A fast-paced roller-coaster ride of a novel that effectively blends the familiar with the uncanny.
A sleepover at an amusement park in Georgia turns terrifying.
New eighth grade student Brie Turner has her sights set on befriending the wealthy, pretty, popular girls everyone calls “the Ems”—Emma Bryan, Emerson Smith-Robinson, and Emily Bell. She’s gleeful when a field day triumph leads to an invitation to Emily’s birthday party: The four of them will have an overnight stay at Wildwoods, a nearby amusement park. But Brie begins to see a darker side to the Ems, especially when a game of Truth or Dare leads to her being trapped in an off-limits part of the park with “no adults, no lights, no working bathrooms”—on the anniversary of a 1995 accident that killed four teenagers. She encounters some older teens, CJ, Dawn, and Trip, who take her under their wing, and she revels in their acceptance and camaraderie, but she’s soon plagued by dark visions and ends up in genuine danger even though her new friends put themselves at risk to help her. The frights are accompanied by strong messaging about bullying and the value of being yourself and finding friends who like the real you. Dawson’s smooth writing brings the well-drawn amusement park setting to life. Characters are largely white presenting or racially ambiguous; Brie has tan skin that’s “genetic,” Emerson has beaded braids, and Dawn is Asian.
A fast-paced roller-coaster ride of a novel that effectively blends the familiar with the uncanny. (map) (Horror. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780593486832
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart.
A group of bright friends tackles the puzzle of their lives.
Elmwood, New Hampshire, 11-year-old Gina Sparks is small in stature but big on reporting ongoing dramas for the local newspaper with support from her journalist mom. When an unbelievable scoop comes her way, Gina must rely on her tightknit crew of sixth grade best friends whose initials happen to spell GEEK, a label they choose to proudly reclaim. She and science-minded prankster Elena Hernández, theater kid Edgar Feingarten, and driven math genius Kevin Robinson decide to get to the bottom of things when they learn that the Van Houten Toy & Game Company heir made elaborate plans to leave everything to the town of Elmwood before her death—but only if a member of the community could solve an intricate multistep puzzle. Gina hopes that deciphering the clues and finding the missing fortune will be just the thing to revitalize the down-on-its-luck town and bring the Elmwood Tribune back into the black, saving her mom’s job and Gina’s passion project. The GEEKs work together, using their individual talents and deductive reasoning skills to unravel the mystery. Infused with media literacy pointers, such as the difference between fact and opinion and reminders to avoid bias when reporting, the story encourages readers to think critically. Gina and Edgar read as White; Elena is cued as Latinx, and Kevin is implied Black.
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37793-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Contagiously goofy and fun.
Area 51 gets its first new resident in 5 years—and a new mystery.
When her grandma moves into a kid-free retirement home, 12-year-old orphan Priya “Sky” Patel-Baum and Spike, her pet hedgehog, relocate to Area 51 to live with Sky’s eccentric Uncle Anish. At 51, humans and Break Throughs (government-speak for aliens) live together off-grid in harmony. Unfortunately, several Zdstrammars (one of many Break Through species) mysteriously disappear, disrupting the base’s harmony and contributing to feelings of suspicion. Despite being deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations, Uncle Anish becomes a prime suspect. Can Sky and Elvis, her alien classmate, prove Uncle Anish’s innocence and find the missing Zdstrammars before it’s too late? YA author Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose. The cast of Break Through species—like Audiotooters, Galzorian, and Sanitizoria—have hilariously creative on-the-nose names with illustrations to match. Sky is coded biracial, with a White dad and Indian mom. Aliens appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors; Elvis shape-shifts but looks like a brown-skinned boy to Sky. Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs.
Contagiously goofy and fun. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42946-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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