(2) 4-6 As his younger sister, Lola, loves to point out, twelve-year-old Arlo is afraid of everything. He has significant reasons to be anxious: his mother has just recovered from cancer; his father (divorced, with a new family) hardly seems to notice him and Lola; and now he, Lola, and their mom are stuck in a weird old-fashioned town after a car accident. Livermore is quaint, with a tiny schoolhouse and open hearths, but behind the vintage allure lies a sinister thread that Arlo picks up on right away. Why is there no cell service? Why don't the townsfolk use electricity? And why do they keep whispering behind closed doors? Arlo must convince Lola and Mom to leave Livermore before it's too late and they learn, perhaps fatally, what nameless horror the town had awakened over a century ago. Equal parts spooky and charming, the story offers plenty of suspense and relatable ties to real-world difficulties. Arlo, Lola, and Mom form a heartwarming triangle of familial loyalty and dogged optimism. Even if readers have worked out the mystery before the story's denouement, the promise of Arlo's growth into bravery will keep pages turning until the very end.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(3) 4-6 Kallie finds safety and control in a predictable life of numbers and science. That control unravels, however, when she receives a puzzle box made of bone and her orderly life becomes entangled with a fantasy world. In this intriguing plot, Kallie learns about her own family and begins to understand the power of story and complexity of truth.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Hadley wants her life back--before her mom married Ed, Hadley gained a stepbrother, and they moved into a decrepit old house. After Hadley finds a dollhouse replica of the house in the attic, she discovers her wishes change reality. Switching between present and past, the story's darkness slowly unfolds as Hadley learns that wishes can be dangerous and not all endings are happy.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Sarah Watts. During a trip, Quinn, her best friend Kara, and Kara's family stop at the mysterious Inn Between. In the morning, Kara's parents have disappeared, stranding the girls at the inn, and strange, spooky happenings convince them that they are in danger. Readers who like their stories scary--but not too scary--will enjoy the blend of mystery and understated horror.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers