It Watches in the Dark by Jeff Strand My rating: 4 of 5 stars It Watches in the Dark is a fantastically-tense Spooky Middle Grade story, and the first book in the all-new Eek! series by veteran Horror author, Jeff Strand. I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover. How devilishly-divine is that scarecrow!? It’s giving me all the Autumnal vibes that I cherish in my every day life. Jumping into this one, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I ended up enjoying it so much. The writing is fluid and engaging, with eerie Horror imagery throughout. I loved how quickly it kicked of ..read more

Goblin Monday by R.L. Stine My rating: 3 of 5 stars **3.5-stars** Goblin Monday is the 2nd-book in the House of Shivers series. This entire franchise holds a very special place in my heart, and I was excited when I learned that Stine was adding another limb to the Goosebumps family tree. I really enjoyed the 1st-installment, Goosebumps: House of Shivers: Scariest. Book. Ever., when I read it last year. It was fast-paced, with a great antagonist and spooky creatures. Overall, a very solid Goosebumps read. Jumping into this one, I was feeling confident and loved how this one kicked off. The set ..read more

Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 5 of 5 stars After taking 7-months off, I’ve finally decided to return to my TBR-Haul Project. For those who don’t know, this is a self-imposed project for myself, essentially aimed at crossing books off of my backlist TBR of purchased books. Basically, I buy a ton of books and then never read them. My Reading Journal contains a spread each month of books hauled and I have been going through them month-by-month, and picking a few off that list to finally pick up. It had been going quite well. I’ve found quite a few 5-star reads via this project. But then i ..read more

Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls by R.L. Stine My rating: 4 of 5 stars Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls is the 31st-book in the Classic Goosebumps reprint series. I read this one in a couple hours after receiving it for Christmas. I am happy to report it’s definitely one of the fun ones. It’s not perfect, but as Goosebumps go, it’s pretty darn good. A great way to pass a relaxing afternoon. In this story we meet Spencer and he’s a little awkward, not necessarily one of the popular boys. He gets picked on a bit, made worse when he is forced to read an essay he had written aloud to the class and hi ..read more

15 Secrets to Survival by Natalie D. Richards My rating: 4 of 5 stars 15 Secrets to Survival is a Middle Grade Survival Thriller and is a Middle Grade debut for beloved author, Natalie D. Richards. I have enjoyed quite a few YA-stories from Richards, including Five Total Strangers and Four Found Dead, so I was very excited when I learned she was going to be branching into the Middle Grade genre. I always enjoying seeing what an author I have enjoyed can do in a new space. It can be hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit for me. As expected, Richards brought some serious thrills and i ..read more

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 5 of 5 stars Furthermore has been on my shelves since its release in 2016. Y’all may remember, this was a darling of BookTube upon its release and also, look at this dang cover. I had to have it. But then like many books before her, she sat on my shelves, neglected for years. Recently, I participated in a Middle Grade Readathon and one of the prompts was the read a book that had been on your TBR for a long time. I immediately thought of this one and am so happy that I finally picked it up. This whimsical Fantasy story follows Alice Alexis Queensmeadow ..read more

Abeni’s Song by P. Djèlí Clark Abeni’s Song is the Middle Grade Fantasy debut of beloved and award-winning SFF-author, P. Djèlí Clark. I love reading Middle Grade and have found a lot of joy over the years within the genre. As soon as I heard about this, I knew I had to read it. I’ve really enjoyed Clark’s writing in the past and was super interested to see what he would do in the MG-space. In this story we follow Abeni, a young girl, who on Harvest Festival day, loses everyone in her village to raiders and a man playing a cursed flute. The villagers are marched away, lured by the song, to gh ..read more

Under the Smokestrewn Sky by A. Deborah Baker My rating: 4 of 5 stars **3.5-stars rounded up** Under the Smokestrewn Sky is the 4th-installment of Seanan McGuire’s, writing as A. Deborah Baker, Up-and-Under series. A magical Middle Grade series loosely-connected to McGuire’s Alchemical Journeys; an Adult SFF-mindblower. While technically this is classified as Middle Grade Fantasy, it is actually perfect for Readers of all ages, containing quite a few philosophical and science-based elements. Speaking of elements, each book in this quartet is constructed around one of the four classical elemen ..read more

Slappy Birthday to You by R.L. Stine My rating: 3 of 5 stars Slappy Birthday to You is the first book in the Goosebumps Slappyworld series by R.L. Stine. This book was first published in 2017 and features Stine’s iconic ventriloquist dummy character known as Slappy. I decided to pick this one up because ventriloquist dummies, well actually, all dolls scare me. I wouldn’t be able to sleep in a room that had a doll in it, for example. That doll would find themselves shoved in a closet on the far side of the house. Preferably, a closet with a lock on it. In this story, we meet Ian Barker, who is ..read more

Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson My rating: 5 of 5 stars **4.5-stars rounded up ** The small town of Beacon Point has a long and lurid history of eerie local phenomena. People disappear on the regular and creepy creatures are sighted just as regularly. The adult residents of the town prefer not to talk about these unpleasantries, so they tend to turn the other way, or sweep unsavory incidents under the proverbial rug. Regardless of the adults lack of action. over the course of several increasingly scary nights, a group of the local kids are forced to work together to try to find out the truth a ..read more