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From the author of Hide and Seeker comes a new thriller where an iconic childhood game turns creepy.
Keenan is used to running. He loves it. He is good at it. He is a track star, after all. Now he and his mother are escaping his father, trying to start a new life in Tennessee.
But he has never been on the run like this before. This new town has monsters of its own. The students in his school seem to be under some sort of trance, and Keenan is the only one who isn’t affected. Which means he is the only one who can do anything about it.
It’s time for Keenan to stop running and face his fears.
He cannot let the monsters win.
Keenan is used to running. He loves it. He is good at it. He is a track star, after all. Now he and his mother are escaping his father, trying to start a new life in Tennessee.
But he has never been on the run like this before. This new town has monsters of its own. The students in his school seem to be under some sort of trance, and Keenan is the only one who isn’t affected. Which means he is the only one who can do anything about it.
It’s time for Keenan to stop running and face his fears.
He cannot let the monsters win.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2026
About the author
Daka Hermon
10 books96 followersDaka Hermon was born in Tennessee and spent her childhood huddled under a blanket with a flashlight reading and writing fairy-tale and fantasy stories. She works in the entertainment industry, and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She loves peach sweet tea, chocolate, cupcakes, and collecting superhero toys. Daka lives in California and can be found online at dakahermon.com and on Twitter @dakadh.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 11, 2026
𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐔𝐩 delivered exactly what I want from a spooky middle-grade horror adventure: monsters, mayhem, and just enough ‘OH HELL NO.’
September 26, 2025
This is seemingly marketed as a stand-alone, but I really think it benefits from reading Hide and Seeker and Nightmare King first. Nevertheless, a good creepy middle grade series.
October 2, 2026
This is another great book from Daka. I read Hide and Seeker a few years ago and I thought it was a fluke, however, I was very wrong. I really have been enjoying middle grade suspense/horror genre. This was a really great story....and I feel like there will be more to come!
August 15, 2026
Avengers assemble! Daka Hermon provides a fantastic ending to this incredible and unforgettable trilogy. Kids banding together to fight monsters is the best kind of middle-grade horror. Nobody writes MG emotion the way Hermon does. Not only does she keep things creepy, but she makes you feel the character's pain. I can't wait to see what is next for Daka Hermon.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Keenan, his Dane Shepherd Leo, and his mother Jackie move from California to Tennessee to get away from his father, who is controlling and unpleasant. They are staying with Jackie’s mother, with whom there is some tension. Keenan thinks his grandmother is cool, if a little quirky, and she runs the Southern Delights Bakery. Maxine, who is Keenan’s age and lives nearby, warns him that there have been kids kidnapped by a “fear monster”, which seems a bit ridiculous, but makes a bit of sense since Keenan feels that something is wrong. This is made worse at school, where all of the children are encouraged to play video games to help with their academic skills, but seem completely addicted to them. The teachers are all a bit odd, and Keenan notices that they wear stone bracelets. Keenan can’t play the video games because he is colorblind and they rely heavily on color, but he hides this from his teachers because he had been bullied before about his condition. Maxine warns him to stay away from kids in a nearby neighborhood who were involved with some of the monster issues, but after classmate James turns into a monster in a bathroom and menaces Keenan, he starts to wonder if he should ask them for help. When he finally contacts Justin, Nia, and Lyric, they tell him a little about their adventures, and figure out that he is the only one who can defeat the monster queen by heading into her world during the upcoming eclipse. It’s a good plan, but requires precise timing and a lot of bravery. Will Keenan be able to defeat the queen, and even if he does, will it be enough?
Strengths: I have a good friend with red/green color vision deficit, so it was fun to see this condition not only represented, but to have it be almost a superpower that Keenan uses to fight the monsters. The inclusion of video games as a way to mind control students is absolutely on point; we have iReady and CommonLit that students have to spend time on, as well as other programs for intervention classes, and I’m not a fan of kids having to spend so much time looking at screens during the school day. The grandmother is an absolute delight, and knows her stuff, but of course Jackie discounts her opinion as well as Keenan’s. Even Leo plays a good role in the fight, and there is some solid real life drama with Keenan’s family situation that is worked out well. I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but there could well be another book, and I will be looking forward to another adventure for the “Monster Crew”.
