Geo Librarian

IT FOUND US by Lindsay Currie Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2023 ISBN:978-1728259499 Source: eARC from publisher through Netgalley. Middle grade Horror (Fantasy/Speculative fiction) Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From the author of Scritch Scratch and The Girl in White comes a new spooky mystery about a girl detective who must decode a series of ominous clues tied to a century-old tragedy to find a missing teenager before it’s too late… Twelve-year-old Hazel Woods has always had an unusual knack for sleuthing. Some may call it snooping, but all she really wants is to solve mysteries around town. So, when she not-so-accidentally overhears her brother Den planning to sneak into the cemetery at night for an epic game of hide-and-seek, she decides to secretly tag along. This seems like the perfect opportunity to investigate the claims that the cemetery is haunted. But the moment the game ends, Hazel re...

THE CURSED MOON by Angela Cervantes Scholastic Press, 2023 ISBN:   9781338814019 Source: publisher through NetGalley Ages 9-12 Middle grade horror All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Rafael Fuentes discovers he will be attending summer school just as he's getting ready for his mother to be released from jail.  He dreads both things. But he loves writing and telling scary stories. Even after he's warned by a neighbor to avoid telling scary stories during the blood moon, Rafa can't resist telling one after an argument with his grandparents about his mother, whom he refuses to forgive for the neglect he and his sister experienced. But it quickly becomes clear that the warning Rafa received was all too real and now elements of the stories he told are coming to life threatening his sister and his friends. Rafa teams up with his school nemesis who is also being haunted to try to figure out what's going on an...

THE GRIFFINS OF CASTLE CARY by Heather Shumaker Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5344-3088-4 Middle grade speculative/fantasy/scary Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Siblings Meg, Will, and Ariel Griffin are off on an adventure! They can’t wait to spend a week vising their eccentric aunt and her giant, tongue-drooling Newfoundland dog in England. But when they finally arrive, they’re faced with a few local secrets that stir up more than a little trouble. Add in some very peculiar lights, strange new friends, a police chase and some stampeding sheep, and the Griffin kids are in over their heads—literally. Apparently this town has a ghost problem and the three children must race to solve the mystery before the ghosts take something that doesn’t belong to them. REVIEW When Meg and her siblings, Will and Ariel, visit their Aunt Effie in England, they are hoping for an enjoy...

SMALL SPACES by Katherine Arden G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-525-51502-9 Source: purchased Middle grade speculative/fantasy Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke H...

SPIRIT HUNTERS by Ellen Oh Harper, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-243008-3 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy/horror) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK We Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh returns with Spirit Hunters , a high-stakes middle grade mystery series about Harper Raine, the new seventh grader in town who must face down the dangerous ghosts haunting her younger brother. A riveting ghost story and captivating adventure, this tale will have you guessing at every turn! Harper doesn’t trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. Harper isn’t sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely. The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can’t remember why. She knows that the memories she’s blocking will help make sense of her brother’s behavior and the strange and threatening sensa...

DEAD CITY by James Ponti Aladdin, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4424-4130-9 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Ages 9-12 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Most kids have enough to deal with between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and friends, but Molly Bigelow isn’t your typical tween. By day, Molly attends MIST—the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology—but it’s what she’s learning outside of school that sets her apart from her classmates. Molly is a zombie hunter, just like her mother. This, however, is news to Molly. Now she must come to terms with not only the idea that zombies exist, but also that they’re everywhere, and it’s her job to help police them and keep the peace. Sure, she’d like to be a regular kid, but “regular” just isn’t possible when it turns out the most revered (or feared, depending on your perspective) zombie hunter in the history of New York City is your mother. It seems Molly’s got some le...

TOOK by Mary Downing Hahn Clarion Books, 2015 ISBN: 9780544551534 Middle grade horror/speculative (fantasy) Ages 9-12 Source: school library All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK “Folks say Old Auntie takes a girl and keeps her fifty years—then lets her go and takes another one.”      Thirteen-year-old Daniel Anderson doesn’t believe Brody Mason’s crazy stories about the ghost witch who lives up on Brewster’s Hill with Bloody Bones, her man-eating razorback hog. He figures Brody’s probably just trying to scare him since he’s the new kid . . . a “stuck-up snot” from Connecticut. But Daniel’s seven-year-old sister Erica has become more and more withdrawn, talking to her lookalike doll. When she disappears into the woods one day, he knows something is terribly wrong. Did the witch strike? Has Erica been “took”? REVIEW Mary Downing Hahn has become one of my go to authors for middle grade scary books.  I've found her books fit int...

