A delicious mix of sensitive domestic troubleshooting and flesh-creeping horror.
Family issues aren’t all that haunt an English boy after he discovers a dead body behind a wall.
Peter gets along fine with his younger half brother, Adrian, but he has mixed feelings about his stepfather, George. He’s become even more brusque and rigid since beginning renovations on Old Splinter, the long-abandoned mansion where they live in Barghest-on-the-Moor. There turns out to be something to the local belief that the house is cursed, as Peter discovers after finding not only the stinking corpse of its former owner but a spiderlike “wishing claw”—a mummified hand capable of granting any wish before making it go horribly, horribly wrong. Offering mild comic relief before Peter’s ill-considered wishes and their consequences spiral into a frantic, howling climax, the author gives Peter’s loving mother a macabre hobby (doing taxidermy on roadkill) and then has his increasingly terrified characters dig into Adrian’s beloved horror comics for monster-coping strategies. (Research is research, right?) By the end, the bodies and body parts are properly disposed of, and Peter feels like he’s fitting better into his family (after pointed internal musings about “the silence of fathers” who struggle to express their feelings). Readers searching for an out-and-out screamfest will be well satisfied by Mackay’s sophomore novel, but plenty of personal conflicts enrich the tale’s emotional underpinnings too. Peter and his mother are cued white, while George, who’s Asian, is from Hong Kong.
A delicious mix of sensitive domestic troubleshooting and flesh-creeping horror. (Horror. 9-13)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780593693865
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits.
An ocean-dwelling ghost girl confronts powerful forces.
Graciela is dead. She fell from a cliff into the ocean in a terrible accident, only to awaken as a ghost in an underwater community of spirits—souls of those who have died at sea. Her Guide and friend, Amina, teaches her how to navigate this new existence, from performing duties that make “the living world more bearable by keeping the sea in a delicate balance,” to the rules that protect them from the living. Amina dreams of joining the Almas, powerful spirits who guard the ocean’s secrets from the castle Salemúria, but Graciela is desperate for Amina to stay with her. Meanwhile, Jorge Leon, a boy from a long line of blacksmiths, is trapped by his brutish parents in a life of cruelty. His only joy is crafting whimsical toys from metal scraps. When Jorge discovers a sinister harpoon forged by his treasure-hunting ancestor—one capable of killing sea ghosts—he attempts to render it harmless but accidentally sets off a dangerous chain of events. When Graciela’s and Jorge’s paths cross, they must work together to confront and defeat evil forces. With breathtaking underwater worldbuilding and eerie details, Medina’s latest immerses readers in Graciela’s ghostly realm, and they’ll root for the unlikely duo on their perilous quest. The Balbussos’ hauntingly beautiful illustrations enhance the story. The characters and setting evoke Spanish and Portuguese cultural influences.
A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits. (map, color guide, glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781536219456
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An action-packed story of legacy, identity, and the enduring spirit of Puerto Rico.
Cousins team up for a summer of discovery.
Nico’s summer plans for a family trip from New York to Puerto Rico, where he was born, are upended when his parents decide to stay behind to “work things out”—it will be Trial Separation Number Two. Instead, Nico travels solo to stay with Abuela. He reunites with cousins Kira and Nessie, who are also spending the summer there without their parents. Still reeling from being wait-listed by LaGuardia, a prestigious arts high school, Nico hopes to redeem himself by winning a prize at a film festival with an entry that celebrates the magic of Puerto Rico and could earn him admission. But when the cousins spot a shadowy creature on the island, their project takes a supernatural turn. As they investigate the mysterious presence, they uncover connections to Taíno mythology, deeply buried family secrets, and some very real dangers. With richly detailed writing, heartfelt and comedic dialogue, and an honest spotlight on Puerto Rico’s real-life struggles (including the impact of natural disasters and economic woes), Piñeiro’s latest is a vibrant blend of contemporary coming of age with mythological adventure. Nico’s unforgettable summer is deeply rooted in love for family, storytelling, and the history of a place that is both magical and real.
An action-packed story of legacy, identity, and the enduring spirit of Puerto Rico. (map, author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781728230559
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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