TADDONIO, Lea . The Curse of Deadwood Hill . ISBN 9781532130540 . TADDONIO, Lea . Deadwood Hill Strikes Back . ISBN 9781532130557 . ea vol: illus. by Alessia Trunfio. 48p. (Lucky 8). Spellbound / Magic Wagon . Dec. 2017. Tr $19.95. Gr 3-7 After moving to a new house called Deadwood Hill, twins Makayla and Liam discover a mysterious Magic 8 ball that can communicate with them. While Makayla is initially worried about making new friends, she realizes she has much larger problems when strange things begin to happen and she hears classmates whisper about Deadwood Hill being cursed. The Magic 8 ball tells them that they must enter another dimension to save a girl who had gone missing from their haunted house. The series features charming illustrations that suit the spooky, fantastical tone of the books and will draw in middle grade readers. The text is very readable, with bold fonts featured throughout. At under 50 pages, each book's plot is sparse and reads like a smaller piece of the larger story. VERDICT Written at a second grade reading level, this series has engaging illustrations and a supernatural theme that will appeal to horror fans.