Top YA and Middle Grade Horror Books of March/April
We have eight books in our latest Middle Grade and YA roundup and open with the junior category. Lindsay Currie returns with another enjoyable romp, with an engaging historical slant, with It’s Watching, whilst Gabriel Dylan delivers the fourth entry in his Shiver Point series, Beneath the Ghostly Graves. Both these highly entertaining authors feature in my own YA Horror 400 almanac and are well worth investigating should you not know them. I also thoroughly enjoyed M.R Fournet’s Brick Dust and Bone (Marius Grey book 1) and I also urge you to check out its equally smart sequel.
For YA readers Lily Braun-Arnold’s The Last Bookstore on Earth delivers both an LGBTQIA+ romance and rather literary end of the world, with the main character surviving out in the bookshop she once worked in. Jonathan Stroud concludes his latest trilogy with The Legendary Scarlett and Browne, a fun fantasy romp around a dangerous future version of the UK where many fundamentalist old ways have returned and there are threats (and a few monsters) around every corner.
I found Neal Shusterman’s All Better Now to be rather disappointing, lacking the impact of most of his recent YA fiction, although this is definitely aimed at older kids. We also review Rachel Reiss’s Out of Air a supernatural thriller with an aquatic slant, which is well worth avoiding if you are scared of water. Finally, Amie Jordan’s All the Hidden Monsters is solid entertainment, a murder mystery set in a terrific urban fantasy setting.
Lily Braun-Arnold – The Last Bookstore on Earth
Publisher : Penguin; 1st edition
The Amazon blurb pitches The Last Bookstore on Earth as an “instant New York Times bestselling tale of queer romance and dystopian survival” which is a post-apocalyptic environmental thriller with a literary emphasis. Considering most of the novel (too much) is set in a dilapidated bookshop the many references to other books come as no surprise, cult classic survival thriller A Canticle for Leibowitz gets a few namechecks and perhaps a few teen readers will be interested enough to look up some of these older novels.
The Last Bookstore on Earth does its best to buck the tropes you might find in post-apocalyptic fiction, trying to give us a gentler read with a leading character who would not have survived two minutes before getting munched in The Walking Dead. A year after a huge storm, which kickstarts a worldwide environmental disaster, teenager Liz lives and hides out in the bookshop she once worked in. There are also flashbacks to the period before the catastrophe which reveal what happened to her family.
In the year since the disaster Liz has barely left the bookshop, which she also operates as a trading centre where she exchanges goods for books and collects letters which she tries to connect to those looking for loved ones. As I’ve read so many of these types of books, this aspect of the story was beyond farfetched, as there is virtually no chance a naive teenage girl could control this type of trading centre. However, this was a gentler style of read, so it is easy to forgive.
The story revolves around the arrival of another teenage girl, a wanderer called Maeve who Liz initially clashes with, until a strong friendship and more develops. This sapphic romance takes up a fair bit of page time, whilst in the background there is the prospect and threat of the arrival of another huge storm. The final third of the book does head into more standard post-apocalyptic dog-eat-dog fare, but it is very much a character centred story.
The developing romance is cute, but the story could have fanned out further beyond the bookshop and I found myself wondering about what was going on beyond New Jersey, with little information given beyond rumours about the odd safe haven. Call me a cynic, I also wondered whether anybody would want to trade books (except to burn) after a near-end-of-the-world disaster. But I do like the idea of it! There was little graphic of explicit material and all teens could read this no problem.
AGE RANGE 12/13+
Lindsay Currie – It’s Watching
Publisher : Random House Inc
I am a big fan of Lindsay Currie and featured four of her novels in the Middle Grade section of my YA Horror 400 almanac, Scritch Scratch (2020), What Lives in the Woods (2021), The Girl in White (2022) and It Found Us (2023).
Middle Grade horror does not seem to cross the Atlantic too often, so any UK school librarians reading this need to check Lindsay out, as she has some terrific stuff, which often tie genuine historical events or locations into her supernatural dramas. Like It Found Us, her latest It’s Watching is based around another old cemetery, Batchelor’s Grave, which three kids Josie, Jackson and Alison decide to visit on Halloween Eve and are subsequently frightened by scary sounding text message memes from an anonymous number, which includes a threatening countdown.
