Room of Shadows

by Ronald Kidd

2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award Finalist―Best Juvenile

Edgar Allan Poe's greatest stories are coming to life, and it's not a good thing.

There's something odd about the house David Cray and his mom moved into following his parents’ split. Sure, it’s old and battered and a little off-kilter, but that’s not all. With so many nooks and crannies, it seems like the walls were built to keep things hidden―or maybe from getting out. David’s suspicions are confirmed when he uncovers a secret room that looks like it hasn’t been touched in ages. Inside, an ancient desk and carving of a raven beckon to him. Suddenly, disaster seems to follow him everywhere, and he starts to notice connections between the terrible events happening around him and the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Has David unleashed a dark force by opening the room? Or has the room awakened something in David that he doesn’t recognize?

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Mystery, Fantasy, Young Adult, Juvenile, Supernatural

239 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Ronald Kidd is the author of thirteen novels for young readers, including the highly acclaimed “Night on Fire” and “Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial.” His novels of adventure, comedy, mystery, and American history have received the Children's Choice Award, an Edgar Award nomination, and honors from the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library. He is a two-time O'Neill playwright who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take one part Edgar Allen Poe, one part haunted house tale, one part new-kid-in-town story and a soupçon of Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls, and what you get is Ronald Kidd’s totally original middle-grade page-turner. Adults and kids alike will become engrossed in the story of David Cray, a 13-year-old boy who moves to Baltimore with his librarian mother when his father ditches the family for New York and a cutie named Gretchen. David’s new home, a ramshackle Victorian, turns out to have a secret room, a mysterious trunk and very creepy carved raven. David and his classmate Libby Morales team up to solve — well, to reveal what would be to spoil the fun.

Kidd has woven a suspenseful tale with just enough of the supernatural to be spooky rather than corny. He also deals believably with David’s simmering anger — anger at having to leave suburbia and his friends, at his abandonment by a father in full midlife crisis mode, at the bullies at Marshall Middle School. A fabulous story readers won’t want to put down. Highly, highly recommended for all ages.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Albert Whitman & Company in exchange for an honest review.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one, but with my not-uncommon caveat: what happened with the cat was really, really unnecessary. I am totally going to go re-read some of Poe's stories, though.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟
Many FANTASTIC lines...
On the whole, though, it just felt a little weaker than it should have been.

[Margery Bayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed.

The premise was intrigued. It had to do with Edgar Allan Poe, and was set in Baltimore, and the mother of the main character was an Enoch Pratt librarian. As someone who lives in Baltimore (and thus lives in Baltimore, is into Poe) and is an Enoch Pratt librarian, I was ready. Even more, I was drawn in by the first line, "It was year I discovered anger." Reading that, I thought, 'Wow, is this going to be a story that explores a young person dealing with anger in the aftermath of a broken family?'

The story itself, sadly, did not fulfill all this intrigue. First of all, the character arc about anger that the story is supposedly about resolves itself without any growth happening. Our main character David acts on anger once in the beginning of the story, but throughout the rest of the story does feels anger but doesn't ever act on it. At the climax he has this supposed epiphany about dealing with anger, but he already figured out how to deal with anger without all the other stuff. Unless the message is supposed to be not to feel anger at all, which is a messed up message.

There is also an astounding lack of logic to the story. The villain is supernatural, but its not quiet clear what the parameters of his abilities or existence are: zombie? spirit? person brought back from the dead? super strong? What? Additionally, motivation is unclear. He is fulfilling David's anger? Then why is he attacking David and the people he cares about at the end? (Which would've worked, if say, David ever felt anger towards his mother or friend, but he didn't). The characters in the story don't think logically either. The villian is attacking people in Poe-like ways, and people (not just other kids, but like police officers) are blaming David, even though some of the attacks are impossible for a middle schooler to set up, like a pit and the pendulum type situation that happened.

On top of that, the dialogue is stilted. None of the character interactions seem organic. I just don't buy any of it.

According to his bio, Ronald Kidd is a veteran kid's book writer, but this one comes off as a phoned in first draft that another run through could've turned into something acceptable. (I, in fact, feel very similar to Room of Shadows as I did to Fuzzy Mid by Louis Sachar, like publishers are letting them get published on reputation and their name, but trying holding the books up to story telling standards.)

I wouldn't recommend this book for adult reads of children's books or children's readers of children's book, because I know as a kid I would have been calling B.S. on some of the leaps of logic in the narrative then too.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Cray and his mom have just moved into a really creepy old house. They had to leave their old house because dad left and they could no longer afford it. Now they live downtown close to David's new school and his mom's work. David discovers a secret room in the house that had been blocked off. Once he enters the room he seems to be overcome with an energy and writes tons of scary stories. David is also dealing with some anger issues. When one of the school bullies tries to mess with him, David beats him up pretty badly. After that David starts experiencing strange dreams. Then a mysterious Raven shows up at school and starts hurting those that hurt David. David and his new friend Libby must figure out what is going on before someone gets really hurt.