Weaknesses: I suppose the teachers have to be evil, but couldn’t there be just ONE who was on the grandmother’s side and could help Keenan and his friends? Maybe, I don’t know, the librarian?
What I really think: This could almost be a stand alone, but is better if read after Hide and Seeker and The Nightmare King. It was just the right level of psychological terror and gore, and was quite a relief after a spate of cheesy horror books. Definitely purchasing, since it was my second favorite read of April. (Nelson’s RV There Yet? was the first, since I don’t personally care for horror books. My students LOVE horror!) Perfect for fans of Lawrence’s The Stitchers, Currie’s X Marks the Haunt, and the works of K.R. Alexander.
Keenan, his Dane Shepherd Leo, and his mother Jackie move from California to Tennessee to get away from his father, who is controlling and unpleasant. They are staying with Jackie’s mother, with whom there is some tension. Keenan thinks his grandmother is cool, if a little quirky, and she runs the Southern Delights Bakery. Maxine, who is Keenan’s age and lives nearby, warns him that there have been kids kidnapped by a “fear monster”, which seems a bit ridiculous, but makes a bit of sense since Keenan feels that something is wrong. This is made worse at school, where all of the children are encouraged to play video games to help with their academic skills, but seem completely addicted to them. The teachers are all a bit odd, and Keenan notices that they wear stone bracelets. Keenan can’t play the video games because he is colorblind and they rely heavily on color, but he hides this from his teachers because he had been bullied before about his condition. Maxine warns him to stay away from kids in a nearby neighborhood who were involved with some of the monster issues, but after classmate James turns into a monster in a bathroom and menaces Keenan, he starts to wonder if he should ask them for help. When he finally contacts Justin, Nia, and Lyric, they tell him a little about their adventures, and figure out that he is the only one who can defeat the monster queen by heading into her world during the upcoming eclipse. It’s a good plan, but requires precise timing and a lot of bravery. Will Keenan be able to defeat the queen, and even if he does, will it be enough?
Strengths: I have a good friend with red/green color vision deficit, so it was fun to see this condition not only represented, but to have it be almost a superpower that Keenan uses to fight the monsters. The inclusion of video games as a way to mind control students is absolutely on point; we have iReady and CommonLit that students have to spend time on, as well as other programs for intervention classes, and I’m not a fan of kids having to spend so much time looking at screens during the school day. The grandmother is an absolute delight, and knows her stuff, but of course Jackie discounts her opinion as well as Keenan’s. Even Leo plays a good role in the fight, and there is some solid real life drama with Keenan’s family situation that is worked out well. I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but there could well be another book, and I will be looking forward to another adventure for the “Monster Crew”.
Weaknesses: I suppose the teachers have to be evil, but couldn’t there be just ONE who was on the grandmother’s side and could help Keenan and his friends? Maybe, I don’t know, the librarian?
What I really think: This could almost be a stand alone, but is better if read after Hide and Seeker and The Nightmare King. It was just the right level of psychological terror and gore, and was quite a relief after a spate of cheesy horror books. Definitely purchasing, since it was my second favorite read of April. (Nelson’s RV There Yet? was the first, since I don’t personally care for horror books. My students LOVE horror!) Perfect for fans of Lawrence’s The Stitchers, Currie’s X Marks the Haunt, and the works of K.R. Alexander.
October 7, 2026
Scary...didn't realize until pg 161 that there was a first book. It wasn't important up to that point but then was VERY important to understand the final battle and resolution. First book is "Hide and Seeker"
Very good, fast paced, interesting. But I wish there was some indication on the book sleeve or cover to indicate that there is a book 1.
Very good, fast paced, interesting. But I wish there was some indication on the book sleeve or cover to indicate that there is a book 1.
October 3, 2026
This is the perfect scary story for middle-grade readers. It follows middle schoolers who become hypnotized and controlled by an evil leader while playing an educational math video game. I thought it was fun and scary, but I didn't love it...then again, I'm not a middle schooler.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews