The Hungry Forest

by Kaela Rivera

Ryan's dad had a lot of
Never let others see you cry.
Never let people outside of the family hear you speaking Spanish.
But the most important rule of all? Never go into the hungry forest.

Since his father's death, Ryan has worked extra hard to follow his father's rules and be the kind of man his father would be proud of. But Ryan's anger is getting out of control, and he can't seem to stop taking it out on his younger brother Teddy.

When Teddy and Ryan think they hear their father calling them from The Hungry Forest, Ryan ventures in. Teddy was supposed to wait outside, but he didn't listen, and is quickly captured by a terrifying, masked monster.

With no sign of Dad and monsters closing in, one thing is The forest is as cursed as the legends say. If Ryan can't find his brother and escape the woods before sunrise, they'll be trapped there forever. Ryan and Teddy will have to face their fears-and each other-to make it out alive.

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Audiobook, Mystery, Juvenile, Childrens, Fantasy

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2026

Reviews

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade readers have already enjoyed Kaela Rivers’ CeCe Rios trilogy and now those same 4th-6th graders will be getting shivers as they read her very creepy The Hungry Forest.

Ryan has been the man of the house for some time now and is getting pretty tired of protecting his immature, teddy bear clutching, 8 year old brother, especially when he discovers that Teddy has been going through their father’s old search and rescue notes and seems to think he can find the kids who went into the forest across the street from the middle school and were never found. So when Ryan discovers that Teddy isn’t waiting for him to finish track practice but is, instead, standing at the entrance to the Hungry Forest, he lets his anger spill out…until they both hear their dad calling to them. Once the pair enters the woods, they encounter a mask-wearing girl named Perdida who shoots ruby tipped arrows, a monstrous being that unzips into two separate brothers, red ribbons that entwine themselves around their victims and pull them underground, two twins who play games of chance that are literally life and death gambles, and trees that contain the faces and spirits of those who have been missing for decades. When a centipede-like wailing woman claims Teddy as one of her babies, Perdida and Ryan team up to not only rescue him but she forms a plan to get the brothers to an exit across the forest before the sun sets or they will become either new faces in trees or become a Cursed One like the twins or the brothers.

Rivers starts this horror story with a young boy trapped in the forest and a curse-filled mask forcibly placed on him by the semi-human, somewhat metallic, impossibly tall mishmash creature and then takes only a few short chapters to establish the love-totally annoyed relationship between Ryan and Teddy before returning to The Hungry Forest and all its evil inhabitants and Ryan and Teddy’s race for the way out. Every step of the way is marked by danger and as the trio tackles each new curse, Ryan begins to realize not only how much his brother means to him but how being the strong one all the time has caused his grief to turn to anger and resentment. The healing in their relationship fits into the primary horror storyline in a way that does not come across as preachy nor does the boys’ loss of their father become too heavy.

Highly recommended for libraries needing more scary books to offer their readers and coming in at only 256 pages make this approachable for most in the upper elementary/middle school age group.

*Profanity: none
*Violence: plenty, but all is appropriate for the target age group and genre
*Sexual content: none
*Representation: Ryan and Teddy are Caucasian/Hispanic but race of any other human characters is left to readers’ imaginations and the monsters are inhuman so race is not important
*LBGTQ+: none

[Cathy | A Case Full of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What a book! It was jam-packed with action, never stopping from the first page. So much happened in this book and every moment was exciting.

I loved the character growth, the complicated relationships, the creepy and weird creatures, the creativity. It was all so good.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

[Sharon the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my Goodness! This book is full of action, surprises and age appropriate horror. I am NOT a horror reader, I value my sleep too much, but truly enjoyed this. I knew if Kaela wrote it that it would be age appropriate and not full of gore, but it DID keep me turning pages and on the edge of my seat the entire book! Even reluctant readers will dive in and won't stop until the end.

Were there scary elements? Yep! Were the characters in danger? Constantly! Did I ever cry? Nope, I was brave. :). The danger is fantasy driven so it isn't like something they will actually face in life which makes the horror sit different. Also, MG kids LOVE scary books. It blows me away the stuff they would get excited about reading. Books that I, being the scaredy cat that I am, didn't even want to see the cover of! ha ha

One of my favorite part of this horror story is the kindness, love and the character's redemption arc. You have 2 brothers: one a track star and the other a kind, gentle, and somewhat soft younger brother who causes embarrassment to his cool older brother. Their dad has recently passed away and was adamant that his boys not cry. There is no room to show weakness. His other rule: Do NOT go into the forest. There have been several disappearances over the years of children and adults alike- his own death is suspicious even.

