It's IWSG time!
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Alex J. Cavanaugh is the amazing founder of this even more amazing group. Special thanks goes to this month's co-hosts: Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!
I'm feeling a bit brain-dead on the writing end...although I am writing a little. So, I'm going to hit today's question and call it good.
Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?
I can't think of any. Maybe it's because English wasn't my favorite class. Grammar was better than literature analysis, but neither made me smile. Oh, I did well grade-wise and was a huge reader. I couldn't get my hands on enough books. While I didn't like English, I can't think of anything, which messed up my writing, either. If anything caused a tsunami in my writing, it was living in Germany for 20+ years. Gosh, that messed up my grammar and vocabulary. I rarely spoke or dealt with anything involving English during that time. But after being back in the States for almost a decade, that's worked itself out...well, for the most part.
So, nope. School didn't mess anything up. What about you?
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It's time to shout-out another book birthday! This one released yesterday and promises to bring a little spook and tons of mystery.
EXIT NOWHERE
by Juliana Brandt
Aladdin
Middle Grade Paranormal
317 pages
ages 8 to 12
Haunted Mansion meets the ultimate escape room in this tense and twisty middle grade horror following four kids who must beat a series of games to make it out of a haunted house.
The creepiest place in Barret Eloise’s small town is the abandoned Raithfield Manor, a decrepit house surrounded by rumors of ghosts and kids going missing. So she certainly never planned on stepping foot inside. But when her history teacher gives her a group project to research a local landmark, the manor is the location her group chooses. Determined to ace the project and fix her awkward first impression on her assigned partners—which include her former friend Helena, smart and confident Wayne, and school basketball star Ridge—Barret Eloise isn’t about to let some tall tales scare her off.
When the kids first enter the house, it seems to be nothing more than an empty building. But when the sun goes down, the doors and windows lock, sealing them inside. Even worse, the room they’re in transforms into an all-too-real game of The Floor is Lava. It doesn’t take long for the group to realize the mansion is a maze of childhood games. Win the game and you keep moving forward, lose and you disappear. And complicating it all is a worrying revelation—they are not alone in the house.
If Barret Eloise wants to make it home, she and her dysfunctional group are going to have to learn to work together quickly.
The creepiest place in Barret Eloise’s small town is the abandoned Raithfield Manor, a decrepit house surrounded by rumors of ghosts and kids going missing. So she certainly never planned on stepping foot inside. But when her history teacher gives her a group project to research a local landmark, the manor is the location her group chooses. Determined to ace the project and fix her awkward first impression on her assigned partners—which include her former friend Helena, smart and confident Wayne, and school basketball star Ridge—Barret Eloise isn’t about to let some tall tales scare her off.
When the kids first enter the house, it seems to be nothing more than an empty building. But when the sun goes down, the doors and windows lock, sealing them inside. Even worse, the room they’re in transforms into an all-too-real game of The Floor is Lava. It doesn’t take long for the group to realize the mansion is a maze of childhood games. Win the game and you keep moving forward, lose and you disappear. And complicating it all is a worrying revelation—they are not alone in the house.
If Barret Eloise wants to make it home, she and her dysfunctional group are going to have to learn to work together quickly.
MY TIDBITS
A haunted house set on winning any game it plays leaves more than just a few chills running down the spine.
Barret Eloise is lonely. Ever since the 4th grade, she hasn't had any friends, and she's not sure why. No one bullies her, and no one speaks unkindly of her. Worse yet, everyone calls her Smart and never even uses her name. At least, she is smart. So, when a class project forces the kids into groups to research an historic place in town, everyone is counting on her to come up with the perfect idea, and she does...but it's one that she doesn't really like. Raithfield Manor is the haunted house of the town. Kids are said to have gone missing there and rumors abound when it comes to a ghost. Still, the project must go on, and ghosts don't exist. But when she and the group visit the house as the teacher instructs, she comes face-to-face with the impossible.
Creepy moments, high-stakes, and tons of tension make this a read to satisfy horror fans. The ghost is powerful and the games it wants to play create dangerous twists on long-loved favorites. Add the rotting house and tons of secrets, and it's a great setting for a scary tale. Every step through the house promises something wicked. Still, the author manages to slide it all into a very age appropriate read with clever twists, which slide right into the game setting. It's exciting the entire way through, and while wraps up at the end rather quickly, is a satisfying read.
While the ghost and the mystery behind the house take up most of the plot, there's still more than enough character goodness to make each one in the group sympathetic. Not only does Barret Eloise struggle with her loneliness and steering the friend drama of middle school, but the others have their own, smaller problems to settle. There's just enough there to make each one likeable and easy to root for without smothering the main, scary plot.
It's a lovely read for spook fans and one to take a peek at as the Halloween season approaches, too.
And here she is...
Juliana Brandt is an author and kindergarten teacher with a passion for storytelling that guides her in both of her jobs. She lives in her home state of Minnesota, and her writing is heavily influenced by travels around the country and a decade living in the south. When not working, she is usually exploring the great outdoors. Her middle grade novels include The Wolf of Cape Fen, A Wilder Magic, Monsters in the Mist, and Exit Nowhere.
5 comments:
I spoke fluent Japanese when I was a kid. Hopefully you remember your German better then I remember Japanese.
It's good to hear you're writing. I didn't have an answer to the question either. And thanks for sharing about Exit Nowhere. It sounds like a book I'd like.
Did you pick up an accent while you were in Germany?
You must have plenty of stories to tell about your time living in Germany. And you could convincingly sprinkle the tales with German words and colloquialisms.
Sounds like a good book! Happy Blog Hop Day.
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