Clackity

by Lora Senf

Finalist for the Bram Stoker Award Cybils Award Selection of the New York Public Library Best Books for Kids Pacific Northwest Young Reader ' s Choice Award Master List Golden Dome Book Award Master List Reminiscent of Doll Bones and Small Spaces, this "delightfully eerie" (Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows) middle grade novel tells the story of a girl who must rescue her aunt by entering a world of ghosts, witches, and monsters to play a game with deadly consequences. Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor--the seventh-most haunted town in America--with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn't have many rules except Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her. There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie reluctantly embarks on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls. Will she ever find Des, or is The Clackity planning something far more sinister?

279 pages, Library Binding

Published June 28, 2022

About the author

Hi, I'm Lora Senf!

I'm a reader and writer of dark and twisty stories for all ages. I owe my love of words to my parents and to the public library that was walking distance from my childhood home.

I find inspiration for my writing all over the place - from my kids' retellings of their dreams to road trips through Montana, and often in lonely buildings.

I love the reading and writing communities. I'm a member of Authors Guild and Horror Writers Association.

PENNIES - a Blight Harbor prequel - is coming September 23, 2025. I have a YA horror novel, UNNAMED BONES, coming out summer 2026 and more on the way.

I no longer review books, but I do yell about the books I love on social media - mostly Instagram.

I live in Washington State with my husband, our twins, and two cats who think they're people.

I'd love to hear from you! 🖤