This was a super creepy and a really fast read. I loved the incorporation of Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious death and his stories. It added a bit of authenticity to what may have just been a regular horror story. Even if you are not familiar with Poe's work, as most kids probably aren't, I think they will still appreciate the horror and creepiness of this story. It is a winner.

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

[Young At Heart Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire time I read this book I was constantly thinking of how much it reminded me of Goosebumps. Corny writing, a little simplistic with some spooky happenings and a twist. Granted, the twist here isn't as fun or original as some of Stine's, but it may grab some kids' attention.

While I could relate to David's situation, it didn't grab me at all. This book is odd in that it's being rushed and padded out at the same time. I could see this story being only 150 pages long or drawn out to 300 if you wanted to go deeper into some elements.

Also, I have no idea why the villain WAS the villain. I don't want to go into spoilers, but his motivation bothered/confused me. The author notes that he wanted to "fix" this historical character's death, but I really question the necessity of that.

Despite my disappointment with it, I'm glad it didn't take so long to read. Speedier readers could finish it in one sitting, though they may find the story leaving them within the next couple of hours.

[Alison the Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say I was underwhelmed by this book. Though it was a quick read and engaging at first, the whole evil Edgar Allan Poe premise was ridiculous and nonsensical. About 75% of the way through, I couldn't wait for it to be over. I expected better from Robald Kidd--I wouldn't recommend this book to my library's patrons.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to honestly review this e-galley.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would have liked this book better if the villain weren't Edgar Allan Poe. It just seems like too outrageous, since Poe was a real person. It would have been easier to suspend my disbelief if Poe had possessed a living character instead of becoming zombie!Poe.

[Krysta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not well-written with choppy transitions and a romance that blossoms out of nowhere. I felt nothing because the characters weren't developed enough for me to fear for them. The disturbing natures of the crimes in this book also seemed more suitable for a YA book than a MG book.

[Alyssa (HeartwyldsLibrary) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger Warning: Pet Death

This was a very fast read, i mean I got through this in 2 hours. Room of Shadows has a very interesting idea at hand. A young boy moves into a new place (which is actually very old) which just so happens to have a secret room that was used by none other than Edgar Allen Poe. Now I went into this not knowing there was going to be any connections to Poe (i literally just picked this up at the library based on the title) so when I started to make the connections that Poe was involved in this story I thought it was pretty cool. I enjoyed how Kidd gave a different approach to Poe's death compared to what we know and for what the story was working with it fit in really well.

The story theme from what I took away from it was suppose to be based around anger and how it can turn people into monsters. I definitely feel like the approach to learn and dealing with the anger issues that David has wasn't handled the best. It definitely feels like it was brushed over very quickly without actually giving him any character growth. Libby felt like a prop that was only necessary to use when Poe attacked her, other than that she just kind of appeared made some giggling noises and only occasionally contributed to helping David solve the mystery around The Raven. I thought at a few times it felt like there was going to be a deep(ish) conversation between the two over David's anger and where it was originating from but it never happened. Even when David has his ultimate show down with Poe, nothing is really brought up about how Davids anger is something he needs to work on, it was definitely pointed out how his anger was contributing to Poe's life, but it would have been nice to see the story come full circle and really dive into why not working on controlling ones anger can have consequences.

The horror aspects of this story where definitely spot on and at times I kind of forgot I was reading a middle grade horror book. The fear and themes of death where very up front and in your face, and if you are a fan of Poe then you will instantly recognize what each moment is based off of. I will say if you have an issue with pet death then I highly recommended you don't touch this one, as one of Poe's stories involving a cat is reenacted in this, at a school, and it is not glossed over, kind of threw me for a loop to be honest.

All in all Room of Shadows is an extremely quick dark read that can give you those scary vibes if you are in the mood for them.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.75 stars***

Edgar Allan Poe died a mysterious death in Baltimore on October 7, 1849, at age 40. His death sounds like his story. But what if Poe did not really die … his soul lingers and turns twisted … trapped in an old house … waiting to be unleashed? Following the separation of his parents, the 13 year old David Cray and his mother move to an old home in downtown. David soon uncovers a secret locked room with an ancient desk, some yellow aged papers, and a carving of a raven inside the room. Suddenly, misery, anger and violence seem to follow David everywhere he goes, and these awful incidents appear to be strangely connected to Poe's stories. David soon realises that he wasn't just reading Poe, but was living him. Poe's stories are coming alive and David is the source of this dark force. But what and why?

