Upas Street: Shocking Specter
Do you dare enter Dr. Frankenstein's la-BOR-uh-tree?
A fearless quartet of teen sleuths, the Botanic Hill detectives, travel to Llanfair, a fictitious Welsh village in present-day California, to solve the mystery of the Shocking Specter. The green-glowing apparition reportedly roams the countryside, setting fire to buildings and meadows during the new moon. The occurrences began shortly after a motion picture stagehand Scotty Roberts's accidental death by electrocution in this case inspired by the filming of Universal Pictures' 1931 classic horror movie Frankenstein. Supernatural? Coincidence? Or is criminal activity at work? And why, nearly a century later, has the Shocking Specter returned? Readers will enjoy learning about real-life horror film star Boris Karloff, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, other key players in the movie's production, and some early Hollywood cinematic history. Our fabulous four might need to kick some monsters to the curb to solve this challenging mystery!
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"Follow our detectives to the fictitious Welsh settlement of Llanfair, California, as they chase a green-glowing specter and get caught up in a riveting mystery that will introduce young readers to the magic of old Hollywood horror movies. Kids will stay intrigued from start to finish." --KIMBERLEY KRAMER, Literacy Specialist, Saint Katharine Drexel Academy, San Diego, CA
"I loved this book and could not put it down! I loved learning about the Hollywood monsters from the old-time days and meeting the people of Llanfair. You will not be sad that you chose this book to read." --SOPHIA O., Student, Age 10, San Diego, CA
"As a professor of the History of Film and Monster and Character Makeup Design, I was intrigued from the first page of this book! The Golden Age of Hollywood is brought to life in the eyes of the young protagonists through their exploration of Universal Studios' Frankenstein franchise. Joseph not only captured my attention with the charm and intelligence of her four detectives but also had me searching for clues and secret messages (Easter eggs) to unravel this horror-movie-inspired mystery. Joseph includes facts about Boris Karloff that I did not know, which delighted me to no end. Jack Pierce may have never received an Oscar for his iconic makeup designs, but he gets a wonderful tribute through this exciting story. A must-read for mystery lovers and film buffs of all." --SHARON LYNN, author of A Cotswold Crimes Mystery series; aka SHARON BOLMAN, Senior Professor of Digital Video and General Education, University of Advancing Technology, Tempe, AZ