GUYS READ: TERRIFYING TALES edited by Jon Scieszka Walden Pond Press, 2015 ISBN13: 9780062385581 Middle grade horror (speculative/fantasy) Ages 10-14 Source: school library All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Be afraid, be very afraid of  Terrifying Tales , the sixth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading. Eleven masters of suspense—Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia—have come together to bring you a bone-chilling collection of original ghost stories with illustrations by Gris Grimly, perfect for sharing around the campfire, reading under the covers with a flashlight, and scaring your friends’ pants off. Compiled and edited by kid-lit madman Jon Scieszka,  Guys Read: Terrifying Tales  is a creepy-fun read (if you’re brave enough, that is).  REVIEW This book reminds me why I'm ...

THE CURSE OF THE WERE-HYENA A Monstertown Mystery by Bruce Hale Disney-Hyperion, 2016 ISBN: 978-148471325-9 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK What do you do when your favorite teacher starts turning into a were-hyena? a) Flee in terror? b) Try to cure him? c) Bring him carrion snacks? Mr. Chu, the coolest teacher ever, has developed some very unusual habits, like laughing hysterically for no reason, sniffing people's homework, and chasing chickens. When best friends Carlos and Benny decide to find out what's happening to him, they get caught up in some moonlight madness. And it looks like just the beginning of the weirdness that has arrived in the town of Monterrosa. . . . This first entry in a silly, sassy, and suspenseful new series will leave readers howling with laughter. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale is passionate about inspiri...

THE NORTHERN FRIGHTS Scary School #3 by Derek the Ghost, scary pictures by Scott M. Fischer Harper, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-06-196098-7 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In The Northern Frights, the third book in the spooky Scary School series, Charles “New Kid” Nukid and his friends, including Lattie, a girl ninja, must fight an epic battle with an ice dragon to save their school. But first they must survive going to Scream Academy as exchange students. And that may be hard, because the Academy has an abominable snowman for a principal, a Headless Horseman as one of the teachers, and the students are yetis, trolls, and ogres! Will Charles survive to make an ancient prophecy come to pass and save everyone? The illustrated Scary School trilogy by Derek the Ghost, with its mix of humor, scares, and adventure, is a perfect pick for middle-grade readers of the Wayside School series and the Zach Files books. REVIEW There aren't a ...

GHOSTLY EVIDENCE Exploring the Paranormal by Kelly Milner Halls Millbrook Press, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4677-0593-6 MG/YA Nonfiction Grades 5 and up Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own . ABOUT THE BOOK Do you believe in ghosts? Enter the realm of the paranormal with Kelly Milner Halls. Explore what ghosts are, where they're found, and meet some famous ghost busters. Check out the high-tech equipment modern ghost hunters use, and see their most convincing evidence that ghosts are real. Finally, take a look at a few famous hoaxes. This book is a little bit spooky and a whole lot of fun! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kelly Milner Halls specializes in high interest, well researched nonfiction for young readers. Her books include TALES OF THE CRYPTIDS , SAVING THE BAGHDAD ZOO , IN SEARCH OF SASQUATCH and ALIEN INVESTIGATION . But she is also an avid YA fan and loves realistic fiction including GIRL MEETS BOY , the anthology she edited for Chronicle (January...

THE NIGHT GARDENER by Jonathan Auxier Amulet Books, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4197-1144-2 Middle Grade Fantasy Grades 4 and up Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK This much-anticipated follow-up to Jonathan Auxier’s exceptional debut, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes , is a Victorian ghost story with shades of Washington Irving and Henry James. More than just a spooky tale, it’s also a moral fable about human greed and the power of storytelling. The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making. REVIEW I've been hearing lots of good things about this book so I'v...