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Shadow Play
Fans of K.R. Alexander, Mary Downing Hahn, and India Hill Brown will flock to this spooky book that will haunt your dreams...literally.Shelby and Jane aren’t happy to be stuck with their grandparents, tucked away in the Catskills, surrounded by old, abandoned resorts. The days seem to drag on, that is, until their neighbors tell them about the legend of the psychic that used to live in the resort next door. To this day, if you shine a light on the wall at night, shadows play out your future.Shelby and Jane are no scaredy cats, so they go to check it out. To their horror, silhouettes appear and act out a murder. When the silhouette of the murderer stops what he’s doing and notices them—his audience.The kids RUN. But they can’t escape the shadows that continue to haunt them in their nightmares. Will they be able to fight their fortunes…or will the nightmares become reality?
232 pages, Library Binding
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Dan Poblocki
28 books660 followersAuthor of The Stone Child, The Nightmarys, The Ghost of Graylock, and the Mysterious Four series,The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, and The Book of Bad Things.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 11, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ Shadow Play by Dan Poblocki is a solid young adult mystery with a creepy setting and a strong focus on family dynamics.
Shelby and Jane are spending the summer with their grandparents in the Catskills, surrounded by abandoned resorts and local ghost stories. When they hear about a supposedly psychic former resident whose shadows can reveal the future, curiosity gets the better of them. But when the shadows appear to act out a murder, the sisters soon find themselves wondering whether what they witnessed was a warning or a prophecy.
I really enjoyed the setting. There was something wonderfully eerie about the lived-in town surrounded by abandoned resorts, and it created a great atmosphere for the mystery. I also liked the dynamic between the sisters and how differently they each dealt with their family trauma.
The audiobook was also incredibly easy to listen to. Jess Moran did an excellent job as the narrator and made for a very enjoyable listening experience.
That said, the story didn’t have too many particularly unique scenes or characters, so I don’t think it’s going to linger in my mind for very long. Still, I had a lot of fun reading it, and sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a spooky YA mystery.
Shelby and Jane are spending the summer with their grandparents in the Catskills, surrounded by abandoned resorts and local ghost stories. When they hear about a supposedly psychic former resident whose shadows can reveal the future, curiosity gets the better of them. But when the shadows appear to act out a murder, the sisters soon find themselves wondering whether what they witnessed was a warning or a prophecy.
I really enjoyed the setting. There was something wonderfully eerie about the lived-in town surrounded by abandoned resorts, and it created a great atmosphere for the mystery. I also liked the dynamic between the sisters and how differently they each dealt with their family trauma.
The audiobook was also incredibly easy to listen to. Jess Moran did an excellent job as the narrator and made for a very enjoyable listening experience.
That said, the story didn’t have too many particularly unique scenes or characters, so I don’t think it’s going to linger in my mind for very long. Still, I had a lot of fun reading it, and sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a spooky YA mystery.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Shelby and Jane Hoffman are spending the winter break with their grandparents Betsy and Frank. Their parents are taking a little vacation because the father has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, Betsy and Frank have just moved from New York City to Violet Springs, where they are setting up the Museum of Future Disasters to showcase their sculptures. Violet Springs in an interesting place, with a movie theater, the Orpheum, that used to welcome Vaudeville shows, and Limelight Manor, which is now a performing arts summer camp, but used to have big name performers in the 1950s in its Clover Theater. The caretaker, Mr. Nichols, has recently retired, and in his place is Denis, whose nephews Liam, Felix, and Octave Beaumont are staying with him. Shelby attended the camp in the summer, so when Octave offers to show the girls the house, she's excited, although Jane would rather be at home reading mysteries. Shelby's boyfriend has given her a necklace that turns out to be the one in a portrait of Madame Natalia, a Russian immigrant who had an internship at the theater doing psychic work from 1929-1959. When the kids start to hear and see very odd happenings, they go to the town library to investigate. This leads to poking around in an abandoned house, sneaking into the theater, and even having a scary encounter in a local cave. There are lots of questions as the supernatural experiences pile up, but Betsy tells the girls they can't bother the one person who might know a lot about what went on. There was a fire in 1989 that killed several campers, and even Jane can get behind investigating this. As the group questions local residents and does a lot of poking and prodding, they anger the supernatural, but the bigger threat might be real life residents. Can they solve the mystery before their parents return?
Strengths: Apparently, New York state is filled with a lot of abandoned summer camps and hotels, which means I am probably never going to get to a Catskills resort for the summer, but has a TON of potential for creepy books. The Clover property has so much interesting history, and the dates are perfect for their to be some original people still around... and friends with Betsy and Frank. I really enjoyed that Shelby and Jane were comfortable enough with their quirky grandparents to be willing to talk to them about all of the hauntings; this is so much better than killing everyone off. Faced with violent ghosts, I'm pretty sure most young people are going to want to consult a trusted adult! The Beaumont boys work well with the girls, and I was able to keep all of the characters straight, which means they were all well developed. There are some twists and turns, but I loved how the kids are able to save the day through not only bravery, but RESEARCH!
Weaknesses: This wasn't nearly as scary as Poblocki's other work. The inclusion of the tension between Shelby and Jane over their reaction to their father's illness slowed the story down. The cover is great, though, which means that students will definitely pick this book up!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who Lawrence's The Many Hauntings of the Manning Family, Parris' Stage Fright, or Keys' Twelfth. Theater mysteries seem to be trending; Kate Messner's Keep the Ghost Light On comes out in February 2027, and Farazin's third The Last Resort coming out in September 2026 is entitled Ghost Light .
Shelby and Jane Hoffman are spending the winter break with their grandparents Betsy and Frank. Their parents are taking a little vacation because the father has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, Betsy and Frank have just moved from New York City to Violet Springs, where they are setting up the Museum of Future Disasters to showcase their sculptures. Violet Springs in an interesting place, with a movie theater, the Orpheum, that used to welcome Vaudeville shows, and Limelight Manor, which is now a performing arts summer camp, but used to have big name performers in the 1950s in its Clover Theater. The caretaker, Mr. Nichols, has recently retired, and in his place is Denis, whose nephews Liam, Felix, and Octave Beaumont are staying with him. Shelby attended the camp in the summer, so when Octave offers to show the girls the house, she's excited, although Jane would rather be at home reading mysteries. Shelby's boyfriend has given her a necklace that turns out to be the one in a portrait of Madame Natalia, a Russian immigrant who had an internship at the theater doing psychic work from 1929-1959. When the kids start to hear and see very odd happenings, they go to the town library to investigate. This leads to poking around in an abandoned house, sneaking into the theater, and even having a scary encounter in a local cave. There are lots of questions as the supernatural experiences pile up, but Betsy tells the girls they can't bother the one person who might know a lot about what went on. There was a fire in 1989 that killed several campers, and even Jane can get behind investigating this. As the group questions local residents and does a lot of poking and prodding, they anger the supernatural, but the bigger threat might be real life residents. Can they solve the mystery before their parents return?
Strengths: Apparently, New York state is filled with a lot of abandoned summer camps and hotels, which means I am probably never going to get to a Catskills resort for the summer, but has a TON of potential for creepy books. The Clover property has so much interesting history, and the dates are perfect for their to be some original people still around... and friends with Betsy and Frank. I really enjoyed that Shelby and Jane were comfortable enough with their quirky grandparents to be willing to talk to them about all of the hauntings; this is so much better than killing everyone off. Faced with violent ghosts, I'm pretty sure most young people are going to want to consult a trusted adult! The Beaumont boys work well with the girls, and I was able to keep all of the characters straight, which means they were all well developed. There are some twists and turns, but I loved how the kids are able to save the day through not only bravery, but RESEARCH!
Weaknesses: This wasn't nearly as scary as Poblocki's other work. The inclusion of the tension between Shelby and Jane over their reaction to their father's illness slowed the story down. The cover is great, though, which means that students will definitely pick this book up!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who Lawrence's The Many Hauntings of the Manning Family, Parris' Stage Fright, or Keys' Twelfth. Theater mysteries seem to be trending; Kate Messner's Keep the Ghost Light On comes out in February 2027, and Farazin's third The Last Resort coming out in September 2026 is entitled Ghost Light .
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews