Moving Through Walls

by Ryan Wolf

Dennis feels out of place after moving to a gloomy town where his dad accepted work at a controversial chemical plant. He struggles to fit in and soon senses something may be very wrong with his new middle school. When he finds the journal of a student who went missing decades ago, he begins exploring the haunting truth behind the disappearance. Everything points to a dark and strange reality lurking behind the walls of the school itself. Dennis must uncover a long buried secret if he hopes to make it through the year.

Genres: Paranormal

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 16, 2023

About the author

Ryan Wolf is the author of the young adult novels Watches and Warnings, Control Room, The Real Unreal, Songs for the Offseason, and Doubling the Bounty. He also crafted the Creeper Critter Keepers chapter book series for children, as well as Moving Through Walls, The Memory Vampires, Darkness at Dreamer Mountain, and Rulers of a Dead Planet for middle graders. Wolf holds his B.A. from Canisius College and his M.A. in the humanities from the University of Chicago. He has published work in The Buffalo News, Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, Quadrangle Literary Magazine, and Artvoice Newsweekly. He currently lives in Buffalo, NY with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much NetGalley for the advance reading! It should be noted this is a book marketed as a HI/LO book (HIgh-interest, LOw-readability). As such it is meant for a specific reading audience and my rating is adjusted according. For the intended audience it's a 4.5/5 and I would recommend any middle school ELA teacher to put in their class library (I know I will when it comes out!). For a more hardcore reader (which is again, not exactly the intended audience) I can see it getting more of a 3/5.
The plot is amazing. It's like a slightly more mature Goosebumps book with more explicit (but definitely not explicit-explicit if you catch my drift) horror. The plot is fast-paced with a suspense and intrigue laden first-half and a horror second-half. The characters are likable and unique especially Dennis' friend group the Deadliest Poet Society. I enjoyed seeing how they reacted differently and each had their own deal. You could tell Wolf had thought each of them out and their dynamic was neat (I personally want more of them just hanging out because of how nice the dynamics are). I myself wasn't exactly a fan of the ending. To be clear, the ending is great and makes sense. But I'm iffy on the type of ending it went with in general and it happens very fast (which is a general thing with this story as its plot is fast).
For a verse novel the verse is very plain. Considering this is a middle grade HI/LO book this makes sense. Middle schoolers already struggle enough with verse so I think the plain verse makes it much more approachable. I personally would have preferred a bit more poetic techniques and I can see others wanting the same. But for the Wolf's intent I think it's a great choice.
As a HI/LO book it achieves everything it needs to. It's incredibly readable and its interest is high with a strong horror and intrigue set-up. I appreciate Wolf doesn't "dumb" down the book, its plot, or its concepts to be a HI/LO book either. It's stands on its own legs and has merit. It just so happens to have a low-readability to help entice and attract struggling readers.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Ryan Wolf for the opportunity to read Moving Through Walls in exchange for an honest review.

This book is written as a HiLo novel-in-verse, giving it a poetic style with a quick beat. While middle grade, this novel could certainly have been a bit longer. It was too short and oh so amazing!

Thirteen-year-old Dennis moves to a new town because his dad got a decent job at the local (and super sus) power plant. He struggles to fit in, but soon finds an interesting group of misfits who have a poetry club, but the Young Writers of America group, called the Deadliest Poets Society (an homage to The Dead Poets Society) does a mish-mosh of things besides poetry. They do songwriting, and origami, but most importantly, they try to speak to spirits, but only once their club teacher falls asleep.

When they do their first spirit reach=-out with Dennis, he finds a spooky image of someone who died in the town many years ago, a missing person whose case was closed after no trace was found. The ghost seeks out Dennis through his dad, adding a nice touch of black ooze after possessions. Dennis' connection to the power plant through his dad might just be the clue he needs to help solve this case, and stop further deaths from occurring.

An excellently enjoyable novel with a light paranormal aspect. I loved diving into Dennis' character and following along with him as he tries to solve the mystery of the ghost. A very quick read for one of my age, but perfect for ages 11-13 seeking a relatable, somewhat spooky mystery

[Alisha (booksmellz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After getting kicked from a lunch table at his new school Dennis ends up sitting at the Deadliest Poets Society’s table. There he meets a new group of friends who tell him all about talking with ghosts through knocking. But, instead of finding ghosts, Dennis finds the sludge, and it’s much worse.

This book really reminded me of Goosebumps, but simpler - which makes sense since it’s a HiLo, Novel in Verse, and for Middle Grade. Because of that, this was a super quick read for me.

I feel like younger kids will really enjoy this book - especially those who may be new(er) to the middle grade reading level. The story itself is pretty descriptive and really allows you to walk through the halls as Dennis. This is perfect for 11-13-year-olds who are seeking a bit of a paranormal mystery.

*Thank you West 44 Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving Through Walls is a middle grade novel in verse. Even though it’s a rather quirky novel, I quite liked it.
Dennis’ dad accepts a new job to work at a controversial chemical plant. Now Dennis is out of place in a gloomy town. Like most new kids, Dennis struggles to fit in and find his people. It doesn’t take him long to sense that there is something not quite right at his new middle school. He comes across the journal of a student who went missing decades ago, and now Dennis is on a mission to uncover the truth behind the disappearance.
The story would be a great graphic novel. Hint Mr. Wolf…I want to see how the sludge monster is portrayed.
You, Ryan Wolf, are a talented writer.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Thank you to Publisher's Weekly and West 44 Books for providing me with a digital ARC!)

This was a quick read, which I think reluctant readers will really appreciate. However, I don't know if the verse style of writing added anything to the story overall. This plotline may have worked as a short story and didn't necessarily need to be a full novel. It was still an interesting read with a bit of mystery and otherworldliness.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving Through Walls, is a novel told in verse that follow a middle school as he is new in town and is facing making new friends. In addition, he has to solve a major problem that threatens his dad and the entire town. Dennis is very relatable and the text is easy to follow and very engaging.

[Ronnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cool, creepy read. I absolutely adored the way the author structured their sentences throughout the book while relaying in vivid detail the creepy occurrences. This is a perfect read for middle schoolers who want a creepy read featuring a heroic rag-tag groups of friends.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a high interest/low level book written in verse, making it perfect for middle school reluctant readers. It took me, an adult, maybe an hour to read.

Dennis and his dad have moved to a new town, where his dad is working for the local chemical plant. Dennis makes friends with the Deadliest Poet Society, a club at his school that tries to communicate with spirits through knocks. But now they are encountering people taken over by sludge and must defeat the evil lurking in their town!

This book is very light horror (as in there is sludge taking over people by entering their mouths, but even that isn't written in a way that is horribly scary). The story is very engaging and I think most middle schoolers would really enjoy it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving Through Walls is a novel in verse that took me less than an hour to read. Its deeper themes are about being the new kid, making friends and finding good in unfamiliar surroundings. The surface story is an action packed ghost/monster tale with a touch of environmentalism sprinkled on top. I think it’s a great book for middle grades, especially for reluctant readers.

I received an advance reader copy for free, all opinions are my own.

[Joey Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to West 44 and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Dennis is new and hasn’t found any friends but then he sits at the deadliest poets society table and they share all about the ghost they talk to through knocks. Though it’s something much worse than a ghost and the kids have to figure out the sludge monster together.

This was fascinating, utterly fascinating. The story was really interesting and had me intrigued right from the start, and I enjoyed it right til the end. It was really unique with it being told in verse and I honestly loved that style so much, I’ve never read a book told this way before.

I loved that Dennis made a group of friends who are all a little strange but were actually the perfect friends for him, by them being so into ghosts and weird creepy things. Everything that happens with the sludge monsters is just like a fun adventure for them.

I really liked this story and the characters it was so creatively made. It’s such a fun unique book, it was really enjoyable and easy to read. I wish there had been illustrations to go with it honestly as I would have loved some of these scenes to come alive in illustration form, it would have made this book even better.