X Marks the Haunt

X Marks the Haunt by Lindsay Currie is exactly the kind of book I wish existed when I was in middle grade, and it was a ton of fun - and a little scary! - as an adult.

Will’s mom is the cemeterian, or, as Will says, the “everything”, at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, and Will enjoys helping her, especially when he can investigate, like when someone needs help finding a specific grave.

When his class takes a field trip to the cemetery- thanks to its historical significance and recent designation as an arboretum- Will is afraid his classmates will find out his mom runs it and tease him the way they do Toby “Body Boy” whose parents own a funeral parlor.

Instead, thanks to a class bully and some new friends, he ends up on the biggest investigation of his life - identifying the ghost who is haunting him and put it to rest.

X Marks the Haunt doesn’t condescend to its young intended audience in language or style. When a word or concept is likely to be unfamiliar to a reader, Currie expertly defines it in context or through a character’s dialogue in a way that’s natural to the story - and to the way 12 year olds talk - to which I can attest thanks to my middle grade aged nephews.

X Marks the Haunt is a perfect horror for a young reader; it has some truly creepy moments that will chill - maybe even cause a nightmare or two, like the best ones do when you’re a kid, but it’s also educational, especially around cemetery and funeral work. It can even teach a child about grief as Will and his mom are mourning his father’s death a year earlier, and Currie has Will take the time to talk about his feelings about that in the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for the advance copy for my unbiased review.