Middle Grade Monday: The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly. 240 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. September 16, 2025. 9781546132431. Review of arc courtesy of the publisher. 

Middle Grade Monday features a review of an arc I finally got around to reading, The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly. I'm sorry it took so long. 

This was fun, even if horror is my least favorite genre. It's also multi-platform, where readers can scan a QR code and speak to three ghosts from the many haunting the inn where twelve-year-old Lila has to spend part of her summer after her Grandpa Clem dies. 

She doesn't want to leave her Arizona home at the start of summer before seventh grade. Her friendship with Lexi and Ava is on the skids and she has to repair it before school starts. To make matters worse, they are driving from Arizona to Ohio because her dad is afraid to fly. Lila has a "near death" experience along the way and when the family arrives at the inn, she discovers she can see ghosts, of which there seems to be many inhabiting the inn, including her grandfather's. She has never met him, but she recognizes him from photos. He claims that he was murdered before flickering out. It's up to Lila and her neighbor Teddy to get to the bottom of this mystery.

This fast-paced tale has plenty of suspense and features a relatable tween dealing with realistic friendship issues along with surprising grief over the grandfather she never met. 

The QR code in the arc brought me to the site for the book and a demo. If you click on the link to the image, you can check out the demo. The actual book will feature more. The Last Resort is a series starter and sure to be a hit with your tween lovers of horror. It strikes just the right note of scary. 

The second book in the series, The Claiming, was written by Jasmine Warga and was released in late January. I'm ordering it now, because, you know, I don't like horror. 

Teen Tuesday: I am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew

Image: Scholastic Inc.

I am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew. 368 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., March, 2025. 9781546104483. Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.

Teen Tuesday features I am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew.

Thomas Walsh has been working odd jobs ever since having to leave college to support his chronically ill, deaf mother. He interviews for a job with a wealthy businessman as an ASL interpreter for his daughter. The job is a good distance away, but the pay would go a long way towards helping the family financially. 

Vivienne has been mute since her disappearance at age four which left her traumatized. What most people don't know is that she is possessed and if she does speak, anyone who hears her voice dies. Of course, Thomas does not know this. Her parents are controlling and keep her on a short leash and Vivienne is determined to make Thomas' job difficult. 

This horror/ romance hits the ground running and doesn't let up! Chapters switch point of view between Thomas and Vivienne breathlessly. Tension is high throughout this page-turner and is sure to please high school fans of horror with a side of romance. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai

Image: Macmillan

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai. 160 p. Henry Holt and Co (BYR)/ Macmillan, August 13, 2024. 9781250323354.

Happy Wednesday! And happy first day of break to our school community! Whether you're headed to camp, a family trip, or just chilling at home, be sure to make a stack of books for summer reading!

Waiting on Wednesday features Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai. Ms Lai's illustrated novels, Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall, along with her graphic novel, Pawcasso, are very popular with my students. Mark your calendars for August 13, when her latest illustrated notebook with be published.

Here's the publisher synopsis: Read at Your Own Risk is the spine-chilling illustrated sketch diary of a kid who is being haunted after a game goes terribly wrong and an evil spirit starts conversing with her on the page.

"The journal format of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets the thrills and chills of R.L. Stine in this middle-grade horror." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Hannah and her friends were just having a bit of fun when they decided to play a game to communicate with spirits of the dead. Little did they know something would answer their call and crawl its way into the pages of Hannah’s journal. What started out as a game has turned into something much more evil. With dire, horrifying consequences.

Is there any way to escape the curse?

Read at Your Own Risk sounds deliciously creepy! I've ordered a copy for our library collection because I always have fifth and sixth graders asking for horror. What books are you looking forward to being published? 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Image: Penguin Random House

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass. Unabridged e-audio, ~8 hours. Read by Kevin R. Free and Michael Crouch. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio, July, 2021. 9780593411513. (Review of downloadable audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Happy Tuesday! It's pretty cold out there! The moon sure was pretty to watch though. Some strange critter or critters must have been in the neighborhood because the dogs were yanking me here and there to check out the scents. 

