Books with title Max and the Haunted Castle

In this book of short stories for young readers, two brothers battle sea creatures in a haunted sandcastle.A tortoise-shell cat is used to break the spell of an evil genie.A young boy named Conrad, thinks he has the curse of a one-eyed alligator.Three friends discover the magic potion that makes things disappear, and a girl named Abby is in the bike race of her life.

It isn’t that the aquarium castle is haunted, that’s not the question. Obviously, the huge centerpiece is haunted. You can see it. It’s right there. In a window. On the drawbridge. Big deal. It’s haunted.The question persists: haunted by what?What is that thing in the aquarium?Laugh after laugh, this story is a romp as Mini Ann and Jane Mary, two retired school teachers, team up with Professor Service from the university, and get to the bottom (in a manner of speaking) of it all. The thirteen chapters ran thirteen months in the popular Freshwater and Marine Aquarium. In the middle of the run, the old Freshwater and Marine Aquarium became the new Freshwater and Marine Aquarium and the October to October scheme took a big hit as now Halloween came in late spring.All thirteen chapters include a mystery fish. Some easy. Some not so easy. Think you know those fish in your fish tank? Have at it. Thirteen months. Thirteen fish. Halloween to Halloween.The Haunted Aquarium Castle is illustrated by Tom Quinn.Follow the kids, the ghost, the goblin, and the pumpkin, on Halloween, when the kids knock on the door of Mini Ann and Jane Mary.“TRICK OR TREAT!!!”“Hey kids. Come on in.”“What’s that in the window of your aquarium castle?”“Say what?“The Haunted Aquarium Castle” was originally published by the old and eventually the new Freshwater and Marine Aquarium monthly. The idea was to go thirteen (unlucky, get it?) consecutive issues/months, October Halloween to October Halloween. Unfortunately, the old Freshwater and Marine Aquarium was acquired by the new Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, and there were several months of negotiations when there was no magazine at all, so the October to October idea, Halloween to Halloween scheme, fizzled, and Halloween as far as my story goes, ended months later, March or April as I recall. Whatever, it was not October. And so it goes.Here it is in its total, thirteen chapters all lined up and in order, with the monthly mystery fish contest included.

Years ago, the oldFreshwater and Marine Aquariummagazine announced the future publication of a novel: The Haunted Aquarium Castle. The magazine broke barriers with WadeRivers/Robert McKinnon short stories (not articles, fiction) on the subject oftropical fish; publishing a novel was way over the top. Thy top runnith over.Two retired schoolteachers, Mini Ann Harper and Jane Mary Emerson, a couple of "Arsenic and OldLace" types, have for years been attending to a monster state of the artaquarium. The riveting centerpiece is a gigantic, mixed bag castle, a gift fromMini Ann's brother, long lost years ago in Germany. At the local pet store onHalloween eve Mini Ann runs into a couple of scary strangers inquiring into thestatus of the castle. It isn't long before the castle starts acting up, and itisn't long before Mini Ann and Jane Mary are convinced the thing is haunted.But by what?Good question.Professor Service,a professor from the University, is called in, and he takes an interest in theweird aquarium inhabitant and determines to "get to the bottom" of it all. Mr.Proteus, owner of the local pet store, swears he never saw anything like itbefore, and it certainly did not come from his establishment.In the meantime,month-by-month, the anthropomorphic sights and sounds in the aquarium aregetting raucous, and all the lights and sounds aren't coming from the constantparade of gorgeous fishes swimming back and forth through creative, showy plantarrangements.In addition to theobviously goofy aquarium castle, the sporadic visits of the two weirdostrangers don't do much for peace of mind with Mini Ann and Jane Mary, who onat least two occasions, "from stress," end up in the hospital, renewing oldacquaintances with the two ambulance drivers they had in class in grade school."Is our aquariumcastle haunted?""I rather thinkso."In addition to theoverall mystery of the story, each chapter contains a mystery fish to keepreaders guessing, month after month. Some are easy. Some are tougher. And, forthe more entrenched freshwater fish hobbyists, there are a couple of zingers,which will send readers splashing for their reference books.Nancy Waddell, aretired editor from J.B. Lippencott and Silver Burdett read and helped edit The Haunted Aquarium Castle. She hadthis to say about the story: "Bob McKinnon's The Haunted Aquarium Castleis a delightful read with a bit of mystery and a passel of eccentricity. Hisfinely-drawn characters are real-life all the way; in fact, I swear one of themlives down the street from me. Once again, McKinnon weaves his own expertiseinto a very entertaining and captivating tale."Think you're good?Think you're an Afishiando? Let's see you name all thirteen mystery fish plusthe bonus fish. The answers follow the story, no fudging!!!!!