I enjoyed the fact that the trio were researching a story for their school newspaper on the Lady in White legend, rather than fooling around, as their cause for visiting the cemetery. After an unexpected chase, their uber takes them back to town and the first meme arrives, stating “I’m watching”. Readers will have fun as the friends unravel the mystery, which humanises the ghost(s) and takes the story into unexpected directions. As with Currie’s other books the mix of fact and fiction was top notch, leading to a very satisfying ending which might inspire other kids to put down their computers or other devices and do some snooping into a local legend of mystery of their own.
AGE RANGE 10-13
Top YA and Middle Grade Horror Books of March/April
Gabriel Dylan – Shiver Point 4: Beneath the Ghostly Graves
Publisher : Piccadilly Press
Since the first book in the Shiver Point series, It Came from the Woods, arrived in 2023 it has been a breath of fresh air in the UK Middle Grade horror scene, perfectly pitched at the top end of primary and as an easy read for those in lower secondary. Book two, A Tap at the Window and three, Under a Howling Book, both followed in 2024 and there has been gossip that the latest Beneath the Ghostly Graves might be the last.
If so, I’ll be sorry there are no more adventures with best friends Mo, Oli, Alex, Riley and Sophie who make up the Shiver Point gang. These books are gentle introductions to popular horror tropes such as werewolves and scary scarecrows, with a solid dash of mystery thrown into the mix. Although the books feature all the characters, Mo is the emphasis in Beneath the Ghostly Graves, the character who has the reputation for being the scaredy cat of the group. I love the fact that his friends simply accept Mo’s quirks and nobody laughs at him for being nervous or hanging at the back.
In book four Mo has to face his fears as he is goaded by his little brother into reciting a ghost’s name three times with a rhyme. Adults who might be reading this aloud to younger kids will quickly realise we are heading straight into Candyman territory as poor Mo ends up on the radar of Blue Bessie, an urban legend and ghost of Shadow Hill Cemetery who likes to play deadly games with anyone foolish enough to utter her name too frequently.
After chanting her name to impress his brother weird things happen and soon a terrified Mo has to call on his friends at the Shiver Squad after his little brother disappears. In a very fast moving story, the gang head to her crypt in the cemetery to try and beat the ghost in a series of challenges and riddles with Mo taking centre stage. I enjoyed the banter between the children and the creature was also well developed in a story which is sure to keep pre-teens on the hook. Beneath the Ghostly Graves is written as a standalone story, but I would recommend reading the books in order.
AGE RANGE 9-12
M.R Fournet – Brick Dust and Bone (Marius Grey book 1)
Publisher : Feiwel & Friends
I read book two Darkness and Demon Song of the Marius Grey series before the first Brick Dust and Bone, so I was very interested in the backstory of twelve-year-old Marcus Grey having to travel into hell to save the soul of his mother via a hair-raising exorcism.
This was an excellent Middle Grade horror featuring a host of supernatural creatures, mermaids, boo hags, boogeymen, the candy lady, wendigos and rougarous. Set in the bayou areas of Louisiana, the supernatural vibe is living and breathing, with the main character working in a cemetery looking after his family’s graveyard. I particularly loved the manner in which the normal and paranormal world coexist, including school, teachers and money, with Marius feeling more at home in the supernatural world. Considering his best friend (a bounty he once tried to catch) is a flesh eating mermaid that should come as no surprise.
Considering I had already book two Brick Dust and Bone still held a few surprises, as when the story opens Marius’s mother has been dead for two years, even though he can still communicate with her spirit, vows to bring her back from the dead via a trip to hell. The second narrative, which continues in the sequel, concerns Marius’s monster hunting activities, which gives him enough (supernatural) money to survive, whilst he struggles in the real everyday world. This was a terrific exploration of grief, beautifully balanced with supernatural action, and a family centred narrative.
AGE RANGE 10+
Top YA and Middle Grade Horror Books of March/April
Amie Jordan – All the Hidden Monsters
Publisher : Chicken House
Aimee Jordan’s All the Hidden Monsters has had some hype and is a smart blend of urban fantasy, thriller, murder mystery and horror with a clever setting. It also features the trendy ‘romantasy’ tag and I’ve also seen the ‘enemies to lovers’ quote also featured, even if is not totally accurate.
