Review by Booklist Review
Every Halloween night in Fall Hollow, it's up to the sixth-grade class to keep their town safe from the vengeful spirit of Abigail Snook. To do this, they play the Bellwood Game, sending some of their own into the forest to ring the bell that will keep Abigail at bay--as long as she doesn't catch them first. On the day of the game, Bailee feels overwhelmed by her nan's recent health scare and her own status as class pariah for supposedly tattling on her peers. Nevertheless, Bailee finds the courage to participate in the long-anticipated game, knowing if she rings the bell, she also gets to make a wish. In the woods, Bailee teams up with four unlikely classmates and a benign spirit to try to defeat the shape-shifting specter. Krampien's eerie story cleverly focuses on themes such as bullying, and Bailee's motley crew discovers the importance of having the facts before making assumptions. This supernatural tale will chill readers while reminding them that real friendship can brave any situation.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
On Halloween 1982, sixth grader Abigail Snook vanished from the Bellwoods while playing a game with her bully. As October 31 approaches in present-day Fall Hollow, the sixth graders of Beckett Elementary are preoccupied with that legend, which annually lures a group of classmates into the forest to play the Bellwoods Game. Horror fan Bailee Heron would rather stay home with her beloved Nan than head into the woods, but she decides that playing is the only way to clear up a misunderstanding that ostracized her from her class. According to the legend, Abigail's spirit reappears in the forest each year on the anniversary of her vanishing; per tradition, three tweens must play the game to its end in order to help her rest and save the town from chaos. The player who first rings an old bell in the woods banishes the spirit for another annum, but anyone caught by the spirit who lacks a gift to trade will be forced to sacrifice something truly dear. Once the game begins, however, Bailee realizes that the stories belie the game's complexity. Krampien (Sunny) intersperses atmospherically eerie b&w art throughout a tense friendship novel steeped in local lore. Bailee presents as white; secondary characters suggest racial diversity. Ages 8--12. Agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sixth grader Bailee Heron must win a ghostly game to keep her town, her family, and herself from losing everything. On Halloween in 1982, sixth grader Abigail Snook disappeared in the Bellwoods forest behind Beckett Elementary. Now, every Halloween, Beckett's sixth graders have to play the Bellwoods Game, or her ghost will terrorize the town for the next year. If she catches you, and you don't have a gift to sacrifice, the ghost will take something else--like your tongue. But if you manage to ring the old bell in the woods first, you'll banish her for another year, and she'll give you anything you want. Bailee, lover of all things horror, just wants things to go back to normal. Ever since the factory closed two years ago, her parents have worked long hours to make ends meet, often leaving Nan and Bailee alone. Then Nan got sick at the same time a vicious rumor ostracized Bailee from the rest of the class. Winning the game is Bailee's only chance to set things right, but she soon learns everything is not as it seems in the town of Fall Hollow, where stories are weapons, friends come from strange places, and Abigail Snook isn't the scariest thing hiding among the trees. This gorgeously illustrated, atmospheric, and evocative debut captures the fun of being scared and the hard truths of middle school. Bailee presents White; names and illustrations point to some racial diversity in secondary characters. Beautifully creepy. (Supernatural. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