Strange circumstances take the brothers to the forest, and they end up in some pretty scary situations. If they don't figure out how to get out by dawn, they will be trapped forever. There are challenges, surprise helpers, and reasons to face grief and relationships. If they are not able to turn their relationship from annoyance to love- they don't stand a chance. Not only will they be stuck in the forest forever, but their mom will lose the remaining members of their family. Can they see each other for the good they can do and who they really are before it's too late?

"Grief was a lot like a rosebush with thorns and flowers flourishing together. Thorns and flowers- stinging and comfort."

Highly recommend for older MG readers, libraries, and families. It would be a good read aloud with your children if they are fans of scary books because of the elements of coming together that are also a big part.

I'm a big fan of the book, the author, and MG stories in general. Add this to your list- you won't be sorry. If I can do it- you can.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an action-packed middle grade horror about a forest full of monsters, and two brothers with a rocky relationship. Ryan's dad recently died, and he blames his younger brother, whose love of teddy bears and crying would often make their dad angry. Ryan decides to take his father's place and correct his younger brother's behavior, which obviously creates a lot of tension. When they both hear their father's voice calling from the forest, they rush inside. Instead of their dad, they find cursed monsters. At the center of the forest are two monstrous brothers.

This is a great premise and I enjoyed how it tackled toxic masculinity. It was almost too action packed for me. The near-death scenes followed one on top of the other and it just became too much for me as a reader. I like some emotional beats and pauses between! But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to kids who enjoy horror.

[geekoutonreading : Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan and his younger brother, Teddy, have been mourning the loss of their dad for the past four months, each in their own ways.

Ryan just seems angry all the time while Teddy just hugs his stuffed bear and tries to figure out clues his dad left behind about people that have gone missing in the Hungry Forest.

One day the boys think they hear their father calling from the forest, and they go to investigate. Big mistake! Can they escape before they are stuck in the forest forever? Can they work through their grief?

This book was excellent! Not only did it have a creepy factor to it, but it’s also about grief, healing, the masks we wear, found family, and sacrifice. Also, brotherly love!

The obstacles they had to face were interesting, sometimes intense, and kept the story moving.

I highly recommend!

[Emily Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my twelve-year-old daughter one chapter at a time. I personally thought it was really scary, but my daughter did not seem overly scared. She enjoyed it quite a bit and always seemed to want to return to the story the next day. Think forest danger and monsters. Most of the vocabulary was very age-appropriate. There were some words I had to explain like inanimate, burrs, etc., but they were few enough that it didn't prevent enjoyment of the story and probably expanded the vocabulary she had slightly. Which is the perfect mix for growth and enjoyment.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This was an excellent culturally connected action-packed fantasy adventures, but my students are not picking up these fantasy books. I enjoyed this author's Cece Rios, but it has not circulated well (and hasn't left the shelf in two years), so I will pass on purchasing.

Definitely take a look if books with monsters do well with your students. I liked the sibling relationship.

[Heather Gunnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Libro.fm's ALC program for librarians for an advanced audio edition of this book.

I love a spooky forest story, and while this forest was definitely spooky this story was much more about grief and fear and the way we hold ourselves back. Not gonna lie, I teared up at the end. I'll definitely be ordering it for my library and recommending it through our staff picks. I'm curious to see what my library kids think of this one once it comes out.

[Shane Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hungry Forest is one of the most original stories I have ever read. It's a creepy MG horror novel on the surface, and a story of love and forgiveness at it's center core. Amazing work by Kaela Rivera.

[Jen Nishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful read by Rivera! Creepy but with heart that realistically portrays grief. The forest was creepy and the curses were haunting. Excellently written. I would’ve liked to get to meet the Queen but I am hoping maybe that means there’ll be a companion novel?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fantasy adventure had me hooked. The ending left me with so many questions!

[Rachel Hultquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 rounded up. I just hate when writers treat kids like they’re stupid.

[Billy Dahle · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read!

Great emotional story. Loved all of it. The characters were great and I loved the story. You must read this

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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