Just Want to Have Fun is the second book of the Ghoulfriends book series, written by Gitty Daneshvari. It was released on April 02, 2013.
Plot Overview[]
GFFs Rochelle, Robecca, and Venus begin to settle in at Monster High and are having a fangtastic time getting involved in the student body. Rochelle is tutoring the trolls, Robecca is blasting onto the Skulltimate Roller Maze team, and Venus is starting a compost pile with Lagoona Blue! The ghoulfriends are even recruited to help Toralei and Cleo plan the Hex Factor Talent Show.
But during Mr. Mummy's Catacombing class, the ghouls find a Doll of Doom that hints at a new threat to the school. And when white cats start showing up around the Creepateria - a bad omen for monsters! - the GFFs begin to wonder if their fun is over. Is Toralei playing pranks? Or is something more sinister at work in the halls of Monster High?
Summary[]
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Chapter One
On a hot morning at the start of the second semester, Venus and Robecca get up early to accompany Rochelle to the gates of Monster High. They intend to welcome Skelita Calaveras and Jinafire Long, two new international students, to the school and give them a tour. Rochelle met them during a trip to Scaris and promised to be their tour guide when they parted at the airport. As they wait, they find their minds drifting off to the events of last semester and voice their worries the whisper will either return or act up again, as they still don't know if Ms. Flapper deceived them all or truly is innocent. They are freed from their unpleasant conversation with the onset of their fellow students returning to campus. They greet the many friends they've made last semester, happy to see them again. Rochelle is particularly happy to see Deuce again; and even though she and Garrott have broken up, she is aware Deuce still is with Cleo and that she only shares a friendship with Deuce. The final arrival of note is Toralei Stripe, who takes a dig at Cleo by calling her rotten on account of being undead. Rochelle impulsively corrects her, noting that mummies don't rot, earning her Toralei's scorn and a dig at her fashion choice for that day. Backed by her friends, Rochelle is not too bothered by it. In fact, all three, now alone again, are more concerned about the usualness of their fellow students' behavior - like there was no mass hypnotism holding the school in its grasp the previous semester. They theorize that because the others have not consciously lived those days, they do not have the experience to worry as the three girls do.
Chapter Two
As the trio continues to wait, they are approached by two trolls who demand to know why they aren't inside yet. Rochelle retorts that since the bell has not yet rung, they aren't obliged to be in the building. Before the trolls can respond, Headless Headmistress Bloodgood and Nami walk by and greet them Bloodgood notes that she's glad to see and remember them; she's still suffering from Muddled-Mind Syndrome, but her thoughts are now a lot clearer than last semester. She, too, advises the girls to go inside already, prompting Robecca to explain they are waiting for Rochelle's friends Skelita and Jinafire to arrive at Monster High. To the trio's surprise, Nami informs them the girls arrived last night already. Robecca and Venus, realizing they've gotten up early and waited all that time for nothing, demand answers. Rochelle nervously explains that when they shared goodbyes at the airport, Skelita, and Jinafire how happy they were to have someone to show them around at Monster High. She gathered from that herself that she welcomed them, as showing one around logically occurs immediately. Robecca and Venus are furious, but after telling Rochelle of her error, they agree to let it slide and finally head into the building. They spot D'eath at a distance. Venus asks if Rochelle's project is still going, but she reveals that she's given up on it, as unhappiness is in D'eath's nature, and it is not up to her to change that.
Chapter Three
Walking on, Robecca catches scent of the school's auto shop and recalls Captain Penny is overdue for an oil change. Saying goodbye to her friends, she heads over to the room and calls out for Sid Borg, the mechanic responsible for the equipment. After dropping Captain Penny off on oil station seven, Robecca is overcome by a sensation that she's too late for something and rushes out. She rejoins her room mates at the stairs to the dormitory, from where they first have encounters with the Van Sangre sisters and the pumpkin heads before Rochelle can finally embrace her friends from Scaris again. She introduces her two sets of friends to each other, setting off a small string of pleasantries until Robecca realizes she forgot Captain Penny again. But as per tradition, Cy appears behind her with the robot penguin in his arms. Robecca thanks him warmly, prompting the shy boy to run off quickly. Skelita assures him he's a keeper before excusing herself and Jinafire for an appointment with Nami. The two international students have only just left when Flapper shows up, innocently informing the trio that she's decided to stay on campus after last semester's events and has been assigned the room next to theirs.