The book is told from two perspectives, teenage girl Sage and supernatural investigator Oren Rinallis, who are thrown together after a friend of Sage’s is murdered and she inserts herself in the investigation. The story arc of Sage and Oren was fairly predictable (especially as the romantasy tag is one big spoiler) and much of the juicier sparkier relationship stuff is undoubtedly being saved for sequel All the Lost Souls which is out later in 2025.
Readers will enjoy the banter between the two characters, one of which is a werewolf and the other a warlock (policeman). The policeman reminded me of the main character from Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood and Company, both cocky and confident as he attempts to solve a grisly murder. The setting is one of the strongest features of the book, existing in a place where the supernatural and natural worlds coexist, with some characters being able to move between the two. Events develop into an easy-to-read fun supernatural, which is suitable for any young teens.
AGE RANGE 12+
Top YA and Middle Grade Horror Books of March/April
Rachel Reiss – Out of Air
Publisher : Wednesday Books
Out of Air follows a group of five best friends, although it is narrated entirely by Phoebe “Phibs” Ray, who head to Australia for a scuba diving trip before starting college. The story is presented with ‘before’ and ‘present’ narratives and I felt the book might have been stronger if it had more character points of view, as I quickly grew tired of Phibs and her mooning over one of the boys in the group.
We are repeatedly reminded that the others are from much wealthier backgrounds, with Phibs constantly feeling that she would not be part of the ‘Salty Squad’ if she didn’t provide most of the photography for their successful online social media presence. There is a lot of scuba diving in Out of Air, much of which is spent underwater both before and after the arrival in Australia. Although it was a solid enough read I did find it very slow and wonder whether teens may struggle with the lack of action and get bored with the insecurities Phibs continually suffers from.
After finding some gold coins in an earlier dive, which catapulted their social media presence, the group head to Australia and get sucked into a curse connected to an underwater chamber which also has potentially huge treasures, but at a price. Much of the novel follows what happens to Phibs and the boy she falls for, whilst flicking back to her Alzheimer suffering grandmother.
The novel also focuses on friendships, developing relationships (with Gabe) and discovering who you are, whilst also throwing in some action sequences as there are modern-day pirates also seeking the treasure. The story does morph into body horror, which is graphic in parts, but should still be fine for most readers, I also felt this could have had a more pronounced part of the story given how significant it was.
AGE RANGE 13+
Neal Shusterman – All Better Now
Publisher : Walker Books
I was looking forward to All Better Now, Neal Shusterman is usually very reliable in delivering clever, original and thought provoking thrillers which often have one foot in reality and the other dealing with a clever technological or fantasy concept. His Arc of a Scythe trilogy (2016-19) continues to be one of the most popular series in my school library and I can’t help but think young teen readers expecting more of the same are going to be deeply disappointed by this meandering, dull and overlong effort which is populated with forgettable characters.
Scythe is a teen novel which is accessible to most readers, All Better Now is not, and is aimed at older teens and although there is no sex, violence or much swearing it could easily be taken as an adult novel. It also has many similarities to the Covid pandemic and I am unsure whether teen readers are going to find this particularly interesting, even if it does ask difficult moral questions, a familiar style of Shusterman, apparent in Scythe and his terrific older series Unwind (2007-15). These questions get lost in an overlong novel where for too much of it the characters do not seem to be doing much.
This was a shame as All Better Now has a great main hook, which it fails to deliver on; happiness becomes contagious and if you survive the initial virus (which has a mortality rate slightly higher than Covid) then people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone. But money talks, and there is a complicated conspiracy bubbling in the background to bring back discontent and more normal characteristics.
The way the story is presented mirrors Covid too closely and if you switch anti-vaxxers for some of the characters in All Better Now there is plenty to mirror our reality. The story centres upon three teens (who often seem too much like adults) who get caught in the conspiracy crossfire, coming from different walks of life, from poverty to the son of a billionaire. If aimed at older teens this novel might be enjoyed, but the problem is most kids who might pick it up will be younger and looking for something similar to Scythe, which this most definitely is not.
AGE RANGE 14+
Jonathan Stroud – The Legendary Scarlett and Browne (book 3)
Publisher : Walker Books
Jonathan Stroud finishes off the trilogy, which began with The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne (2021) and continued in The Notorious Scarlett and Browne (2022), in style with the final instalment The Legendary Scarlett and Browne.