Teen Tuesday features The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass. Jake is a closeted junior at a mostly white private high school where his brother is the popular one and where he has to deal with micro-aggressions, overt racism and classism. He can't imagine how he'd be treated if he came out. He also can't imagine what would happen if people knew his other secret. He's a medium. He can see dead people-all around him, all the time. It's kind of hard to concentrate in math class when you can see ghosts stuck in their death loops. They're mostly harmless though. He's untrained and doesn't know how to control his power. Unfortunately, there's Sawyer, the sixteen-year-old who walked into his school the previous year and killed six people before killing himself. He's an angry ghost, opposite of harmless and out for revenge.

This dual-narrative switches between Jake's POV and Sawyer's journal entries. It's creepy and suspenseful and the horror is not limited to ghostly, but the real horror what real people can sometimes do to their fellow humans. If you're a mature teen who loves the horror genre, The Taking of Jake Livingston should be on your list of books to read.

Both narrators did a lot to bring this book to life. Kevin R. Free brought an earnest likability to Jake and Michael Crouch excels at portraying evil. 

#tbt: The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Image: Simon & Schuster

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. 434 p. Simon & Schuster BFYR/ Simon & Schuster, September, 2009. 9781416984481. (Own.)

#tbt features The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. This gothic horror novel is the diary of Will Henry, an orphan who was taken in by Dr. Pellinore Warthrup, pre-eminent monstrumologist. Will has to assist the fussy doctor in all manner and at all hours. When they are awakened late one night by a visitor bearing the body of a young girl with the monster that killed her still attached and still feeding one her, Will and Dr. Warthup's already dangerous occupation is about to get real. 

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It's grisly and suspenseful and better suited to a mature teen reader. If you are a fan of horror, The Monstumologist should fill the bill - sure to make you gasp and gag and possibly scream. It is the first of a four book series. The Monstrumologist was published in 2009 and named a 2010 Printz Honor book. The cover has changed over the years but my favorite happens to be the original, which I could only find on Wikipedia, so I took a picture of my first edition copy. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Image: Scholastic

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab. City of Ghosts series #2. 304 p. Scholastic Inc., September 3, 2019. 9781338111040.

Publisher synopsis: Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter — and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger. And if Cass fails, the force she's unleashed could haunt the city forever.

Phew! Luckily, I don't have long to wait for this release!

Friday Memes: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: HarperCollins

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. Skulduggery Pleasant series #1. 384 p. HarperCollins Publisher, May, 2018 (Re-issue). 978008248789.

Publisher synopsis: She's twelve. He's dead. But together they're going to save the world. Hopefully.

The iconic first book in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source – the wisecracking skeleton of a dead sorcerer…

First Line: Gordon Edgley's sudden death came as a shock to everyone—not least himself.

Page 56: 
     "Sometimes. I try not to depend on magic these days, I try to get by on what's up here." He tapped his head.
    "There's empty space up there."
     "Well, yes," Skulduggery said irritably, "but you know what I mean."
     "What else can you do?"
     "Sorry?"
     "With magic. Show me something."
     If Skulduggery had eyebrows, they would most likely be arched. "What, a living skeleton isn't enough for you? You want more?"

This was a reread for me and I reviewed it on Wednesday. But I just love the series and thought the excerpts particularly enticing/ intriguing. 

#tbt: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan. Cirque du Freak series #1. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April, 2001. 9780316603409. (own.)

#tbt features A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan. This is book one of the twelve book, Cirque du Freak series. It was originally published in the U.K. in 2000 and subsequently published in the U.S. in 2001. It is the first-person, "true" story of Darren Shan, who along with his friend Steven,  wins a ticket to an illegal freak show. Steven wants to become a vampire, Darren is fascinated by the giant trained poisonous spider. Both of their lives change when Darren decides to steal the spider. The book was adapted for film in 2009. If you like horror, you will enjoy this series. 

#tbt: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman. 176 p. HarperCollins Publisher, July, 2002. 9780380977789. (Own.)

#tbt features Coraline by Neil Gaiman. This fantasy/ horror novella was published in 2002. It won a Hugo Award for best novella and made the ALA and NYPL Notable books lists, among others. In 2008, P. Craig Russell adapted it into a graphic novel format. It was made into a feature-length stop-motion film in  2009. 

When Coraline moves with her parents into a flat in an old house, she discovers a door into an alternate universe where she has an "other mother and other father." These others are much more fun than her real parents, only they have one disturbing feature: their eyes are made of black buttons and they want Coraline to have black buttons sewn into her eyes. This short, quick read is creeptastic.

