I.R.L.

Switching from virtual to in-person learning causes supernatural scares for a sixth grader.

Lucy Bell-Rodriguez’s new school in rural Alaska has been meeting online during the colder months. Her classmates seem welcoming, if a bit old-fashioned, and escaping the bullies at her previous school is a relief. Lucy is nervous and excited when the improved weather finally provides a chance for the students to meet in person. She bravely takes off into the Alaskan chill toward White Pine Secondary School but soon finds herself at a charred ruin—did her classmate Mara give her an incorrect address as a prank? When she reconnects with the others online (due to inclement weather, the school’s returning to virtual learning), Mara explains that she must have accidentally sent Lucy to the wrong location. But Lucy can’t let it go, and when she returns to the site, she discovers something worse—gravestones with familiar names. Lucy’s mother, a scientist at a research facility studying strange local electrical phenomena, tries to convince her that there’s been some mistake, to no avail. Going light on character development, Goebel frees up space for many creepy scenarios and mysterious revelations. The fast pace and short length make this tale accessible to a wide range of readers, and the intriguing premise is well served by tight plotting. Characters’ ethnicities aren’t explicitly mentioned.

A quick and chilling tale, full of school spirits.