FREMONSTERS

Three school friends go hunting for ghosts and discover that monsters are real in this middle-grade adventure from Marie.

Cody Kistler moved from California to Fremont, Ohio, at the start of fifth grade. Now he and his best friend—goofy, ketchup-obsessed Brad—have started high school. After dark they like to play at ghost hunting along with Cody’s neighbor and second-best friend (not girlfriend), Stevie. One night at the local cemetery, the three ghost hunters hear an inhuman shriek and stumble upon a crystal coffin. This proves to be the first of several coffins they uncover—and their first supernatural encounter. Mythical creatures are loose in Fremont, connected in some way to all the old schools that are being torn down and replaced. Cody and friends are determined to investigate, but the beasts are shape-shifters. In human form they could be anyone from Cody’s new teachers to the strangely dressed, disconcerting artist whose works underpin the library’s new mythical creatures exhibit. Events come to a head over Halloween at the Haunted Hydro theme park. Can Cody, Brad, and Stevie identify the summoner of monsters, or will the triad of evil—ancient creatures of the air, sea and land—run rampant? Marie, the author of Brutus Makes a Mask (2020), writes in the first-person, past tense from Cody’s point of view, imbuing him and Brad and Stevie with engaging teen personalities. Other characters come and go and never detract from the story, but it’s the three protagonists who pull readers in. Their dynamic is delightfully realized, full of banter, compassion, and, occasionally, abrasion, balanced with the burgeoning awkwardness that comes from maintaining a boy-girl-boy friendship triangle among adolescents. Realistic dialogue adds to the believability, and the story unfolds in crisp prose. Older readers might find the mystery element relatively undeveloped—or at least too quickly resolved. Some may also feel that Marie doesn’t fully establish the stakes of having elemental creatures unchecked in the world. A death or two would certainly have added some horror credibility. But that is to an extent immaterial. Events play out at a rapid pace, and younger readers will revel in the implied threat—and hope this will be the first of many adventures for Cody, Stevie, and Brad.

A fast, fun, and freaky tale in the Halloween spirit.