entirety of the 40-odd pages is plot driven, but the plot is so thin, it's almost laughable. Most of the book is 'description', told from the perspective of Jayla, but we understand little about why this place is haunted. The big 'twist' in the end, doesn't have a satisfactory conclusion either. We don't know why the ghost behaves the way it does. I kept expecting something/someone sinister to appear, but they never did. The only scene bordering on 'spooky' was thrown in for effect, but had no bearing on the overall story. It is evident the author wrote this book just because he once visited the Stanley Hotel and wanted to make something off his experience. I don't have a problem with that, but at least do a good job of telling a horror story about a haunted hotel!

The ARC didn't include any illustrations, but I doubt even those could save this book from the appalling writing. I get that this is a children's book (very young children, seeing that there are supposed to be illustrations), but even Enid Blyton wrote for kids, and her use of language was more educational than most school textbooks. When reading this book, I felt like my knowledge of the language regressed with every sentence. The only descriptive term used throughout was... 'fancy'. I am not even joking. We are told that this is a fancy hotel, there are fancy chairs, fancy parties, fancy plates and fancy food. I mean, seriously, this is not how you write a book! Even if children actually speak like that, the whole point of a book is to teach them brand new words through entertainment.

I may have been the wrong audience for this book, but I do not feel the author respects his target age group enough to write a book that is engrossing, engaging and entertaining enough to get them hooked onto reading. And what's the point of a book if it doesn't do that?

A little light on the horror and mystery; a very younger audience will find it more enjoyable, and even though I love MG--not being in that age group anymore--even for me this type of MG was too unsubstantial. It has a good, fast pace, but that's about all I can redeem about the novel.

I really enjoyed this short story and read it in one sitting. A good ghost story is always something I’m on the lookout for.

The book centres on a family of a father, daughter and son who come to stay in The Stanley Hotel in Colorado. In room 217.

What’s great is that this is an actual haunted hotel in real life and many paranormal teams and ghost seekers come to stay. Room 217 is particularly popular.

I’ll give no more away but this is really entertaining to read and I enjoyed reading about Kayla and Dion and what they experienced in the old hotel.

It doesn’t have the super creepy factor I live but for me was still a well-written and interesting story. Being a writer of many short stories myself I know it’s hard to engage a reader from start to finish. The author rounded off the story really well. I felt a satisfied reader!

4 stars from me for this ghostly tale.

Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for this ARC in exchange for am honest review

This was short story aimed at middle grade. It was a fun little story and it could honestly be extended to become a novella.

I would be interested in reading future works by Thomas Kingsley Troupe

I really enjoyed this and thought it was perfect for the younger crowd. I loved that the author included some historical facts and that the story was based on true events. The characters were interesting and the story moved at a good pace. This would have been a 5 star for me if the locket had been explained. I would like to read more by this author.

This book was well written and very fun to read. The characters were great and I enjoyed the world building. The author does a great job at introducing the characters and moving the plot along. There were a few things that I didn't like, but it wasn't enough to really sway me one way or the other. It's definitely a story that I can get lost in and both feel for the characters. It is definitely a go-to novel that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a great read. Definitely a highly recommended read that I think everyone will enjoy.

Trapped in room 217 by Thomas Kingsley Troupe.
Jayla Walters and her family are going for spring break early. Her dad has a job up the trails in the rocky mountain national park. It got washed out and they need a crew out there right away. They are in a town called Estes park. They go to stay in the Stanley hotel in room 217. But what they don't realize is it's haunted.  I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the story and the characters.  5*.

I loved this book... primarily because I visited Estes Park -- and the Stanley Hotel -- ages ago and fell in love with it (a love affair which lasts through today). It is, without a doubt, the most charming town and astoundingly beautiful locale I've ever seen, bar non. This book's impact was tremendously enhanced by that locale, and the Stanley most definitely could be viewed as "spooky". Loved the story, and you will, too. Recommended!

Jayla and Dion stay in the Stanley Hotel, Colorado with their dad who is working near there for the week. The first night that they stay in room 217, Jayla wakes up to the room being Icy cold. She sees a woman that looks like a maid, standing in her room. The maid walks over to wall, then to the bed and bends down as if to pick up something. Then she disappears through the door and the room is no longer cold. Dion also saw the ghost, and mentions it to Jayla the next day. They embark on trying to find out who the maid is and why she is trapped in the room. They find out that her name was Elizabeth and worked as a maid in the hotel for most of her life. This book is a short story suitable for younger readers (8 -12) who can read chapter books. It is not too spooky and has an interesting story and based on true events.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for my copy of the book in exchange for my personal review.

This is a wonderful read for kids who live near or are visiting the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. As most ghost stories go I think there is plenty there to capture their attention and need a night light but it will appeal more to those kids (and parents) who stay at the hotel or are familiar with its illustrious past. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Jada & Dion get to stay at Stanly Hotel . This is a really fast read .Its a cute book .I think kids in age group 8 to 12 will love this book.. I know both my Grandson who is almost 11 and Gran daughter 9 would love it

Spooky tale that makes the supernatural phenomenon at the Stanley Hotel accessible to a younger reader.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.com.

First line: Jayla Walters was fast asleep and dreaming about math.

Summary: Jayla and her brother spend spring break stuck in the Stanley Hotel while their father works a landscaping job. They encounter a ghost in room 217!

Highlights: This book is part of a series about a different haunting in each state. It is recommended for middle grade, and I feel that is accurate. The book relates back to real events and invites the reader to do their own sleuthing about ghost hauntings at the Stanley Hotel.

Lowlights: The character development is fairly flat. The children elude to the fact that their mother left, but there is no explanation which could confuse some children.

FYI: There are some scary scenes, including children getting lost in the dark.

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley, North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press for providing me a copy of “Trapped in Room 217″ by Thomas Kingsley Troupe in exchange for my review. This book is interesting primarily because it is based on real events.

Jayla and Dion are likable characters and they come off as an interesting detective duo. They both have distinctive personalities, where Jayla is the impulsive girl lunging into danger, while Dion is the smart, cautious one. Personally, I liked Dion more than Jayla because he seemed smarter than his elder sister most of the time. However, my favorite character was Reuben. This man is so kind and friendly, and has a lot of fun trivia about the hotel. If I even went to a hotel to garner historical facts on it, I would love to interact with someone like him. Probably the only character I didn’t have much regard for was the father. He didn’t seem to be too interested in what his kids were involved in.

The story is short and fast paced. As this book is targeted for a younger audience, I didn’t expect to get shocked by the events taking place. However, I did get shocked towards the end on how Elizabeth reacts, and was wondering what would happen next. It’s a shame that the book was short as I would have loved to read about some of the other ghosts residing there. I also enjoyed the fact that the author indirectly credits Stephen King in the book. The tour guide in one scene mentions a horror book that was inspired by an author’s stay at the hotel. After researching, I found that Stephen King stayed at the Stanley and it inspired him to write “The Shining”!

Thomas Kingsley Troupe has done a nice job of blending facts with fiction. I am keen on checking out other books in the “Haunted States in America” series. I can’t comment much on the illustrations by Maggie Ivy, as the advanced copy didn’t have the illustrations in place. In fact, I wish this copy contained the illustrations as well. It would have been fun to see the reactions of the characters through the illustrations.

Overall, “Trapped in Room 217” is a quick, fun and easy read if you are in the mood for something spooky. Even though it is for a younger audience, I feel that people of any age group would enjoy this book. I rate the book 4/5 stars.

Trapped in room 217

I read and saw the picture of Stephan King's "The Shinning'" many tims. Room 217 was a very important part of the story. This book was a quick read. Jayla , her brother Dion along with their dad have checked into the Stanley Hotel. The only room that was available was 217.

As soon as the were asleep they had a ghostly visitor, Elizabeth a former maid many years aho. This book was a fast read and kind of fun. Any fan of the Shinning" will enjoy the short story.

Downloaded through Netgalley to read for an honest review!
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This was quite a fun little novel! While this book is intended for a younger audience, I found myself REALLY liking it. The acknowledgement by the author at the end was intriguing as the author described their stay in Room 217!

The story moves a good pace and I feel that a younger audience will definitely stay interested and that it will hold their attention. The story is well written and the characters are fun to read as well. Jayla and her brother Dion, have a great family dynamic and are realistically written. This book is a fun spine tingling read that one can NOT put down. I definitely loved it being set in the Stanley Hotel as it is a real haunt! Super cool way to introduce younger audiences to real places with out it being too scary for them but just enough to make this book a one click read. 4 stars from me!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like several other readers, I didn't realize this was a "middle grades" read when I downloaded it. Once I did, I was able to really enjoy it! In the same vein as "Encyclopedia Brown" and "The Boxcar Children", Jayla and Dion decide to get to the bottom of why their hotel room is haunted.
A little spooky, and definitely with some great atmosphere, there's honestly no better location for a horror story than the Stanley (for kids or adults, apparently!)
I would definitely recommend this for someone in that age range, especially if they're into the spooky stuff!

13 years old Jayla Walters and her brother, Dion get an early spring break when their dad, Damon was assigned to a landscaping job to fix trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Since it was a last minute call, all hotels in Estes Park were fully booked except for The Stanley Hotel. Unbeknownst to them, this hotel has a reputation for paranormal activities, specifically Room 217, in which is also the room the Walters checked into. During the first night, Jayla saw a ghost dressed in an old-fashioned hotel maid uniform walking towards her bed and seems to be searching for something, and she visits the room every night, doing the same thing. What does the ghost want? Is she trapped in this room? Can Jayla and Dion help her to move on?

Truth be told, I did not expect a lot from this book. But oh dear, I stand corrected! Albeit a quick and easy read, this book kept me on the edge of my seat! The spine-tingling storytelling made this book a page-turner. It is creepy and the descriptive writing brought the story alive; kept you guessing what's next? I think the author did an excellent job in bringing chills to my bones when I read this book. This story is even creepier when it is actually based on the real Stanley Hotel - which inspired Stephen King's Overlook Hotel in his bestseller The Shining; the same hotel where the movie was also filmed.

In a nutshell, this is a good read if you are looking for a quick hair-raising horror story. I enjoyed the simple but intriguing plot, good writing and the spine-chilling storytelling. A must read!

***I received a complimentary copy of this book from Flux through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***