Twelve-year-old Edgar Alden, also known as “Poe,” has always been an outcast. Obsessed with the macabre, he’s never remotely hit it off with other kids. Only Grandma ever really understood his love for the supernatural, but when she dies and his parents move into a dilapidated house on the other side of town, things for Poe quickly go from bad to worse.
You see, Poe has a roommate. A dead one. A 12-year-old ghost named Violet, who’s been stuck haunting Poe’s room for longer than she can remember. Violet is territorial, kind of annoying, and tethered to the human world by her doll, Baby Jessica.
But Poe quickly discovers that Violet isn’t the only spirit haunting his house. There’s a vengeful, violent entity in his basement. And it’s up to Poe to find a way to help them both cross to the other side.
I think opening lines are really important. I’m not going to print the opening line of CREEPY KID here (actually whatever, it’s on my Bookstagram, ha!), because you should just go buy a copy because it’s an awesome book! But I think if an opening line can make you legit laugh out loud and at the same time get a complete grasp of what the main character is all about, that’s a pretty special thing.
I forget when or how I first heard about Caleb Roehrig’s debut middle grade horror novel CREEPY KID, but it was quite awhile ago & I preordered it immediately. I imagine getting an R. L. Stine blurb to go on the cover of your middle grade horror novel is pretty much the equivalent of an adult horror novel with a Stephen King blurb! Add in one of the best-looking covers this year (the incredible artwork is by Teo Skaffa) and everything about this book should be screaming BUY ME from bookstore shelves!
And oh, this is absolutely the most fun you can have reading middle grade horror! CREEPY KID has an utterly perfect blend of humor, spookiness, and incredibly heartfelt moments. This is one of my favorite middle grade horror reads of the year, no doubt!
Edgar Alden, better known as Poe, doesn’t fit in.
And he likes it that way, to be honest. He’s obsessed with all-things-spooky, dresses all in black, and pretty much embraces the moody goth vibe all year long. Sadly, the person who always supported Poe’s proclivities for the macabre, his Grandma, has just died.
On top of trying to process all the grief he’s feeling, Poe & his parents have moved out of his Grandma’s house where they all lived together, to a spooky old dilapidated house on the other side of town.
So for Poe it’s like…yay spooky house? But also…he has to go to a new school, and deal with an entirely new set of bullies giving him a hard time.
Additionally, that new/old house? Totally haunted. Which again, for Poe, this is ostensibly a good thing. But in reality, he’s sharing his new room with a the ghost of a young girl named Violet, and the two DO NOT get along. There’s also something much more malevolent than Violet in the basement, something that does not want Poe & his family in the house. It’s up to Poe & Violet to figure out who or what exactly is haunting the house, and whether or not Poe and his parents will ever be welcome.
I’m just so impressed with Caleb Roehrig’s ability to balance the funnier moments in this book with the more serious elements. Poe is this perpetually grumpy, sarcastic kid (deeply relatable), and he tends to keep a lot of his feelings to himself (also relatable). Or rather, it seems like he’s lost the person he was most comfortable sharing with. And so he’s feeling lost, and he’s grieving hard, and I just felt so much love for this kid. He’s got this tough outer shell, but underneath that, he’s a kid with a lot of big feelings.
Additionally, the bullying that Poe faces at school is significant & upsetting. Obviously this only made me root harder for Poe, but I just figured it’s worth mentioning that there are multiple scenes where Poe is bullied at school, as this could be upsetting for some folks.
CREEPY KID is a total gem of a book, and definitely gets a place on my list of middle grade horror novels I’d recommend to someone who was looking to try the genre for the first time. It’s hysterically funny at times, and almost painfully sweet at others. The spooky vibes & ambience are perfect for October, so highly recommend adding this to your Halloween TBR!
