The rating of a four for Things in the Basement is because of the illustrations. While on the surface, Ben Hatke’s story and art are not huge  “wows” (the illustrations are not overly colorful, or detailed; the story is slow to build up), there is something about them that makes you want more. The focus you need for the illustrations means you need to read the images as the book itself is mostly wordless. There are some interesting twists and turns and the “creepy factor” […]