Solidly executed, with fast and frequent frights.
A boy is haunted—and hunted—by possessed clown dolls.
Victor’s older sister, Sarah, mocks him because he’s afraid of their grandmother’s creepy collections of figurines and other odd objects. Sarah’s terrified of clowns, so when Victor, Sarah, and their younger sister, Genevieve, must spend the night at their grandmother’s house alone, he breaks one of the few rules—don’t go in Grandma’s room—to borrow a clown doll and hide it under Sarah’s pillow. The doll vanishes, kicking off a string of strange events. Could Sarah have caught wind of the prank? Or is there actually an army of animated clown dolls after him? What starts off as a series of blink-and-it’s-gone doll spottings quickly escalates into nonstop harassment; soon, the dolls also begin targeting Victor’s sisters and his friend Gareth. Victor goes to his grandmother for help, only to find she’s unconscious from a mysterious ailment—Victor knows it must be connected to the clowns, raising the stakes for him and his loved ones. Although the setup is somewhat contrived, the fast pacing and short chapters ending with ominous final lines quickly get readers to the good stuff. The book also makes clever use of design, breaking up sentences across multiple lines at key moments. The big climax and denouement are followed by a delightful twist. Victor and his siblings have olive skin and dark curly hair; Gareth is Filipino.
Solidly executed, with fast and frequent frights. (Horror. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781339012155
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart.
A boy who visits a little free library gets more than he bargained for when he becomes a sleuth caught up in the middle of his town’s most enduring mystery.
Ever since a tragic fire destroyed the Martinville Library, the town has been left without a place to borrow books. That is, until a little free library suddenly pops up, guarded by a fluffy orange cat named Mortimer. Fifth grader Evan McClelland selects two books from its shelves. Inside them he finds puzzling clues that lead him to chase down the real story behind the library fire. The book is told from multiple perspectives, including those of Evan, Mortimer, and ghost librarian Al, who perished in the blaze and is responsible for the upkeep of the little free library. Evan’s tenacious and curious character is relatable. His relationship with likable best friend Rafe, a brave, kind boy with overprotective parents, is easily one of the most endearing parts of the story. The puzzle over the library fire, a secret involving Evan’s family, a popular writer’s connection to Martinville, and the supernatural elements are presented in ways that are just right for middle-grade readers. The pacing is strong, and the twists and turns are satisfying even if perceptive readers may catch hints of the ultimate truth along the way. Physical descriptions of the human characters are largely absent.
A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781250838810
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Supernatural mystery meets generational drama with hopeful endings for all.
Eleven-year-old Frank must solve a supernatural mystery to save his new home.
As fifth grade comes to an end, Frank Fernández is looking forward to finally staying put in Alabama for a second year, as promised, after a childhood spent following his parents’ home renovation work all across the country. Frequent relocation has made Frank wary of forming friendships or making plans, but his hopes for more stability are temporarily dashed when his parents announce plans to renovate a lighthouse in the Florida Keys, near where his mother grew up and his father’s home country of Cuba. Papi promises this will be their last move, though: The lighthouse will be theirs. But from their first day on Spectacle Key, things seem to go wrong: Tensions rise between his parents, and Frank’s hopes of a forever home are under threat from seemingly supernatural forces. In order to put down roots, Frank and new ghostly friend Connie, a White girl with freckles, must discover what secrets the island is hiding, uncovering Frank’s own family roots along the way. Frank is a fan of horror—he names his new Great Dane puppy Mary Shelley. But though there is some mild peril to be found, rather than a ghostly thriller, this is an appealing, lightly spooky family drama with valuable lessons for those who would hide from a difficult past instead of confronting and healing generational trauma.
Supernatural mystery meets generational drama with hopeful endings for all. (Supernatural. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-313481-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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