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The Pure Shore Club
“Suspenseful and mysterious with humor woven throughout!” –Christine Laforet, author of the Being Bree series
A trio of eighth graders are invited to a mysterious school club only to have the faculty sponsor angrily insist it will never be an active club again.
Intrigued, Abby, Brett, and Maxine begin investigating and quickly find themselves pulled into an adventure and a mystery unlike anything they could have imagined.
Hidden clubhouses, a sentient computer program, and a man who vanishes from sight are just the beginning.
In over their heads, struggling to work together and master powers they never asked for, they become the world's only hope against a resurging evil threatening to plunge the Earth into never- ending cold and darkness.
A trio of eighth graders are invited to a mysterious school club only to have the faculty sponsor angrily insist it will never be an active club again.
Intrigued, Abby, Brett, and Maxine begin investigating and quickly find themselves pulled into an adventure and a mystery unlike anything they could have imagined.
Hidden clubhouses, a sentient computer program, and a man who vanishes from sight are just the beginning.
In over their heads, struggling to work together and master powers they never asked for, they become the world's only hope against a resurging evil threatening to plunge the Earth into never- ending cold and darkness.
461 pages, Paperback
Published February 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 11, 2025
Jason R. Lady’s “The Pure Shore Club” is a very captivating middle-grade adventure. It blends mystery, science fiction, and coming-of-age struggles into a story packed with energy, humor, and heart. In an era when young readers crave both escapism and relatable heroes, Lady delivers a book that feels fresh, smart, and genuinely exciting.
The story kicks off with eighth-graders Abby Alvarson, Maxine Drury, and Brett Cho each receiving mysterious invitations to join an exclusive school club. Curious but wary, they meet after hours at the Pinski English and Humanities Building to see Mr. Blake Santillian—the faculty sponsor of the mysterious “Pure Shore Club.” However, instead of being welcomed into something special, they overhear a tense argument behind closed doors about how the club must never be reactivated. Whispers of an old evil called “The Smiling Shadow” only add to the sense of danger, piquing their curiosity and setting the tone for the larger adventure.
From the beginning, there is a perfect balance between intrigue and character development. Abby, Brett, and Maxine each bring distinct personalities and perspectives to the group, and Lady does a commendable job giving each of them room to grow throughout the story. Their dynamic feels authentic—sometimes messy, sometimes funny, often filled with the awkward misunderstandings and budding trust that make friendships at that age so special. As they dig deeper into the mystery, it’s clear that the stakes are far greater than they realized. Hidden clubhouses, a sentient computer program, and the unsettling figure of a man who can vanish from sight all steadily build tension as the plot unfolds.
Lady has a real gift for pacing. The story moves quickly, with each new discovery naturally pulling the trio—and the reader—further into a layered narrative that surprisingly is not confusing or rushed. Every twist is set up with care, and even fantastical elements like secret powers and ancient evils are grounded in emotions that are relatable: fear, hope, loyalty, and self-doubt. The adventure isn’t just about solving a mystery; it’s about Abby, Brett, and Maxine learning to trust each other, overcome their insecurities, and accept that they’ve been called to something bigger than themselves.
One of the book’s standout qualities is how it respects its audience’s intelligence. Lady doesn’t talk down to middle-grade readers, nor does he sugarcoat the challenges the trio faces. The threats they encounter feel real without ever becoming too dark or overwhelming for the intended age group. The sentient computer program and the mythos surrounding The Smiling Shadow are inventive and not overly complicated at all. This allows young readers to stay fully immersed in the unfolding story.
The setting itself—the school, the hidden corners of the club, and the eerie presence of The Smiling Shadow—adds another rich layer to the book. Lady captures that classic feeling of childhood adventure: the sense that there are secrets just beneath the surface of the everyday world, waiting for the right moment—or the right kids—to uncover them.
If there’s one minor suggestion, it would be that early on, the story leans heavily into setup and world-building, which could slightly test the patience of readers eager for instant action. However, once the pieces start falling into place, the story picks up momentum. The payoff for that careful groundwork is more than worth it, delivering a thrilling and earned climax. Readers will be satisfied.
Overall, The Pure Shore Club is a standout middle-grade novel that will delight fans of adventure, mystery, and stories about unlikely heroes rising to the occasion. Jason R. Lady has created an engaging, heartfelt tale filled with memorable characters, clever twists, and a deeply satisfying message about friendship, courage, and stepping into the unknown. Readers will be eagerly awaiting the trio’s next adventure—and whatever new mysteries lie ahead.
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The story kicks off with eighth-graders Abby Alvarson, Maxine Drury, and Brett Cho each receiving mysterious invitations to join an exclusive school club. Curious but wary, they meet after hours at the Pinski English and Humanities Building to see Mr. Blake Santillian—the faculty sponsor of the mysterious “Pure Shore Club.” However, instead of being welcomed into something special, they overhear a tense argument behind closed doors about how the club must never be reactivated. Whispers of an old evil called “The Smiling Shadow” only add to the sense of danger, piquing their curiosity and setting the tone for the larger adventure.
