Customer Reviews

The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Any superstitious person knows that the number 13 does nobody any good. Buildings don't have thirteenth floors, and nobody seats thirteen for dinner. Bakers however, have been known to prefer bad luck over the consequences of being caught short with the dough, but that's another story.

This book explores the popular plot of the mysterious floor between twelve and fourteen, and this time it's a portal to the bad old days of privateers and witch hunts.

Lured by a weird message on their answering machine, Buddy Stebbins and his older sister Liz make separate quantum leaps (via elevator) three hundred years into the past, and join their ancestors on a dangerous but funny adventure.

It's up to Buddy to find Liz, provide legal aid to his ancestors - an accused witch and a pirate Captain - and find a way back to the 13th floor, preferably with all their limbs intact. However, time is running out and the ship that houses the portal is about to sink.

A clever and fast moving time traveling tale, but not at all scary or ghostly.

Amanda Richards, February 24, 2005

This book was a great book. Its about these two kids who find out there is a thirteenth floor on an old building. When they enter they find themselves fighting pirates and the boy finds himself trying his best to help his sister who has been accused of being a witch! This book always pushed me to turn the page. It is an easy reader but fun to read.

I liked this book because it is sort of a mystery and history book. This book is about two kids who owe money because their parents were poor and owed money but they died. When the kids, Bud and his older sister Liz, get a telephone message from a person who works on a 13th floor of a building, they think it is a prank. When his sister goes to work and doesn't come back, Bud thinks that she when to the 13th floor. When he opens the door to the 13th floor, he finds himself on a ship with an ancestor! Bud figures out that he traveled 300 years back in time! From there it goes on from Bud learning about a ship to Liz saving the ancestor who called them from accusement of witchcraft. I am not going to tell you the rest of the story. You are going to have to read it!!!

HI I'm 12 and have read this book. I think it is a great book filled with creativity but still has facts (like the Salem trials) I met the author at my shcool this year and got the book personally signed. He is very interesting and funny! Anyways about the book...I read it this summer and I found it to be a great book! If you don't take advise from a kid, read it your self! I'm sure you'd like it no matter how old you are!

This book is about two children that go back in time when summond to help their ansester that lived over 100 years back. They are asked to go to the 13th Floor and there they go back in time. This is a really cute book. The plot is easy to flow yet not totally predictable. It's easy to read and I think you will really enjoy this. I think it is better than Sid Fleischman's other book, The Whipping Boy.

When I first looked at this book I didn't think I'd enjoy it but after the first few pages I couldn't pull myself away. I loved reading it. When Buddy gets scared I almost got as scared as him. I think it was well written - it is my second favorite book.

This book is about a boy and his sister trying to get back to their home. The antagonist was the 13th floor. The protagonist were the boy and his sister. It took place in the 17th century in New England. I thought that this book was very interesting, but I didn't think there was enough action and adventure. I suggest that my peers read this book because it is interesting, but older people might find it a little boring.

This book was about two kids whose relative is a pirate. These kids get a weird mesage on their answering machine telling them to go to the 13th floor of an old building. One day the boy noticed his sister was gone so he went to the 13th floor to look for her. He found out this was no ordinary floor when he was transported to an old pirate ship. but now that he's there he has to make sure he doesn't change time and find his sister then find his way home.

I really enjoyed the author's style. It didn't have high vocabualry or complex sentence structure which made it appealing. The author's creative plot was very interesting that left me in suspense page after page. I am a little unsure about the reference to the treasure on the last page of Chatper 18. It was page 112. I liked the excitement in the book, though, but I am still left puzzled about the ship that was buried twice?

This is probably the best audiobook for children we've found.The story was loved by both of my children (6 & 8 years old). Thecharacters were interesting and the period of history being examined (early American settlement) nicely represented for their age. The reader did an excellent job and the adults in the family enjoyed the story as well (important for those long car trips). We listened to this on our way to Salem, MA, and this provided an excellent introduction to the history of both New England & the time we were going to see.