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All the lovely bad ones
a ghost story
192 pages
A deliciously spooky descent from playful summer pranks into a chilling confrontation with a tragic, restless past.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like telling ghost stories around a campfire that suddenly burns a little too cold. It begins with a sense of playful, sunlit summer mischief, but quickly shifts into a genuinely eerie, dread-tinged atmosphere as the shadows lengthen. The prose is accessible yet highly atmospheric, expertly ratcheting up the tension without relying on gore, making it perfect for younger readers testing their bravery. You are pulled into a chilling historical mystery where the stakes feel incredibly real, anchored by a strong sibling dynamic. It delights readers who love the cozy-yet-creepy sensation of a haunted inn, offering a satisfying emotional journey from foolish pranks to profound empathy and courageous redemption.
- Mood
- chilling
- atmospheric
- dread-tinged
- cozy-yet-creepy
- Tone
- mischievous
- suspenseful
- earnest
- eerie
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- consequences of mischief · historical injustice · sibling solidarity · laying the past to rest
- The writing
- Clear and accessible, relying on sensory details and creeping shadows to build suspense rather than graphic descriptions.
- The arc
- Begins with playful, lighthearted mischief before plunging into genuine dread and culminating in a courageous, empathetic resolution.
- Who it's for
- Young readers transitioning into horror who crave a genuinely spooky, atmospheric ghost story with a historical mystery at its core.
Content notes
- historical child abuse
- ghostly scares
- death of children
- bullying
About the book
TRAVIS AND HIS SISTER, Corey, can’t resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother’s quiet Vermont inn, where they're spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little "haunting” of their own. But their supernatural pranks awaken something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Only Travis and Corey can lay to rest the spiteful spirit they've stirred. This means discovering the secret of Fox Hill and the horrors visited on its inhabitants years before...
Description from Open Library.
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