Chapter Four
During the start-of-the-semester assembly, all the usual school activity preparations are addressed, which is in itself unusual because there's no mention whatsoever on the whisper that ruled the school previous semester. The trio tries not to worry about it and focusses on the new classes. They are happy to see they have the same schedules again, with Catacombing: The Art of Digging and Discovery up first. They hurry to the catacombs, taking the spacious elevator down with the rest of their class. On the way, Frankie brings up that because of their heroic deed last semester, they are invited to join the Frightingale Society. Venus, Rochelle, and Robecca eagerly accept it, honored to be offered a spot so soon. Once down, all the students hurry out in excitement for class to start, with the exception of Robecca. Down in the catacombs for the first time in her life, she remembers her father, Hexiciah Steam, who disappeared within the structure a century ago. Her room mates and Cy comfort her as well as they can, which is enough to stop her crying but not enough to put her at ease. Their attention is redirected when the teacher, Mr. Mummy, enters the makeshift classroom in the company of two trolls by the names of Trick and Treat, whom he introduces as his assistants for the class from this semester onwards. He gives the students a few minutes to ask questions about the class, which causes a barrage of them to be launched. All the while, Robecca sits quietly, thinking about her father.
Chapter Five
After an intense first semester day, the girls return to their dorm room to freshen up for dinner. Their routines are disturbed when they suddenly hear footsteps coming from the ceiling, meaning someone is crawling through the small space between the dormitory and the attic. The first guess as to the ceiling walker is Ms. Nami, but that theory is rejected when they conclude she'd fall through. Taking the size of the space in mind, the next guess is a troll, possibly one out to rescue a lost bat. Then they hear the ceiling walker climb into the room next to theirs, which makes them worry it is a burglar until they recall the room belongs to Flapper. No troll would ever steal from her, nor would trolls have any need to visit her in secret because she is regularly in their company. They try to hear through the walls, but they are too thick. Venus gives the investigation one last try by softly opening the window in hopes of overhearing that way. She is successful insofar that she catches the end of the conversation, in which Flapper angrily tells the visitor never to come to her room again because it puts her plans at risk. The ceiling walker is heard leaving again the way they came, and the girls close the window. It is decided to keep the information they've acquired to themselves for the time being because, without solid evidence, their word could become nothing more than a defamatory rumor alerting Flapper to be more cautious in the future. Once they hear Flapper leaving, they follow her to the hallways below, where they spot her talking with Bloodgood. Feeling bold, the three walk up to Bloodgood once Flapper leaves and ask her if she's learned anything new about the whisper. Bloodgood absent-mindedly voices her conviction that Flapper is truly innocent and that, because the whisper was an accident, the topic should be dropped to maintain a healthy school atmosphere. As Bloodgood leaves, Jinafire and Skelita join the group. Rochelle asks if she can do anything for them, which they assure her is not necessary because Flapper has taken them under her wings.
Chapter Six
Following dinner, the three ghouls join their first meeting of the Frightingale Society. Here, the ghouls are asked to participate in Project Scare and Care, in which they use their skills to uplift other monsters. As ideas are thrown around, Torelei and Cleo are asked to put together the Hex Factor Talent Show, a new and improved Talon Show. After the meeting, the ghouls went back to their dorm, The Chamber of Gore and Lore, where they found the Van Sangre sisters sleeping in their room. The next day, Venus and Rochelle were in the Libury researching how the mysterious visitor to Miss Flapper's room was able to get into her room when Rebecca rolled up to tell what had happened to her. She ran across a white cat, which is a bad omen at Monster High (very similar to an omen of a black cat in the Normie world). At a tutoring session with Trick and Treat, two trolls at Monster High, Rochelle runs into Deuce, who agrees to help her find a way to connect with her GFFs, Venus and Robecca.
Chapter Seven
That afternoon in the Creepeteria, Lagoona and Venus are discussing their project, a compost pile for Monster High, when Torelei walks over to ask if they will sign her petition. A petition that apparently is meant to shut down Lagoona and Venus' project. Outraged, Venus decides that Torelei is a "mully", a monster who is a bully. As Venus tries to calm down, Robecca, Skelita, and Rochelle come sit down with her. The ghouls are reminiscing when all of sudden a high-pitched shriek sounded. A white bat, a similarly bad omen like a white cat, was sighted in the rafters of the Creepateria. It is revealed the white bat was covered in white goo from a Mad Science experiment by Henry Hunchback.
Chapter Eight
The next day, Venus wakes up to her compost pile having been vandalized with signs surrounding it saying "There's no room for trash at Monster High". Seething, Venus determines to inform Frankie and Draculaura of Torelei's stunt. Later that afternoon, Rochelle and Deuce witnessed Torelei and Cleo having a loud disagreement about how the Hex Factor Talon Show should proceed, causing more grief for all those around. In Catacombing class, Rochelle, Venus, and Robecca discover a sign that says, "Wishing Well this way!" Even further, they a key, and an intricately carved statue in which they gathered and brought back to show Mr. Mummy.
Chapter Nine
After discovering that their find is called a “doll of doom”, the girls get suspicious about what it is and what it’s about. The next day, at the Salem Die-ner, the girls discover a scroll on the inside of the doll heeding warning about whom to trust. The girls proceed to the Coffee Bean, where Mr. Mummy is having a teacher’s meeting, to show him what they have found. He dismisses it and leaves. Then, Torelei and Cleo walk in during a heated debate about the theme of the Talon Show. Jinafire tries to put a stop to their fighting, but is unsuccessful and burns the girls’ drinks with everyone’s dismay at her actions.
Chapter Ten
That night, in the girls’ dormitory, Rochelle is inexplicably wrapped in spider’s web. The next day, Rochelle, Venus, and Robecca question why that happened last night as they head to their Home Ick class. During class, the class is interrupted with the sudden appearance of a white cat. Venus, Rochelle, and Robecca offer to take the cat to Headmistress Bloodgood after finding another warning scroll around the cat’s collar. On the way to the Headmistress’s office, they decided to instead to go talk to Miss Sue Nami. She disregards the message and the cat thinking it a prank. Heading back to their dorms to change clothes, the girls see Miss Flapper at their door. She invites them to have some tea and crones with her, but they decline. As Miss Flapper is about to leave, the girls discover that Jinafire has been spying of them for Miss Flapper. Now, having changed their clothes, the girls head back to class only to discover Miss Sue Nami angrily pounding the walls due to an ominous warning painted there. Spectra spins the story by giving the name “Pranksy” to the culprit causing the school to speculate who committed these pranks.
Chapter Eleven
Over the last few days, the halls of Monster High were being swarmed with white cats, in which the trolls had to clear out of the school and sent to a normie shelter. Back in the dorm, the girls realize that it’s The Day of the Dad, where students celebrate their fathers. Not being able to talk with her father, Robecca wanders down to the catacombs, where she smells Miss Flapper’s perfume. Venus and Rochelle realize their insensitivity and go to find Robecca.
Chapter Twelve
As Robecca investigates the smell, she discovers another ominous warning. Running back to the elevator, she runs into Spectra, who tells her about a third mysterious warning near Mr. Hack’s classroom. She leaves Spectra to tell Venus and Rochelle. Upon exiting the elevator, Robecca runs into Miss Flapper, who asks to get SKRM lessons. Robecca explains she is too busy right now and rushes off to the dorm. She runs into Venus and Rochelle, who were trying to apologize for their insensitivity, and all three discover Penny at the door with a note around her neck from Cy. They read the note, have a discuss with the Van Sangre sisters, and head to bed. The next day, the ghouls are in Catacombing Class when more ominous notes appear. The girls talk to Miss Sue Nami about what they know and they are told to keep an eye on Miss Flapper.
Chapter Thirteen
The ghouls follow Miss Flapper from the garden to the Libury and lastly, the dorms, where she points out another ominous note on the ghouls’ dormitory door.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, the ghouls wake up to another one of Spectra’s blog posts, which painted the trio was the cause to last year’s whispering problem along with this year’s bad luck fiasco. At a Frightengale’s meeting, Toreilei suggests a group called HUAC, the House for Unmonstrous Activity Committee, that monitors monsters behavior. The idea got turned down because it would lead to dissonance among the monsters and it left the trio feeling awful. Afte the meeting, the ghouls run into Headmistress Bloodgood, who tells them about a troll who is having an identity crisis. They ask if Miss Nami talked to her about Miss Flapper, but dismisses all claims. The girls was left up a creek without a paddle when they wonder what has happened to Cy?
Chapter Fifteen
Back in the dorm, the ghouls discover an egg-like figure made of spider webs. Upon opening it, a doom doll with another note appeared. The ghouls went to bed realizing that the ominous warning have something to do with the day of the Hex Factor Talon Show.
Chapter Sixteen
Characters[]
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Notes[]
References[]
- The title of the book is a pun of the 1983 song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".
- "Feral Streak" is a reference to Meryl Streep.
- "That was weirder than a turtle winning a marathon," is a reference to the Aesop's Fable The Tortoise and the Hare.
- "Gillary Clinton" is a reference to Hillary Clinton.
- "Tina Hay" is a reference to Tina Fey.
- "The Hex Factor" is a play on the 2004-launched television show The X Factor.
- "Charles de Ghoul" is a reference to Charles de Gaulle.
Continuity[]
- Robecca mentions "the trip to Scaris" as the moment Rochelle befriended Skelita and Jinafire. This means events similar to "Scaris: City of Frights" happened in the Ghoulfriends continuity between the first and second semester.
- Rochelle and Garrott have broken up, which is a development unique to the Ghoulfriends series. The break-up was tied to the April Fools' Day joke of 2013 on Tumblr.
- Robecca's father is said to have disappeared into the catacombs as per her 'Between Classes' diary.
- "And remember, knowledge is the cure for every curse" is Mummy's favorite quote.
Milestones[]
- Jinafire Long, Skelita Calaveras, Mr. Mummy, Wydowna Spider, and Abbey Bominable make their Ghoulfriends debuts.
- Sid Borg makes his fiction debut.
- Though not appearing, Hexiciah Steam is given a name for the first time. It is consistently spelled "Hexicah Steam" though.
Errors[]
- Roux is identified as male late in Chapter 1.
- The book consistently refers to Robecca's father as "Hexicah Steam", but the trademark reads "Hexiciah Steam". Either a slightly different name was decided on later, as the trademark was filed some months after the book's release, or there was a miscommunication between the Monster High team and the writer.
- "Robecca" is twice written where Rochelle's name should be in Chapter 3.
- "Rochelle" is written where Robecca's name should be at the end of Chapter 13.
- The book notes that Hexiciah was fully human when he disappeared but worked on mechanical replacements for organic material. This is either retconned or different in the cartoon continuity, which establishes him to have mechanical parts well before disappearing.
Other[]
- As in Ghoulfriends Forever, Coach Igor is mentioned, but has no role in the events of the book.
- Apparently, robots don't feel pain because Robecca crashed into a tree while jetting around campus, and other than a lot of twigs in her hair, she seemed completely fine.
Gallery[]
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  #2 Just Want to Have Fun April 2, 2013    | ||||