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SCRITCH SCRATCH by Lindsay Currie @SourcebooksKids


Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★★

For fans of Small Spaces comes a chilling ghost story about a malevolent spirit, an unlucky girl, and a haunting mystery that will tie the two together.

Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She’s a scientist, which is why she can’t think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she’s made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he’s gone.

Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad’s ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her.

Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something…and Claire needs to find out what before it’s too late.

SCRITCH SCRATCH is a fantastic and spooky middle grade book that blends Chicago history, an intriguing ghostly mystery, and a story of friendship. Claire’s 7th-grade year has been a challenge, with her dad’s ghost tour business being super embarrassing, and a new girl moving in to steal her best friend.

Claire is a scientist and doesn’t believe any of that paranormal nonsense her dad is pushing, until one night she’s forced to help him on his ghost tour, and a very troubled spirit follows her home. Claire must overcome her fear of new situations and new people, while using her tried and true scientific method to solve the mystery of the ghost boy.

“Look for the story history doesn’t tell, because that might be the one that matters.”

As the parent of a middle grader, I feel like SCRITCH SCRATCH had just the right amount scariness for this age group, and the Chicago history woven into the story was fascinating. I ended up researching all of the places and events mentioned for even more details and pictures. I had heard the legend of Resurrection Mary, but the rest were new to me. Some were truly heartbreaking.

I loved the message of friendship and the rewards of opening your heart to new people. Claire’s relationship with her older brother Sam was wonderful too. SCRITCH SCRATCH is the perfect spooky read for Halloween or any time you’re in the mood for a chilling ghost story. Highly recommended!

— 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through the Early Reads program from Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.

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CLIMATE CHANGE FOR BABIES by Chris Ferrie @SourcebooksKids


Publisher: Sourcebooks Explore
Release Date: August 18, 2020
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★★

A colorfully simple explanation of the science behind climate change, from the #1 science author for kids!

Climate Change for Babies is an engaging, basic introduction for youngsters (and grownups!) to the complex questions of what climate change is and what we can do about it. Full of scientific information and written by experts, this timely installment of the Baby University board book series is perfect for enlightening the next generation of geniuses. After all, it’s never too early to become a scientist!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of CLIMATE CHANGE FOR BABIES. This simple yet informative board book is meant for the youngest of book lovers, but its message on climate change will educate readers of all ages. The drawings and colors will draw the attention, but it’s the lesson that’s important. The author uses terms and concepts that very young children can relate to, such as referring to our atmosphere as a blanket, and that global warming makes us too hot under the blanket. I’m sure the pictures of cows passing gas will have kiddos giggling. Not only does the book explain what happens when we don’t take care of our home planet, it presents ways we can help the Earth before it’s too late.

— 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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What I’ve Been Reading Lately 📚 #DarkCorners #HushCollection

“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here, with summer’s best of weather, and autumn’s best of cheer.” — Helen Hunt Jackson

Instagram 📷 | Pinterest 📌 | Goodreads 📖

📙 THE SLEEP TIGHT MOTEL by Lisa Unger (★★★★★) | A Dark Corners short story from Amazon. Lots of creepy goodness packed into less than 50 pages! A woman running from an abusive ex and the police takes refuge in a roadside motel on a isolated stretch of highway. Even though Eve is the only guest, she keeps hearing weird and disturbing noises at night coming from the room next door. Is she brave enough to find out what’s happening on the other side of the wall? Highly recommended to fans of spooky motel stories.

📘 SLOW BURNER by Laura Lippman (★★★★★) | A Hush Collection short story from Amazon. An intriguing dose of domestic suspense! I loved this one. Phil was caught cheating once, and has promised not to do it again. Liz believed him, until she finds his secret burner phone that suggests otherwise. Instead of confronting him, she quietly reads his back and forth flirty texts with another woman. Realizing that he will never change, what will she do? Great twisty ending.

📙 HANNAH-BEAST by Jennifer McMahon (★★★★) | A Dark Corners short story from Amazon. Yikes. This was a horrifying and gruesome Halloween tidbit. Find out what a group of mean girls from 1982 and 30+ years of guilt will do! Enjoyable, yet disturbing, psychological suspense.

📘 I KILLED ZOE SPANOS by Kit Frick (★★★★) | Very good! This novel is a young adult psychological suspense with a Rebecca-like atmosphere and a modern twist — a teen-hosted true crime podcast. Recommend if you enjoy Gothic mystery/suspense. Read for the B&N YA Book Club.

📙 THE SEARCH PARTY by Simon Lelic (★★) | Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review THE SEARCH PARTY. Unfortunately this book wasn’t my cup of tea. I was intrigued by the premise, and the intro sure grabbed me — until the teenagers started their monologues. Their chapters were just ramblings, and honestly I could barely differentiate between the speakers. I did enjoy Detective Fleet’s character, and it was a relief to return to his POV. The twisty ending was exciting, but overall I didn’t enjoy THE SEARCH PARTY like I did his previous thrillers.

— 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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Reading Challenge: READERS IMBIBING PERIL XV 🦇 @PerilReaders 🎃 #RIPXV 🕷️

🦇 It’s time once again for my favorite fall reading challenge, Readers Imbibing Peril! It’s very simple, just read as many mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, or Gothic books as you’d like between September 1st and October 31st, and discuss on Instagram or Twitter.

🎃 Use #RIPXV or tag @PerilReaders to connect with other challenge participants!

🕷️ Books I’ve read for RIPXV:

  1. ONE STEP BEHIND by Lauren North
  2. SCRITCH SCRATCH by Lindsay Currie
  3. THE HEATWAVE by Kate Riordan
  4. THE TWO MRS. CARLYLES by Susan Rindell
  5. THE COMPANION by Katie Alender
  6. THE VACATION by T.M. Logan
  7.  

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ONE STEP BEHIND by Lauren North


Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: ★★★½

A woman pushed to the breaking point by a stalker develops an obsession of her own in this shocking new novel of psychological suspense from the acclaimed author of The Perfect Son.

Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She’s also the victim of a stalker. Frightening “gifts” are left on her doorstep, her home is broken in to, and when she leaves her house to take her children to school, he’s waiting. She feels powerless, and the police are unable to help.

Then her stalker is brought into the emergency room after a terrible accident, and Jenna has to treat the man who’s been tormenting her for months. With her stalker in a coma, Jenna is desperate to understand the life of this seemingly normal man. When she finds startling images on his phone, she is consumed by her need for answers–and her own obsession leads her down a twisting path of destruction.

Just how far is Jenna willing to go to take back control of her life?

ONE STEP BEHIND presents an intriguing and difficult dilemma for main character Jenna, a mom, ER doctor, and victim of a relentless stalker. After a year of receiving threatening messages and disturbing “gifts,” Jenna is at the breaking point. The police have made no progress in the case, and Jenna fears for herself and family. Then one day her stalker is wheeled into the emergency room near death after an accident. Now that she has control over his life, how far is she willing to go?

This book is a fast-paced and tense domestic thriller that shows what can happen when someone is threatened and put under mental stress for so long. Jenna’s behavior gets a bit wacky as she investigates her stalker, but I can’t say I blame her. I enjoyed how Jenna’s chapters are written in second person, with the “you” she’s talking to being her stalker.

The author crafted several red herrings and suspicious characters that kept me guessing. I thought the alternating chapters with another character, particularly the backstory, dragged a bit. Another quibble I had was that I thought the final twist, the “reasoning” behind the stalking, was a bit unbelievable. Still, it was an intense ending to wrap up the story. Recommend to readers who would enjoy a cat-and-mouse mystery.

— 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.