Satisfyingly chilling.
A weekend job at the library turns into a terrifying ordeal.
Matt is sent to the school library as punishment for falling asleep in class. He’s filled with uneasiness upon meeting Mr. Leclerc, the librarian, an odd man whom Matt’s never seen before. His concern subsides when Mr. Leclerc offers him a paid weekend job weeding old books. But Matt begins to regret his decision the next Saturday as they descend in a key-operated elevator into a dark, dusty basement filled with old school furnishings, taxidermied animals, and formaldehyde-preserved fauna. Matt works alone all morning, paging through creepy medical texts with descriptions of rare diseases and embalming. Lunchtime passes with no sign of Mr. Leclerc. Matt’s anxiety turns to full-blown panic when he discovers his dying cellphone has no service. Will Matt find a way to escape? And what does Mr. Leclerc have planned? Translated from French, this brief, fast-paced novel, reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s short story “The Landlady,” will hook readers from the very first page as they’re eventually plunged into a living nightmare. Matt’s anxiety and fear are palpable; readers will readily identify with his plight. Black-and-white illustrations peppered throughout heighten the eerie mood. Physical descriptions are minimal.
Satisfyingly chilling. (Horror. 9-13)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781459839809
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.
Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series.
Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.—one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors. Despite being well-stocked with scream-worthy ghastlies, this lively opener makes a light alternative for readers who find the likes of Joseph Delaney’s Last Apprentice series too grim and creepy for comfort.
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls. (Ghost adventure. 11-13)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6491-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
A thrilling and chilling end to a standard-setting series.
Arden’s quartet of seasonal horrors concludes with sinister clowns at a carnival.
A dry summer in East Evansburg sends friends Brian, Coco, and Phil to Lethe Creek to cool off. But there’s been an Ollie-shaped hole in everyone’s lives since the dastardly “smiling man” took her. The smiling man releases one of his other trapped children to deliver a message: they’ll need three hidden keys to win Ollie back. Meanwhile, Ollie—traveling with the smiling man and his carnival—tries to figure out a way to escape him on her own. When the carnival moves to East Evansburg, the stage is set for the final showdown. By day, it’s a fun-filled paradise. By night, the carnival’s clowns hunt wayward children to turn into dolls. Without the keys, Ollie and friends will be next. While predatory clowns and humans-turned-dolls are far from new territory, Arden once again flexes her gift for atmospheric writing to envelop readers in the story’s eerie mist. The expert use of pacing and sensory cues—sights, sounds, and smells—helps heighten the genuinely terrifying chase scenes. Chess matches and conversations between Ollie and the smiling man humanize the shape-shifting villain, exposing just enough of his motives to wrap up unanswered questions. Earlier volumes establish that most characters are White and Brian is Black.
A thrilling and chilling end to a standard-setting series. (Horror. 9-13)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-10918-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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