From the beginning, there is a perfect balance between intrigue and character development. Abby, Brett, and Maxine each bring distinct personalities and perspectives to the group, and Lady does a commendable job giving each of them room to grow throughout the story. Their dynamic feels authentic—sometimes messy, sometimes funny, often filled with the awkward misunderstandings and budding trust that make friendships at that age so special. As they dig deeper into the mystery, it’s clear that the stakes are far greater than they realized. Hidden clubhouses, a sentient computer program, and the unsettling figure of a man who can vanish from sight all steadily build tension as the plot unfolds.
Lady has a real gift for pacing. The story moves quickly, with each new discovery naturally pulling the trio—and the reader—further into a layered narrative that surprisingly is not confusing or rushed. Every twist is set up with care, and even fantastical elements like secret powers and ancient evils are grounded in emotions that are relatable: fear, hope, loyalty, and self-doubt. The adventure isn’t just about solving a mystery; it’s about Abby, Brett, and Maxine learning to trust each other, overcome their insecurities, and accept that they’ve been called to something bigger than themselves.
One of the book’s standout qualities is how it respects its audience’s intelligence. Lady doesn’t talk down to middle-grade readers, nor does he sugarcoat the challenges the trio faces. The threats they encounter feel real without ever becoming too dark or overwhelming for the intended age group. The sentient computer program and the mythos surrounding The Smiling Shadow are inventive and not overly complicated at all. This allows young readers to stay fully immersed in the unfolding story.
The setting itself—the school, the hidden corners of the club, and the eerie presence of The Smiling Shadow—adds another rich layer to the book. Lady captures that classic feeling of childhood adventure: the sense that there are secrets just beneath the surface of the everyday world, waiting for the right moment—or the right kids—to uncover them.
If there’s one minor suggestion, it would be that early on, the story leans heavily into setup and world-building, which could slightly test the patience of readers eager for instant action. However, once the pieces start falling into place, the story picks up momentum. The payoff for that careful groundwork is more than worth it, delivering a thrilling and earned climax. Readers will be satisfied.
Overall, The Pure Shore Club is a standout middle-grade novel that will delight fans of adventure, mystery, and stories about unlikely heroes rising to the occasion. Jason R. Lady has created an engaging, heartfelt tale filled with memorable characters, clever twists, and a deeply satisfying message about friendship, courage, and stepping into the unknown. Readers will be eagerly awaiting the trio’s next adventure—and whatever new mysteries lie ahead.
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November 17, 2025
This is a fun story about a multi-generation organization of superheroes. There are some really spooky, well-written mysteries here. The stakes felt high all the time and it was fun to see how different characters' powers 'got corrupted' in different ways because there was a lot of room for creative possibilities with different characters' powers.
The final battle scene was especially triumphant, I actually didn't predict some of the twists but once they were revealed I still thought they were well-built-up to. So that was a very fun and fast-paced action scene where it was super cool to see all the different Pure Shore Club members working together.
A few things could have made this story even more immersive and scary, though: I do think a few too many times, the villains stand there and explain how their evil powers work via long monologues and dialogue exchanges. It would have been way more cool if they could somehow demonstrate those powers without saying all of those words, because as-is it feels a bit "tell, don't show" when the villains' powers otherwise sound super cool and it'd be cool to have them affect a character and have that character feel/experience them, or something.
I think some things in the dialogue could be tweaked, too. Brett's pattern of speech is generally pretty funny and I know he 'chooses fancy words on purpose' but I think sometimes these kids didn't sound convincingly-enough like tweens to me, I feel like a middle-schooler maybe wouldn't say stuff like "heebie-jeebies" in the modern era. Sometimes I got tired of the descriptions of the main characters when it was like "the blonde," instead of their name -- it really would have been smoother to just use names more, I think.
Overall, this was a fun middle-grade novel, definitely recommend for any middle-schooler who would want to be part of a LEGACY of superheroes!
The final battle scene was especially triumphant, I actually didn't predict some of the twists but once they were revealed I still thought they were well-built-up to. So that was a very fun and fast-paced action scene where it was super cool to see all the different Pure Shore Club members working together.
A few things could have made this story even more immersive and scary, though: I do think a few too many times, the villains stand there and explain how their evil powers work via long monologues and dialogue exchanges. It would have been way more cool if they could somehow demonstrate those powers without saying all of those words, because as-is it feels a bit "tell, don't show" when the villains' powers otherwise sound super cool and it'd be cool to have them affect a character and have that character feel/experience them, or something.
I think some things in the dialogue could be tweaked, too. Brett's pattern of speech is generally pretty funny and I know he 'chooses fancy words on purpose' but I think sometimes these kids didn't sound convincingly-enough like tweens to me, I feel like a middle-schooler maybe wouldn't say stuff like "heebie-jeebies" in the modern era. Sometimes I got tired of the descriptions of the main characters when it was like "the blonde," instead of their name -- it really would have been smoother to just use names more, I think.
Overall, this was a fun middle-grade novel, definitely recommend for any middle-schooler who would want to be part of a LEGACY of superheroes!
May 24, 2025
This was an engaging story from start to finish, with a great cast of characters I was rooting for. The plot had lots of fun twists and turns, and the character development was strong, giving solid backstories so the character growth was as satisfying as the mystery and action. I highly recommend this for middle-schoolers or anyone who enjoys captivating middle grade fiction!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews