It's an engaging, well-illustrated story that captures the essence of what makes a ghost story thrilling. Mary Downing Hahn proves once again that she can master any format, delivering a tale that is sure to become a favorite among her fans and newcomers alike.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I could not put this book down. I was sucked in immediately and even though the characters weren't super likable right away, I appreciate how complicated they revealed themselves to be and how much I came to care about them by the end of the book. This book started a little ridiculous at first, which I was fine with, but with a twist, it felt more meaningful and important by the end.

I'm excited to recommend this book to students!

It was an exciting story, although it took a bit to really get going. I wasn't a massive fan of the art, but it didn't distract from the narrative.

A graphic novel adaptation of Mary Downing Hahn's ghost stories that is FUN, spooky, and has gorgeous artwork. Travis and Corey have been kicked out of summer camp for their shenanigans and pranks, so they spend the summer with their grandmother at her Vermont inn. When they find out that it's haunted, they decide to prank all of the guests by pretending to be the ghosts that lurk in the inn.

Wow this graphic novel was so much fun! The artwork was incredible and made the story feel engaging and simultaneously spooky. I've never read any of Mary Downing Hahn's books (all horror scared me as a kid LOL) but this graphic novel seems like a great adaptation. The artwork brought the story to life and made me connect with a story that I normally wouldn't have picked up. Overall give Goosebumps vibes and would recommend to anyone who wants a thrill during the spooky month! 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

All the Lovely Bad Ones has the perfect creep factor to maintain the horror elements from the original chapter book. The illustrations fit the story perfectly! Hand this to your middle grade readers who enjoy a good scare.

content/trigger warnings: These contain spoilers!
child abuse - hitting, neglect, whipping
classism (the ghosts are from a poor farm)
death
- child death via neglect, left outside during winter, various illnesses
- parent death via various illnesses
emotional abuse
- telling children they're worthless and nothing to live for
- blaming victims of child abuse for their abuse and deaths
fatphobia - a mild comment made by a ghost child
gaslighting - a child abuser denying they did nothing wrong
grief - ghost children grieving their family and friends
suicide
- an abuser commits suicide via hanging
- not graphic, not on page
- the abuser's ghost tries to "brainwash" (for lack of a better word) a child into suicide

All of these topics are handled in a way that children can understand. This is appropriate for kids who can handle spooky books like Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Coraline.

I haven't read All The Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, but I can guarantee this graphic novel adaption absolutely compares to how good the novel is! It felt like nothing was missing or needed to be added, which is rare for other graphic novel adaptions. The story was fun, spooky, and interesting to read even as an adult. The writing, art, and colors work *SO WELL* together. I don't think a better team could've made this graphic novel.

My overall rating is 4.5/5, which to me means it's great, just not my favorite thing in existence. Rounding it up to 5 stars because I think it deserves it. Good job everyone who worked on this!

I am a long time fan of Mary Downing Hahn (I read Wait Til Helen Comes at a very young age and counted it among my favorite books for many years.) I have this novel on my bookshelf and have read it, so I was excited to see it come to life in a graphic novel. In fact, after reading this, it made me wonder if there's also a graphic novel of Wait Til Helen Comes - and there is! I am so excited to see some of my favorites from my younger days come to life visually. In terms of this book, I really enjoyed the colorful artwork and found myself sharing images with my best friend, both of us exclaiming over them. I hope that more of Hahn's books get "translated" to graphic novels.

DNF @ page 80- 2 stars

All the Lovely Bad Ones is a graphic novel adapted from a Mary Downing Hahn book. I think this story is not meant for adaptation. Some of the panels did not flow with a narrative and thought-based story arc. I was also very bored by the artwork and just wasn't enjoying my reading experience. I don't have the patience or time to read stories that are not holding my attention and because I didn't love the art, I think reading the novel would be a better format for me than a graphic novel. I'm disappointed because I've heard great things about Hahn, but I am not sure that this was the best way to be introduced to her work. I will try again later!

Did Someone Say Supernatural??

Why, Yes, Please, And Thank You!

Presenting A Graphic Novel Adaption – by Scott Peterson, Naomi Franquiz, and Brittany Peer

Of

Mary Downing Hawn’s Novel, ALL THE LOVELY BAD ONES, wherein …

Pranksters twelve-year-old Travis and his eleven-year-old sister Corey—no longer welcome at Camp Willow Tree—must spend their summer days with their Grandmother at Fox Hill, one of the haunted Inn in Vermont.

To bring more business to the Inn, Travis and Corey decide to fabricate a ghost that only serves to awaken something far more sinister.

I have yet to read Hawn’s version of this supernatural tale, but I had a blast reading the graphic novel, with Creepy-Good Imagery that depicts a heart-breaking story—Highly Recommend!

Reading Age: 8 – 12
Grade Level: 3 – 7

Thank you, NetGalley and Clarion Books (HarperCollins Publishing), for providing me with an eBook of ALL THE LOVELY BAD ONES at the request of an honest review.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This book was pretty good. I believe this one is catered to the younger demographic.. perhaps middle school age group? BUT, I did fully enjoy this as a grownup in my 30s, haha.
A sibling team team-up and prank the locals with some "supernatural" themed pranks. However, they eventually realize they aren't the only ghosts playing around in the Inn.

I'd definitely purchase a physical copy of this book.

