Four new middle-grade books are full of haunted locales, strange powers, and queer characters of various identities. Supernatural adventures await!
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Emma and the Love Spell, by Meredith Ireland (Bloomsbury USA). Add a dash of magic and a splash of queerness to The Parent Trap and you might get a book like this one, starring a Korean American girl in the small town of Samsonville, New York—“kind of an off-brand-Salem”—who is trying to master her new powers to stop her best friend (and crush) Avangeline’s parents from divorcing and moving Avangeline out of state. A lively plot full of (mis)adventures and magic.
The Doomsday Archives: The Wandering Hour, by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos, illustrated by Julian Callos (Zando). Emrys Houtman has just moved to New Rotterdam, a contender for one of America’s Most Haunted Cities. Emrys has ADHD and anxiety and has often felt like like an outsider, but he has high hopes for life in New Rotterdam, where he becomes obsessed with compiling information about the city’s cryptids and creepypastas (horror legends). Things go from speculative to real, however, when people in the town start going missing, and Emrys and two friends (one of whom has two dads) are plunged into a world of secret societies, mysterious relics, and world-shaking powers. A spooky series starter with some unexpected depths.
The School for Invisible Boys, by Shaun David Hutchinson (Labyrinth Road). A tale that blends supernatural powers and monsters with some well-crafted lessons on belonging, forgiveness, and choosing to do what is right. When sixth-grader Hector asks his best friend Blake to be his boyfriend, Blake (despite having two moms) breaks off their friendship and starts bullying Hector. Hector retaliates, which only exacerbates Blake’s actions and encourages other boys to bully him as well. When hiding from Blake one day, however, Hector discovers he can become invisible. This at first seems like a superpower but soon reveals a dark side: lost and abandoned things (including other students) are trapped in invisibility and stalked by the tentacled gelim, which preys on their fears. Can Hector defeat the gelim before he is stuck forever in its realm? And is there any hope for his broken friendship with Blake?
Night of the Living Zed, by Basil and Kevin Sylvester (HarperCollins). Zed Watson, the flamboyant nonbinary protagonist of The Fabulous Zed Watson! is back with their friend Gabe for another humorous early middle grade mystery-adventure. This time, the pair are after the secrets of Glyndebourne Manor, the supposedly haunted home of a late, great opera costume and set designer. Every 25 years, the Manor’s caretakers host a challenge, where participants have three days and two nights to solve the puzzles in each room before the stroke of midnight. The winner gets a fortune; but to win, you can’t leave before the time is up—and no one has ever lasted for more than one night. Quirky protagonists, fast-paced dialogue, lots of action, and a hefty dose of humor laid on top of a gothic-style mystery (with a dash of queer history) make this a recommended and spooky delight.