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CREEPY CLASSROOM

From the Orca Shivers series , Vol. 1

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

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THE BELLWOODS GAME

Beautifully creepy.

Sixth grader Bailee Heron must win a ghostly game to keep her town, her family, and herself from losing everything.

On Halloween in 1982, sixth grader Abigail Snook disappeared in the Bellwoods forest behind Beckett Elementary. Now, every Halloween, Beckett’s sixth graders have to play the Bellwoods Game, or her ghost will terrorize the town for the next year. If she catches you, and you don’t have a gift to sacrifice, the ghost will take something else—like your tongue. But if you manage to ring the old bell in the woods first, you’ll banish her for another year, and she’ll give you anything you want. Bailee, lover of all things horror, just wants things to go back to normal. Ever since the factory closed two years ago, her parents have worked long hours to make ends meet, often leaving Nan and Bailee alone. Then Nan got sick at the same time a vicious rumor ostracized Bailee from the rest of the class. Winning the game is Bailee’s only chance to set things right, but she soon learns everything is not as it seems in the town of Fall Hollow, where stories are weapons, friends come from strange places, and Abigail Snook isn’t the scariest thing hiding among the trees. This gorgeously illustrated, atmospheric, and evocative debut captures the fun of being scared and the hard truths of middle school. Bailee presents White; names and illustrations point to some racial diversity in secondary characters.

Beautifully creepy. (Supernatural. 9-13)

Pub Date: July 18, 2023

ISBN: 9781665912501

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023

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THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE

From the Lockwood & Co. series , Vol. 1

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

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