Kids Horror
LOST ON DOLL ISLAND by Cassandra Ramos-Gomez
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The publisher’s summary
Rick Riordan meets R. L. Stine in this fast-paced debut middle grade horror packed with adventure about a Mexican American boy who starts hearing the voice of a haunted doll while visiting family in Mexico City.
Diego feels trapped. He’s confined in an arm cast, stuck with his tía and tío for a week in Mexico City, and smothered with the sickening fear that he’s the one who really caused his parents’ divorce. But most of all, he’s trapped in his own secret. Because ever since he got to Mexico City, he’s started having strange dreams of a doll calling his name.
Then Diego learns of La Isla de Muñecas, an island full of legendary magic that can make children’s wishes come true. If Diego can harness the power there, maybe he could fix everything that has gone wrong in his life.
So, with the help of two new friends, Diego takes a boat to the legendary island. From the moment the kids step ashore, nothing is as it seems—with dolls disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, Diego is more trapped than ever before, and as the night goes on, he’s not sure he can escape.
My recommendation
With its delightful blend of humor and spine-tingling horror vibes, this book was a page-turner from beginning to end. The eerie atmosphere stayed with me long after I closed the book while the rich setting and grounded cultural environment added depth. This book is an essential addition to middle grade horror collections. Congratulations to Cassandra Ramos-Gomez on her thrilling debut!
THE CURSE OF THE DEAD MAN’S DIAMOND by Christyne Morrell
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
While still grieving her beloved grandmother’s death, twelve-year-old Charlie faces another emotional upheaval when her father abruptly moves their little family from their New York City apartment to a dilapidated house in coastal Florida. Charlie is desperate to escape her swampy new life in a creepy, creaky Victorian mansion.
And that’s before she learns about the curse.
A new classmate, Sarah, tells Charlie that the couple who built the house found a diamond on the seashore, washed up from a wealthy man’s burial at sea. Now, after their tragic deaths, these ghosts are trapped inside the mansion, and Sarah wants nothing more than to free them by finding the cursed diamond and returning it to the sea. Charlie agrees to help Sarah search for the diamond because she has a secret plan of her own: to sell the diamond so she and her dad can afford to move back to New York. But as the ghosts begin to make their presence known and school bullies thwart Charlie and Sarah at every turn, Charlie starts to wonder whether her plans will ever come to fruition–and if they did, whether the devastating consequences to the ghosts and her budding friendship with Sarah would be worth the reward.
Morrell has produced another quirky, speculative middle grade novel which will delight readers as much from its character depth as its transportive adventure. As Charlie struggles to untangle the mystery of the missing diamond, her relationships with friends and family get caught under the magnifying glass, forcing her to come to terms with her own past before she can commit to a vision of the future. This book would make a great addition to any public or school library collection as well as an excellent pick for a middle grade book club!
THE CURSE ON SPECTACLE KEY by Chantel Acevedo
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Frank Fernández was looking forward to finally spending a second year at the same school. As fifth grade ended, he had plans with his best friend and the prospect of a cool summer internship at the public library. But then his parents blow his plans to smithereens: they finished their renovation job early, so they will all be moving. Again.
The only consolation is that this time, the historic landmark they’ll be living in and fixing up won’t be a place they plan to sell. It will be their forever home, a lighthouse in the Florida Keys, close to Frank’s grandfather and more connected to his dad’s Cuban culture. But when the family arrives on Spectacle Key, things immediately start to go wrong. The local historical society is protesting their renovations, the dilapidated lighthouse itself seems to be trying to drive them away, Frank’s parents are always arguing, and to top it all off, Frank stumbles upon an old ruin inhabited by a scared, lonely girl who can’t remember who she is or where she came from and who no one but Frank can see. As strange happenings multiply, Frank and his invisible friend suspect that the key to breaking the Spectacle Key curse must be to discover the girl’s true identity–even if it means facing the unpleasant possibility that she might be a ghost.
Atmospheric and spooky, Acevedo’s speculative mystery focuses on uncomfortable truths in personal and community histories and the importance of confronting them to bring about healing and growth. Although creepy, the story stops short of being a truly terrifying horror, keeping friendship and hope in the forefront throughout. I’d recommend this one to fans of middle grade ghost stories and eerie mysteries. It could also suit for a middle grade book club.
THE SMASHED MAN OF DREAD END by J.W. Ocker
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Noe wasn’t particularly upset about moving to a new neighborhood. It’s not like there was anything left for her in her old neighborhood or her old school–not since her sleepwalking cost her her best friend. But the new neighborhood (Dread End, as its street sign proclaims) isn’t exactly full of friend potential. In fact there are just a couple of mopey, creepy girls, and all they seem interested in doing is telling Noe to stay out of her basement.
So of course, that’s the first place Noe goes.
It doesn’t seem like anything special. A dirt floor. A washing machine. A few cracks in the walls. But when Noe sleepwalks downstairs at night, she discovers the dark secret her neighborhood hides: a paper thin man with a grotesquely smashed face who oozes out of the cracks in the basement walls of all the houses on Dread End. Only children can see him, and the Dread Enders have pretty much accepted that there’s nothing they can do to get rid of him, especially since the last girl who tried to fight him wound up in a coma. But Noe knows that all monsters have rules, and all monsters can be beaten. She just needs to figure out how–before she sleepwalks into his clutches.
I am in love with this inventive middle grade horror novel! The monster was as original as it was thoroughly blood-chilling, and the heroines wouldn’t give up, even in the face of terror and the possibility of bodily harm. What a fabulous ride! I highly recommend this one to upper elementary and middle school fans of the genre.
DEEP, DARK, AND DANGEROUS by Mary Downing Hahn
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Ali is so excited to get away from her overprotective mother for the summer and stay at the old cabin on the lake with her aunt and cousin, Emma. She feels a little bad for going, knowing how frightened her mother is of the lake. But it will be fun to babysit for Emma. And more importantly, maybe Ali can solve the mystery of the torn picture of her mother, aunt, and a mysterious girl that Ali found in the attic. The summer starts going all wrong, though, when a girl named Sissy shows up and starts taunting Emma. Ali tries to keep her cousin away from the “bad influence,” but instead uncovers a tragedy that may still be haunting the old cabin–and her mother’s memories.
Not as creepy some of MDH’s other books, this ghost story is more mysterious than harrowing. It will be good for middle grade readers who are looking for a less scary ghost story or who enjoy character driven mysteries.
ALL THE LOVELY BAD ONES by Mary Downing Hahn
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Corey and Travis are bad. Not evil, but mischievous. They were “not invited back” to summer camp as a result of all of the pranks they pulled last year, so instead their parents send them to spend the summer at their grandmother’s bed and breakfast inn in Vermont. They are afraid the summer may be boring until they find out that the inn is supposed to be haunted. Their grandmother insists that all of the ghost stories are nonsense, but Corey and Travis realize they could have a lot of fun pretending to be ghosts and frightening the guests. That is, until they accidentally wake the real ghosts from their sleep. . . .
Mary Downing Hahn excels at writing creepy ghost stories with a historical twist. In this particular story, the realistic depiction of a nineteenth century poor farm is perhaps more horrifying than the ghosts themselves. A great scary story with an interesting history behind it. I highly recommend it!
WAIT TILL HELEN COMES by Mary Downing Hahn
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Molly genuinely wants to be friends with her stepsister, Heather. When the whole family moves out to an isolated home in the country, Molly hopes that she and her new little sister will be able to do things together–or at least get along. But Heather is spoiled and self-absorbed and shows no interest in getting along with Molly or her brother, Michael. In fact, she seems determined to get them in trouble with their mother and stepfather whenever possible. As they get settled into their new house, however, Heather’s torments become more sinister. She begins threatening Molly with an imaginary friend called Helen, and Molly begins to suspect that Helen is not as imaginary as her parents believe. With her parents blaming her for the destruction that Helen causes, it is all up to Molly to figure out who or what Helen is and to protect Heather from her new “friend.”
Mary Downing Hahn has written some great ghost stories for children. Wait Till Helen Comes is one of my favorites. It is scary and suspenseful without relying on the shock value of grotesque content. Elementary and middle grade readers who enjoy ghost stories should definitely check this one out!
If you liked Wait Till Helen Comes, you might like The Seer of Shadows by Avi.
Susan the Librarian 