Teen Tuesday: Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray. The Diviners book 3. Unabridged audiobook on seventeen compact discs. 21 hours and 21 minutes. Read by January LaVoy. PenguinRandom House, October, 2017. 9780449808832. (Reviewed from finished recording borrowed from public library. Print copy purchased.)

This Teen Tuesday is not for the faint of heart or the average middle school reader. Additionally, don't read Before the Devil Breaks You without reading the first two books of The Diviners series, The Diviners and Lair of Dreams. This paranormal horror story is set in New York City during the Roaring 20s. Evil has been unleashed on the world and the ghosts are restless. They are being amassed by The King of Crows, aka The Man in the Stovepipe Hat, and it's up to The Diviners to get to the bottom of the mystery of who was responsible for releasing the king. Spectral menaces are not the only danger for the crew. The Shadow Men are also after them. As the Diviners move closer to uncovering the meaning of The Buffalo Project, their lives are at risk. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers panting for the next installment.

I adore this series. I read The Diviners as an arc with my eyes and reread it with my ears when the book released. I was positutely tickled by January LaVoy's performance. She really brought an already amazing story to yet another level of brilliance. I made a conscious decision to read Lair of Dreams with my ears. Again, the range of LaVoy's voices and her consistent excellence in keeping track of all those distinct voices is just astonishing. Before the Devil Breaks You hits the ground running. New characters are introduced. The suspense ratchets up. Surprises are unfolded. All-in-all, quite magnificent and chilling.

The Daily Booktalk: Teen Tuesday: Gone by Michael Grant

Gone by Michael Grant. 576 p. Gone series #1. HarperCollins Publishers, June, 2008. 9780061448768.

It's the last Tuesday of summer vacation! Just think, Summer readers, I will see your smiling faces in a week from today as we start another fun and successful school year together! The Teen Tuesday feature is a sci-fi/ horror genre-blender called Gone by Michael Grant. It is the first book in the six-book Gone series. It's just another school day in the fictional town of Perdido Beach, California. Sam is zoning out, thinking about surfing when, poof, his teacher is suddenly gone. Blinked out of existence along with every other person above the age of fourteen as well as all forms of communication - no cell phones, television or Internet. Later, the kids find an impenetrable barrier. Their initial glee over the absent adults soon turns to fear as they realize the potential dangers of fire, illness and injury and dwindling food. Then, there are the bullies who take charge. It's a sort of modern day Lord of the Flies but with a supernatural twist.

The Daily Booktalk: Teen Tuesday: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel. 304 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August, 2011. 9781442403154.

You may be aware of Mary Shelley's gothic horror novel, Frankenstein, published in 1820. Canadian author Kenneth Oppel wondered what Victor Frankenstein was like as a teen. He wondered what happened in his youth that shaped his desire to create life out of "non-living matter" as an adult. Victor lives in a castle on the shore of Lake Geneva with his twin brother Kondrad and Elizabeth, their beautiful cousin. The three stumble upon a secret room in the castle and when Victor's father discovers this, he makes them promise never to go to it again. But Konrad falls ill and Victor is convinced that the secret to making him well lies in that room. This story is atmospheric and compelling. Readers with familiarity of Shelley's masterpiece will be tickled by the allusions and foreshadowing but knowledge of the story is not required. This Dark Endeavor is book one of a duology that concludes with Such Wicked Intent.

Kenneth Oppel visited our school in the fall of 2011 to talk about the writing of the novel. Note the original cover on the screen. We've got many of his novels in the library. Come on in and check them out. Here's a link to his website and here's a link to the book trailer that S&S created. 

Arc Review: The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale

The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale. Monstertown Mystery, Book 1. 204 p. Disney/ Hyperion, July, 2016. 9781484713259. (Review from arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Carlos and his bff and fellow comic nerd, Benny are rocking fourth grade because they have Mr. Chu, the coolest of the cool teachers, one who doesn't mind jumping on desks and dressing in costume to make his lessons interesting. Only, ever since he got bitten by a weird dog, he has been acting stranger and stranger. In addition to growing hair on his bald head, he has taken to alternately growling and giggling and can sometimes be downright scary. Carlos and Benny decide they need to do some research and so, after school, they head to the...comic book store! The proprietor is a former lady wrestler who is now confined to a wheel chair and who takes Carlos' and Benny's concerns very seriously.

