Ultimately rewarding and wholly satisfying for close and patient readers.
Eerie episodes abound in this tightly plotted sequel.
Following Tales To Keep You Up at Night (2022), this carefully crafted follow-up introduces Gilbert Campbell, who, after receiving a cryptic message from his brother, Antonio, learns that Ant has been in a terrible accident and is in the intensive care unit. In the message, Ant warns Gilbert, “don’t listen to the tapes”—but a mix of worry and curiosity gets the better of Gilbert, and he listens to the 13 ominously titled tales. As Gilbert settles down with the cassettes, which he finds alongside a vintage yellow Walkman, the line between reality and fiction starts to blur. Spanning a wide spectrum of topics and including a spooky susurrating seashell, a maniacal mannequin, an alarming amusement park, and an insidious ice cream truck, the stories explore both new and classic horror tropes. The early entries feel somewhat underbaked, some concluding with a frustrating abruptness or seemingly not wrapping up at all, but it is imperative for readers to continue. Poblocki weaves an intricate yarn, cleverly mixing the two narrative threads with an adept hand. Reading like a mashup of Goosebumps and The Twilight Zone with a healthy dose of Black Mirror, this series (which begs for both installments to be read together) is a surefire hit for horror aficionados. Expect the shivers to last long after the final page is turned.
Ultimately rewarding and wholly satisfying for close and patient readers. (Horror. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9780593387504
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
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