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HIDE AND SEEKER

Name: HIDE AND SEEKER
Author: Daka Hermon
ISBN: 978-1-338-58362-5

by Daka Hermon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2020

A chilling debut—like the Seeker, a tale that doesn’t let you go.

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Justin and his friends play their last game of hide-and-seek at their friend Zee’s not-so-welcome–home party.

Zee had gone missing one week after Justin’s mother passed away just one year ago, and the party is celebrating his return. But the emaciated Zee is acting strangely, mumbling rhymes about a Seeker that will take them all. Shortly after the party, one by one, Justin’s other friends begin to disappear. It doesn’t take long for the remaining members of the crew to figure out that Zee’s strange behavior may be connected to the disappearances. Justin, Nia, and Lyric set out on a trail of clues and possible suspects, hoping to find their missing peers. No sooner do the details of the mystery begin to come to light than Justin, the last of the group, is unwillingly transported into the realm of Nowhere. In this parallel universe, the Seeker keeps children hostage, feeding off of their fears. This dark nail-biter, set in a small Tennessee town and featuring a largely African American cast (Lyric is the only white kid), weaves a creepy spin on a childhood game that quickly slips into a Stephen King–esque tale of horror. Can the children trapped in Nowhere gather as allies to evade the Seeker and get home?

A chilling debut—like the Seeker, a tale that doesn’t let you go. (Horror. 10-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-338-58362-5

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL

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THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

From the Cryptid Files series , Vol. 1

by Jean Flitcroft ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2014

Vanessa’s emotional roller coaster takes center stage, but there’s enough Nessie lore and presence to please the most...

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An Irish teenager still grieving for her two-years-dead mother gets some unusual help in this decidedly unpredictable series opener.

A family vacation to Loch Ness at first delights Vanessa, who sees it as a chance to continue her mother’s cryptid research. But that delight changes to rage when it turns out that she’ll be staying at the very cottage where Lee, the woman her widowed father is seeing, grew up and is visiting. Flitcroft’s own research is clearly visible: in the historical notes that preface each chapter, in narrative discussions of theories regarding Nessie’s nature and in detailed descriptions of the Loch’s many natural beauties and distinctive local sites. A fainting spell and other odd incidents presage a dreamlike, life-changing climactic encounter between Vanessa and the fabled monster—which turns out to be far different from the prehistoric survivor common theories hold it (if it exists) to be. It also, astonishingly, serves to bring Vanessa and Lee closer together.

Vanessa’s emotional roller coaster takes center stage, but there’s enough Nessie lore and presence to please the most demanding cryptid fans. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: May 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4677-3481-3

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Darby Creek

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES | CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER | CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL

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BLOOD DIARIES

TALES OF A 6TH-GRADE VAMPIRE

by Marissa Moss ; illustrated by Marissa Moss ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2014

Crisis averted, at the end, Edgar is left looking ahead with fresh confidence to seventh grade. Happily, a planned sequel...

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With understandable difficulty, a sixth-grader with a mighty secret tries to earn acceptance from both his human schoolmates and his undead family.

Motivated by the sheer challenge of it all, Edgar is resolutely bucking the scorn and (historically justified) fear of his immortal clan to attend middle school and even hang out with human friends. Along with steering clear of garlic and crosses (though not sunlight, thanks to Sun-B-Gone potion concocted by his chemist great-grandmother, Morticia LaBelle von Dead), this means not responding to the schoolwide campaign of vicious harassment that vegan classmate Gertie is orchestrating after getting a gander at his blood-and–raw-meat lunches. But when Edgar does forget himself for a moment and flashes his fangs—suddenly he’s cool! As is her custom, Moss lays out Edgar’s diary entries in a legible “hand-printed” type, and she intersperses small line drawings of the characters with labels or side comments. She also provides Edgar with a truly ingenious ploy that both takes the wind out of Gertie’s sails and, in deference to the urgent demands of his horrified family, quashes the rumors of his vampiredom.

Crisis averted, at the end, Edgar is left looking ahead with fresh confidence to seventh grade. Happily, a planned sequel will allow readers to follow him there. (recipe for “Chocolate Blood Pudding”) (Light fantasy. 10-12)