Every once in a while, I’ll post a short book review here. Mostly middle grade books, but maybe some others, too. I’m going to begin with Maybe There Are Witches, a novel for middle graders by Jude Atwood.

The short review: it’s good; get it and read it—especially if you like creepy stories!

The slightly longer review:

This book hooked me with the first sentence: “When Clara woke up Saturday morning, the dolls were staring at her with their cold, lifeless eyes.”

Creepy dolls aren’t for everyone, but I happen to love old humanoid things like dolls and lifelike robot toys, especially when they’re in a state of decay. Such things open up what’s known as the “uncanny valley”—the gap between something that’s human and “almost human.” It’s as if your brain leaps back and forth across that valley, unable to decide if the thing is real or not. That dark little pit of uncertainty gives you the creeps.

Anyway, it turns out that the creepy dolls came with the creepy house that Clara and her mother just moved into, in a little village called Biskopskulla, Illinois. (Fun fact: I looked up the name of the fictional town and discovered that it means “bishop’s hill” in Swedish, even though it sounds like a “skull biscuit” in English, which is surely the worst kind of biscuit in the world.) What I really like about Maybe There Are Witches is that it’s both a horror story and a mystery, with a little adventure thrown in. It’s a page-turner.

I’m not going to summarize the whole plot, but let’s just say there are family mysteries involving a great-great-great grandmother of Clara’s who was accused of witchcraft and hanged a hundred and forty years ago. Clara finds an old diary that seems to talk to her. With the help of a couple of new friends, she starts uncovering secrets about the town, her ancestors, and herself. And hear me out, just maybe, maybe, there are witches!

The story’s climax is thrilling, dangerous, and ultimately satisfying. The supernatural elements serve up some genuine frights. The plot features two timelines—the creepy present and the mysterious past. And there’s a scholastic bowl tournament in the present that adds another fun and interesting layer. It’s all beautifully and concisely written.

If you like a creepy mystery, I really think you’ll love this book, which won the Kraken Prize for Middle Grade Fiction. And I’m honored to say that the author, Jude Atwood, gave me a wonderful blurb that appears on the cover of Wonders of Shadow Key.

Pick up Maybe There Are Witches wherever you like to get your books—the library, your local independent bookstore, or any other bookstore that works for you. Happy reading!

Here’s a link to Jude Atwood’s author page, where you’ll find more info about the book and the author: https://judeatwood.tv/

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