An interesting tale about two prankster siblings who go to stay with their grandma at her inn for the summer after they're kicked out of their old summer camp for playing too many pranks. The inn is known for being haunted and the kids decide to create some haunting rumors of their own. Little do they know their antics will end up doing more harm than good. It was a little difficult getting into the story in the first half of the book because it took me a while to adjust to reading the brother's narration and the story as it is happening. (I think the brother was narrating the story as if he's recalling a past memory.) Still, I found it an enjoyable read and the illustrations were lovely.

Another classic successfully updated to be a graphic novel! The plot and pacing are obviously excellent, as Mary Downing Hahn is the queen of kids horror. The artwork is perfect for a kids graphic novel, and the lettering is excellent.

Another solid adaptation of a Mary Downing Hahn novel done by Scott Peterson and a team of illustrators. This one is far less dark in color palate than the previously adapted Took and Wait Till Helen Comes which may lead some to feel it is less scary, but like my take on the original works, this is still my favorite in both traditional format and graphic novel. Pranksters Corey and Travis are spending the summer with their grandmother at her inn and their shenanigans awaken unsettled spirits of children and the woman who operated the poor house where they died. The hauntings begin to torment Corey and Travis, terrorize the guests, and finally manifest themselves clearly enough to change the mind of rational, skeptical “granny.” A trio of more readily seen young poltergeists reveal what needs to be done to end the ghostings and this is accomplished in a satisfyingly creepy way. It’s been a while since I’ve read Hahn’s version, but I think some creative license was taken but the key elements remain the same and should please fans of her work and certainly those who haven’t read them will shiver deliciously as they read this one. No profanity or sexual content and the violence is limited to tales of abuse and starvation heaped upon the residents of the poor house. The hauntings are blood free, however, the intensity make this book more appropriate for the upper elementary through junior high. Some high school collections, especially those with large circulation numbers in horror and/or graphic novels and interest in illustrating may want to consider this one as well.

The graphic novel version of Mary Downing Hahn’s classic, All the Lovely Bad Ones, is the perfect creepy read. It follows siblings who are sent to their grandmother’s inn for the summer after causing too much trouble at their previous summer camps. Easy to read and understand with fantastic illustrations, it kept me turning pages to find out what would happen next.

Though I’m sure it’s part of the original story, I was a little put off by how much the beginning focused on how “bad” the two main protagonists were but after that, the story was interesting and well-balanced.

Not only spooky but also historically resonant, All the Lovely Bad Ones is a great addition to any spooky middle-grade shelf.

All the Lovely Bad Ones released August 15, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

A fun, yet sad, young adult graphic novel. Fun characters and a unique historical setting. Children just starting to get into horror or ghost stories will like this for sure!

What a perfect time to start ready spooky ghost stories. With some stellar artwork and an interesting plot this ghost story is a perfect start to this Fall season.

Thank you to NetGalley and HaperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨ Review ✨ All the Lovely Bad Ones Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn

This graphic novel adapts an earlier book by Mary Downing Hahn, and it centers two kids who go to stay with their grandmother at a remote inn over the summer (in part, because they'd been kicked out of their summer camp from the year before for excess pranking). When they learn the inn previously had been known to be haunted, they decide to start pretending to "haunt" the inn to stir up more business. This wakes up the spirits around the inn, however, and creates a spooky ghost story!

I enjoyed this story -- I liked the illustrations, and I was intrigued by the plot. However, I also thought it dragged a bit - even though it's a shorter graphic novel, it felt like it was repetitive and in places, a bit of a slog. One reviewer suggested this might be a product of the adaptation itself. 🤷‍♀️ I also appreciated how it brought in a historical story, though I found the story of historical abuse really horrifying, and it maybe brought the story down a bit for me.

Especially with the abuse faced by the children, I wonder how some of these things will resonate with a middle grades audience (assuming that's what's intended here), but definitely merits a bit of a warning.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, middle grades(?) graphic novel
Setting: small town inn
Pub Date: 15 Aug 2023

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC. Thrillers and graphic novels are two of the most popular genres for my middle school library, so the combo always catches my eye—especially when powerhouse Mary Downing Hahn is involved. While I initially found the story with the potential to be redemptive in theme - and loved the cross-generational characters - I didn’t expect the trigger/suicide mentions that would make it particularly difficult for many of my students. Death could have been handled a hundred other ways in this ghost story; that means added nothing but was enough to ensure this won’t be purchased for our library. I read on, hoping the end would satisfy, but I found it loose and lacking. I won’t give up on Hahn— she’s a go-to when I recommend to students… but this one won’t be my pick for sure.

In this book, we follow two siblings, Corey and Travis, who are visiting their grandmother at her bed and breakfast. The inn is supposed to be haunted but no one has seen a ghost in years. The inn is slow and not many people are coming anymore. So the siblings decide to try and drum up some business for their grandma by pulling some pranks and making some new "ghosts" appear. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the intended effect and the kids awaken real ghosts. Now the ghosts are torturing the other guests and the kids have to put a stop to it.

Overall, this was a really great graphic novel. I really enjoyed the story and the artwork was superb.

Let's just say I love ghost stories and graphic novels so I am glad I was able to read and review this one. It was so cute and perfect for spooky season. I think I may purchase this one to have on the shelf