No Filter

by Kelley Skovron

From the author of The Ghost of Drowned Meadow comes another haunted tale that's as touching as it terrifying. Janessa "Jinx" McCormick loves photography because it’s like real life, except she can make it perfect. Using her late father’s camera, Jinx takes photos for nearly everyone in her small town of Greenbelt, making her something of a local celebrity. But one day as she’s touching up a new photo, Jinx sees…something in the background of the image. A shadow that she’s certain wasn’t in the frame when she captured the shot. Though it’s too dark and hazy to see exactly what it is, the shadow looks roughly like a figure. And soon Jinx notices something even more unsettling. With each new shot she takes, the figure is always there. And it’s slowly moving closer to the camera.

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2024

Reviews

[Micaylah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ (Rounded up for Goodreads)
This is a fine little story. Now, it isn't as good as Goosebumps but it's in no way horrible.
This book is meant for 8-12 year olds, so I was very surprised at the mention of su*cide, alcohol, getting wasted, marijuana, drugs, pills and getting high. I didn't know you could write those in books that are meant for 8-12 year olds.
I didn't like what the specter turned out to be.
I was hoping this was going to be a paranormal story, but it's just a story about child ab*se (neglect) and that said child having issues that she has to deal with and in the end coming to terms with.

[Mac Millard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely not for the advertised age range of 8-12 but it was very good! It built up good tension and dealt with complicated topics. I liked the overall message of the book of embracing the parts of yourself that you don’t like. Probably would be better marketed for a slightly older audience though

[bookierookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 20% because the conversation with the therapist literally goes

Therapist: “Do you know what ‘Jinx’ means?”
Therapist: “The official definition is a thing or person that brings bad luck”
Therapist: “Do you think your (dead) father knew that when he gave you that nickname?”

which is wild to just plant the idea in a grieving 12-year-old who is repressing all her feelings and then just changing the topic of altogether. Gave me the ick

[Joshua Hair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was surprisingly deep. Review to come.

[Presley Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMAZING!!!! I loved this book! There’s this creepy part halfway through it! It talks about the “other jinx,” or lucky. It was creepy until the end. I loved how she was a photographer that used a real camera instead of her phone. But yeah, I LOVED the book!

[Xia Lei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so horror

It’s really good but it doesn’t fit much as a horror book and the ending was kinda lame, the beginning was so good though! At first it was really scary, in a good way, but it got more like a fantasy book at the end and middle. I think it should’ve kept the scariness, that would’ve been better. Overall it’s really cool, and I’d definitely recommend it to my friends.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent OCD rep. More heartbreaking than scary.

[Oliver Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

once I finished IT i wanted to pick something short as my next read, while this book was 250 pages it was a kids book so I flew through it, I also enjoyed it a lot.

this book is short but packs a lot of fun into it, the story follows a teen photographer still grieving her dad and she starts to notice a figure in her camera that seems to be getting closer, she thinks it's her dad but as the figure gets closer and is finally free she discovers a much worse reality.
I think this story was really good at mastering the creep factor and keeping the story a bit serious with the girl coming to terms with her dad's neglect of her and her own OCD, I would recommend this book if you like those creepy middle grade books.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, here’s the million-dollar question: did I love or loathe No Filter? I’ll admit—I liked it, but I didn’t fall head over heels. The pacing stumbled at times, and certain scenes felt unnecessarily verbose, hinting at a need for one last editorial polish before it hit the shelves. Ultimately, it leans more toward mystery than full-blown horror. So, read it if you dare; I’m not here to play the literary gatekeeper. Proceed at your own risk! ╌★★★✰✰

Find my full review at https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/....

[Lauren K · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not for 8-12 year olds. Description of a child finding their parent dead by hanging (suicide) scrubbing their parents urine off the floor? How is this appropriate content for an 8 year old. There are concepts that aren’t developmentally appropriate. My kid is sad and clearly wishes he never read it. Too much.

[Angela Sandoval · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting! It was horror, more creepy than scary, but with on edge of your seat suspense. The ending, however, was more Twilight Zone than Friday the 13th. It was also emotional and heart-wrenching. This is a good one for our middle school students (who are often not impressed with MG horror) and I will recommend it.

[Indigo the great Bacon Hinton ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book, good descriptions and character development, but I feel like it's rated for younger kids than it should be. I saw this at my elementary school book fair and thought it looked fun, but read it and would not be appropriate for 4th graders unless they are cool enough like me. Grown ups would also enjoy, especially if considered a lil son.

[Joe Holman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out strong and stayed strong through the middle of it. Then, in short order it became very light weight and far less strong. I understand the author's intent but it may have been the wrong storyline to get there.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest issue was the author writing that North by Northwest was a black and white movie after a couple of the characters watched the movie. It was never black and white. I have to wonder how Skovron got this so wrong?!

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids would like it. Reminded me of the fear street books as a kid.

[Jasmine Lofgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was deep..I loved the writing couldn't put it down really recommended this

[Ashli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this book. This book has a very Kr Alexander feeling to it. Would recommend!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was super suspenseful which like, but when you got to the end it was a lot to take in like it was just thing after thing.

[Kalissa Hovey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bedtime read aloud with my 11 year old. She is loving scary books lately. She gave this 2.5 stars but I rounded up.

[Trent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was so good my favorite chapter was probably the hack

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

**Spoiler alert.**

Janessa "Jinx" lives with her aunt in Greenbelt, Maryland after the death of her father. She misses him, dresses in his old concert t shirts, and uses his camera to earn some extra money by taking photographs for local businesses. She has a support network in the closeknit, planned community, including older friend Blaine Chen, who takes an interest in her photography. She gets pizza from a local shop, still interacts with former babysitter Monica, and knows many of the business owners in the area. Even though her aunt works long hours, she takes her to Ms. Simmons, her therapist that she picked because her photo showed her nose ring, for help in dealing with her grief over her father's death. She also identifies Jinx's OCD and helps her process that. As Jinx works on commissions for various businesses and individuals (like classmate Swapna, whose mother wants headshots to further her daughter's modeling career) in the summer, she notices a smudge on some of her pictures. She has Blain take her to a photography shop to have her camera checked out, and learns about the spirit photography phenomenon. When nothing is wrong with the camera, she starts to wonder if her father is haunting her. We learn more about her past; her mother passed away, and her father, whose rock band career started out well but had to be abandoned so he could take care of Jinx, descended into drug and alcohol abuse, neglecting Jinx. Everyone around knew what was going on, but didn't step in to get Jinx the help she needed. As the smudge on the pictures becomes bigger, we also see Jinx being stalked by her own alter ego, who is punishing everyone who didn't help Jinx when she was younger. Shops are egged, windows are broken, and the house where Jinx lived with her father is set on fire. Will Jinx be able to make peace with her troubled past and get the help that she needs in the present?
Strengths: I definitely want to visit Greenbelt, Maryland now! Jinx's neighborhood sounds fascinating, and I love that she is able to travel around on her own and interact with so many people. Her photography business is fascinating, and a great example of Kids Doing Things. I was also glad to see therapy positively depicted, especially in regard to her dealing with her OCD tendencies. The information about spirit photography was also a good inclusion.
Weaknesses: It was good to see that there is a warning right at the beginning of the book that there is mention of suicide, and it's very clear that Jinx's father took his own life after suffering with addiction issues. This is something that many people want to read about, but I do not. This is mostly a "me" issue, but this book has many elements that might be hard for sensitive or younger readers to process.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Haydu's One Jar of Magic or Bishop's Things You Can't Say.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book i got it from the book fair at school and it flowed really good.It grabbed my attention and I have adhd so that's hard to do.I feel like more like teenagers should read this since it has some topics not for kids about mental stuff .But I loved this book.