The books also feature in my almanac The YA Horror 400. Although they have picked up the fraction of attention received by his Lockwood and Company series they are clever dystopian, kind of post-apocalyptic, with a whiff of Robin Hood fantasy adventure thrillers, with two engaging lead characters who have both chemistry and charisma. In actual fact, master thief, Albert Browne is uncannily similar to Anthony Lockwood, hell, the two teenagers might even be soul-brothers!
As with its predecessors the setting is a major strength of this series, set in the future after an environmental disaster of some kind has meant everywhere has reverted back to something akin to the Middle Ages, even though there is still technology and cars. The UK has been split into seven kingdoms, with one of the southern areas stealing people and selling them as slaves elsewhere.
Scarlett and Albert continue to defy the tyrannical rule of the Faith Houses and steal from them at every opportunity. They help build a community of outcasts and survive by pulling bank heists and freeing slaves with swagger and good humour.
The main plot revolves around Scarlett looking for her brother who was stolen for slavery years earlier and Albert seeks answers about his early life and the special mind reading abilities he begins to develop. The battle against the Faith Houses is on, with the recurring villain from book two returning, albeit with a surprisingly different role. Even if the two leads feel as if they are totally indestructible this was a fine end to a highly creative trilogy. AGE RANGE 12+
Praise for the YA Horror 400 almanac, published in 2024:
“The YA Horror 400 is such a good and constructive push for YA horror.” JEREMY DE QUIDT (YA author of The Wrong Train & The Toymaker)
“An amazing teen horror guide, with fabulous features like fear factor ratings and ‘If You Like This Try” recs. Perfect for librarians, teachers, and anyone who wants to live their best YA horror life” ANN FRAISTAT (YA author of What We Harvest & A Place for Vanishing)
“A must have for anyone looking to help connect younger readers to the best genre in the world. Expertly compiled by Tony Jones” PHIL HICKES (Middle Grade author of the Aveline Jones and Shadowhall Academy series)
“So excited that my books have been featured here. Teachers and librarians – this is the PERFECT resource for you!” LORIEN LAWRENCE (Middle Grade author of The Stitchers series)
“If you’ve ever wished there were an easily accessible almanac of YA horror, I’ve got great news, Tony Jones, who has been reviewing and supporting my work since I first started and is one of my biggest professional cheerleaders has released his YA Horror 400 almanac! I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to contribute to it, too. What a cool project! Go Tony!” AMY LUKAVICS (YA author of Daughters Unto Devils & The Ravenous)
“I want to alert English teachers and librarians to the most definitive resource I’ve ever seen highlighting the best YA horror novels since 2008. 400 of the best dark fiction for readers 9-15+ . Where do you go for advice yourself to know what to purchase? It’s all here. What do you give a middle-grade reader or teen with a taste for the darker side? This … and let them pick and choose their own! CLIFF McNish (YA author of Breathe & The Hunting Ground)
“Librarians! Bloggers! Readers! Educators! I am wildly pleased to see The Call on, and between, the covers of THE YA HORROR 400 by Tony Jones. Reviews of brilliant books, author interviews. Scares aplenty.” PEADAR Ó GUILÍN (YA horror/fantasy author of The Call duology)”
“Great news for teen horror fans! The YA Horror 400 is out! A massive horror almanac w/ fab features including fear factor ratings, articles, notes from authors and much more. Absolutely perfect for librarians, teachers and anyone who reads YA horror.” BRYONY PEARCE (YA author of Savage Island & Raising Hell)
“The YA Horror 400 is a fabulous resource for librarians, parents, and fans of horror kidlit.” Lora Senf (Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Blight Harbor series)
“I highly recommend the YA Horror 400: an almanac of 400 teen horror novel reviews published between 2008-2024 by Tony Jones, featuring reviews of the best YA and middle grade horror (including my own novel Channel Fear”. LISA RICHARDSON (YA author of Channel Fear)
“Teachers, librarians, readers… This brand new almanac from horror guru Tony Jones is all you need to navigate your way through YA spookiness, gore and thrills. SJ Wills (YA author of the Bite Risk series)
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