Official Review: The Haunted Cell Phone by AJ Hard

[Wasif Ahmed]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Haunted Cell Phone" by AJ Hard.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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The Haunted Cell Phone is a horror story for children written by A.J. Hardy. There isn’t much of a plot in this book. The protagonist Jeff Davis had always wanted a cell phone but when he asks his Dad for one, he casually replies that he will get one on his next birthday. That is a good thing except that is birthday had passed a week ago. Jeff finally does get a phone under mysterious circumstances in a stormy night. No one actually gives it to him, he kind of finds it himself.

This is when the adventure starts. Ever since he got his phone, he started receiving weird phone calls and text messages from an unknown number. But when he dials the number it comes out if service. What’s more is that the events mentioned in the weird text messages keep on coming true. Jeff’s friend Skylar or Sky as he is known commonly and a bully named Don also play a vital role in this story.

Even though it may seem like a good book for ten year olds, it isn’t. Firstly, the events seem to passing by a bit too fast. This is usually a normal thing in children books but as far as I recall from my childhood, the never passed this quickly. It seemed as though the author wanted to get done with this book as quickly as possible and spoiled the book in the process.

Secondly, this book is filled with stupid errors. ‘We’ being used instead of ‘Me’, forgetting to use punctuation marks, forgetting to insert some important words in between the text and not knowing when to change the paragraph, this book is filled with such silly mistakes.

The author also sometimes forgets to match the events of the previous page with the next. For example- When Jeff and his friend Sky were talking about the phone, Sky asks where it is right now and Jeff replies that it was at his house. But in the next page, the phone appears out of the blue in the protagonist’s pocket. This may seem like a part of the scary story about the haunted phone but it is actually one of the many mistakes the author has made.

I would be rating this book 1 out of 4 stars. The number of errors in this novel leads me to conclude that this book has probably never seen the face of an editor. The plot of this book has the caliber of getting a decent reviewer rating of 3 stars but the frequency of the errors and mistakes restricts me from doing so. It seemed as though the author has never re-read this book even once after writing it.

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The Haunted Cell Phone
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[AA1495]

Sad that the book didn't meet its potential. Wish it was edited better. Thanks for the great review ☺

[Wasif Ahmed]

Definitely AA1495. And thanks!!!

[kimmyschemy06]

That was a very honest review. The premise sounds promising. Too bad, though, about the errors and other flaws. Good job on the review.

[Wasif Ahmed]

Thanks kimmyschemy06!!

[Lauren M]

Great review! It's too bad the story had too many errors and never met it's full potential.

[Wasif Ahmed]

Thanks Lauren M!!!

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your honest, thorough review. It really bothers me when there are many errors in a children's book. It doesn't set a good example for kids who should be learning the correct usage of words and punctuation. Hope your next book is better.

[Wasif Ahmed]

Thanks bookowlie. And yes i completely agree with you. Authors of children books should take special attention towards grammar. I hope the author uses this review as constructive feedback and delivers a better book next time.

[Kourtney Bradley]

Great review! Too bad the book didn't reach up to its potential. Thank you for sharing with us!

[Wasif Ahmed]

Welcome klbradley!!

[Heidi M Simone]

Thank you for your great and honest review! It's too bad all the errors present in this book. It sounds like it had real potential. Hopefully, the author takes your thoughts and apply to the story in order to improve it.

[Wasif Ahmed]

Yeah, I hope so too hsimone. And Welcome.

[lane_vespertine]

I just reread an essay by Octavia Butler recently. I don't have it in front of my now, so this is going to be a paraphrase. She points out, while giving advice to aspiring writers, that the number one most important element to being a successful writer is developing good habits. Writing, proofreading, accepting criticism, that sort of thing. She then says that inspiration is fickle and can't be counted upon. Finally, she points out that talent is fine if you have it, but healthy habits are more important to develop.
You book strikes me as an example of inspiration with absolutely no good habits. "Whoa, that is a cool idea," is way more common than someone who has taken the time to mold a novel from a craft and lots of hard work.
Anyway, well done on putting your experiences reading it in a cohesive manner.
Good job!

[Wasif Ahmed]

I just reread an essay by Octavia Butler recently. I don't have it in front of my now, so this is going to be a paraphrase. She points out, while giving advice to aspiring writers, that the number one most important element to being a successful writer is developing good habits. Writing, proofreading, accepting criticism, that sort of thing. She then says that inspiration is fickle and can't be counted upon. Finally, she points out that talent is fine if you have it, but healthy habits are more important to develop.
You book strikes me as an example of inspiration with absolutely no good habits. "Whoa, that is a cool idea," is way more common than someone who has taken the time to mold a novel from a craft and lots of hard work.
Anyway, well done on putting your experiences reading it in a cohesive manner.
Good job!

Yes, even my brother pointed out the same thing. I will certainly try to improve with my next review. Thanks!