After their ordeal with the Skeleton Man, Molly and her parents decide to take a vacation in the mountains at a conference for the dad's work. Molly is still suffering from the trauma she experienced, but her dreams have been lessening and she is starting to feel better. While she and her family enjoy the time away, they sense that they are being watched. Maybe the Skeleton Man isn't as dead as they thought he was.

The Return of the Skeleton Man takes the same ideas from the first book and just moves them to a different location. We still do not get much of the characters' motivations or background, but the story still manages to stir up some very scary situations. Overall, The Return of Skeleton Man presents another short but scary tale. ( )

Enjoyed this sequel just as much as the first books, if not a bit more. So nice to have a physical copy so as to be able to truly enjoy the gorgeous illustrations by Sally Wren Comport. This would be a perfect October/November read as the author blends together both Mohawk traditions and stories with Mexican Mayan traditions. Such a fun read, great for middle grades and adults alike! ( )

I would use this book as a read aloud in a 4th grade classroom. I would only read one chapter every time I read the book. During my reading, students would listen for key details and main ideas. After the reading, students would fill out their summary pages. Their summary pages would be a 4-5 sentence summary of what happened. Students would also illustrate a picture to go along with the summary. At the end of the book, students would put all of their pages together to create a book summary. This will help students with picking out key details in a text. I would also use this book in a 5th grade classroom as a read aloud. After reading, we would research the Day of the Dead in partners and students would write a one page paper on what they learn. They could talk about where they holiday came from, who participates in the holiday, etc. This way students grasp ideas from other cultures other than their own.

This book would work well if you were to read the first book to your class around Halloween or fall time. You could teach plot and show how the plot evolves roughout the book, you could have the kids talk about what they think will happen next and make inferences. It is a great book to use to incorporate plot structure while also making it fun. I use this in a class of third to 5th graders and have them write about a time they were scared of something like molly is of the skeleton man.

I would use this book as a read-aloud with second and third grade around Halloween time and explain to them that this book is based on a legend. I would then have them work in small groups to form their own stories about a legend that either exists in our culture, or a legend that they've made up.