Bruce Hale has a keen eye for humor and action aimed at the middle grade readers, especially reluctant middle grade readers. Hale has a mystery series (Chet Gecko) and a spy/ thriller series (School for Spies) under his belt. With this new horror/ mystery series, he seems poised to write something for every kind of reader. 

A nicely diverse cast of characters people the pages. There's plenty of action, humor, red herrings and plot twists to keep the pages flying and the reader guessing. The Monstertown Mysteries series is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Just gory enough to satisfy the young reader who wants scary.

Blog Tour: Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler

Horror and suspense stories and me do not mix. They are just not the type of books I gravitate toward. In fact, I force myself to read them. They make me antsy. If they are not done well, I become impatient. When they are, I have to either read the book in one sitting (like yanking off a bandaid) or put the book away and pace the willies off. I have students who love them and are frequently in asking for suggestions; so I read them. 

Review spoiler alert: Ghostlight is now my go-to book for middle school students seeking a scary read.

Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler. 247 p. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House, August, 2015. 9780553522143. (Review from arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media)

Avery and her brother spend summers with their maternal grandmother in rural Georgia. There are several houses on the property, one of which is rented to a country singer and his son, Julian, a budding film maker. The other is Hilliard House, a decrepit old mansion that Avery is forbidden to enter. When she was seven or eight, she disappeared one day and her grandmother found her asleep in the house. The shock of the beating she received has kept her away.

But, with a boring summer looming thanks to her brother's rejection of their game that involves an imaginary kingdom and the promise of friendship making a film with Julian, Avery reluctantly agrees to helping Julian get into the house to film a ghost story.

While atmospheric and properly creepy, this is so much more than a ghost story. Themes of changing relationships, friendship and family history are woven into a truly suspenseful ghost story. Quite a few folks in the neighborhood seem to be hiding secrets from Julian to Avery's grandmother to an elderly acquaintance and Avery aims to find out all she can about the house and its tragic inhabitants.

I recently booktalked this and there's a waiting list. I hadn't known about the great trailer when I did or I would've shown it. Click here to view it and click here to visit the author's web site. A first purchase for middle school and public library collections. I will have to check out Ms. Gensler's YA paranormal historical fiction soon.

The blog tour continues tomorrow at Word Spelunking. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour.

Mon, Sept 14	Cracking the Cover	http://www.crackingthecover.com/
Tues, Sept 15	Ms. Yingling Reads	http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/
Wed, Sept 16	Charlotte's Library	http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/
Thurs, Sept 17	The Book Smugglers	http://thebooksmugglers.com/
Fri, Sept 18	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Mon, Sept 21	The Hiding Spot	http://thehidingspot.blogspot.com/
Tues, Sept 22	Proseandkahn	http://proseandkahn.blogspot.com/
Wed, Sept 23	Word Spelunking	http://wordspelunking.blogspot.com/
Thurs, Sept 24	The Book Monsters	http://thebookmonsters.com/
Fri, Sept 25	GreenBeanTeenQueen	http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/
Mon, Sept 28	The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia	http://hauntedorchid.blogspot.com/
Tues, Sept 29	Kid Lit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Wed, Oct 1	Mother Daughter Book Club	http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

353 p. Little Brown & Company, April, 2012. 9780316182881. (Review from arc supplied by the publisher.)

The brains at NASA decide to mark the 50th anniversary of the moonwalk and reignite interest in the space program by sending a crew that includes three teenagers to spend 172 hours on the moon performing experiments in a previously unknown research facility that had been built in the 70s. 

The three teens were chosen through a lottery system that was internationally promoted. Two are willing participants, each seeking escape, but the third, Mia, was a reluctant participant. Her parents submitted her name. She was intent on refusing until she realized that the trip could be great publicity for her band. 

Told in the third person from multiple points of view, the reader learns early on that there is something up on the moon. Each of the teens also experience eerie premonitions as well. Readers willing to overlook giant plot holes will find this creepy tale tense and atmospheric. It would make a great movie. I also think the cover is phenomenal. Moody black and white photographs are sprinkled throughout the story and some recovered "notes" follow part 3, Afterward. These were difficult to read in the arc form and the author's note was marked tk. I'd be interested in reading it.

This import from Norway was the author's YA debut. Give to fans of Sci/Fi thrillers.