Scooby-Doo! and the Truth Behind Ghosts

Gr 3–5—Each of these volumes sees Scooby-Doo, that enormous brown Great Dane, and his human companion Shaggy become frightened by a different mythical creature. Their sensible teen friends—Daphne, Fred, and Velma—rush to the rescue and explain the basics of werewolves, vampires, and the like. Each title follows a familiar and formulaic pattern: the gang visits a museum, the beach, Baron Creepy's house, a park, or a homey living room, where similar discussions occur. Shaggy, easily discombobulated, asks lots of questions ("Like, are werewolves afraid of anything?"), while Scooby, with his speech impediment, makes shorter, echoing queries, prompting further explanations ("Roaning and ruffling?"). The format has a melded picture book/comics scheme with full-page scenes, occasionally wordless, but mostly superimposed variously with blocks of text or speech balloons.