FLAT STANLEY AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE

[Editors' Note: The following is a combined review of FLAT STANLEY AND THE FIREHOUSE, FLAT STANLEY GOES CAMPING, and FLAT STANLEY AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE.]--Vinnie Pena delivers three adventures of Stanley, his parents, and his little brother, Arthur, in a clearly enunciated voice ideal for beginning readers. Stanley is four feet tall, one inch wide, and about one inch thick--ever since a bulletin board fell on him. Sound effects, including sirens, a dog barking, yowls of a cat, nighttime crickets, and belly flops pepper the narration in all the right places as Stanley and Arthur rescue a cat from a tree, thwart a bully, and escape a skunk. Pena's tone for the parents and the firemen is friendly but firm while the kids' exclamations are energetic, even boisterous, at times. Creative, simple, and fun, this production will entrance young listeners. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2013]