Intriguing plot and the storytelling is executed mellifluously. It was solid, focused and clever. I really like how Poe's stories played some role here. Bear in mind that this is a middle grade read so I don’t expect everything to make sense. There are definitely some illogical part that may seem over-the-top but I'm okay with it, as long as it's entertaining and encourage a middle-grader to read. It's about one's imagination after all! Again, as for characters, I don't expect them to be much depth or dimensions. The characters in this book are somewhat underdeveloped. But I am totally ok with it!

Overall, this is a pretty good middle grade read. It's entertaining, creepy and sure kept me engaged till the last page! It was a lightning fast read and I would recommend this to any middle-grader who wants to try the "mild" horror genre with some twist and mystery in it.

[NerdWhoLovesToRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually not too bad of a book. A very fast, easy, fun read. It is original, creative and interesting. Sadly, I personally didn't enjoy it as much. That's honestly on me, I had been procrastinating reading it and instead distracted myself with other things so I could've indulge in it as deeply as I should've. And yet, I still enjoyed it.
This is objectively a good book. It definitely deserves a higher rating than 3 but my personal experience was just fouled by distraction and a reading slump. Also, I am not too interested about Edgar Allan Poe and his poems. I'm not a big poem reader in general. So I was simply not the target audience for this book.
I did really really liked the chapter of "the book was leaking" though. That was intense. Easily my most favourite part of the book.

[Sarai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so badly wanted to love this book. But for me, it fell flat in a few ways. It was a lot darker than I expected for a middle grade novel. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it didn't have a lot of relief from that. I also think it was confusing--there were just so many times when I wasn't sure what was really going on.

I love the idea of using a classic writer like Poe as inspiration for a book, but Poe isn't maybe the best choice as he wrote some truly ghastly stuff, and his personal life was screwy. It might have translated better for adults, because of all the opium, alcohol, and marriage to his cousin.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

David has been having some anger issues since his dad abandoned him and his mom; he mvoes closer to puberty; and he has to move to a different school because mom can't afford the old neighborhood. After he beats the snot out of a kid trying to bully him, he gets grounded and he begins to explore the old house he and his mom live in. Soon weird things begin to happen involving Edgar Allen Poe. He and his new friend, Libby, begin to investigate the secret room in his house and the happenings.

Fun mystery with Poe stories and legends included. Definitely creepy for kids.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this edge of your seat book. For anyone who loves Edgar Allen Poe this is a must read. Since there is not much known on Poe's death, the author, Kidd, wrote a story about, "what if, this is how he died." The story revolves around a boy who has to move because his parents divorced and he is the new kid at the school. He has moved into the old off kilter house and feels he has unleashed some evil and violence seems to be following him.

[BarbJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy, horror and historical fiction--all about Edgar Allen Poe. While the premise was good, and I liked the kid's voice at the beginning it was just too graphic for me to want to recommend to kids. Plus even though it was creepy, not sure this is the kind of horror a kid would really want to read....

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edgar Allan Poe's spirit languishes in a secret walled-off room in a house in Baltimore until an angry preteen inadvertently unleashes it upon the city to enact revenge plots that mirror (tamer versions of) famous Poe stories. While the premise is promising, it ultimately grows too bizarre to be scary, and the characters are too underdeveloped for the reader to truly care about what befalls them.

[MC Bonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

**SPOILERS**
I rarely read a book in one day, but I couldn't put this one down. A very interesting story about what-could-have-been Poe's death. Not sure I agree that Poe would return to the world to become a killer. I personally think he would return to writing. It might be a bit too gory for some readers.

[Abigail Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what to make of this book. I absolutely adored the writing. I couldn’t put the book down because the writing was phenomenal and I was entranced! I did not fully “buy” nor like the plot. It was an odd stretch and it’s not something I can imagine recommending unfortunately. But the writing was so good!! So, I’m torn.

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a reader for this book somewhere, but I am not that person. The choppy writing style combined with the limited narrator means I didn't really sympathize with the main character at all, and the creep factor wasn't high enough for me to finish the book on creepiness alone.

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dark (possession by angry spirits, attempted murder, being buried alive) for my idea of a children's book, but overall an enjoyable little book. The ties to Edgar Allan Poe's history were interesting and well researched.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this online, and weirdly it looks bigger as a physical book than the online version. I read this in less than an hour!
But still a cute read for October. Everyone needs a little mystery and Edgar Allen Poe in their lives.

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the idea of the book was interesting, and it was a fast read, it just came short of something. All in all, it was an alright book, it just felt like it moved too fast and some actions were missing.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like evil Edgar, but I can see that middle schoolers would probably enjoy it.

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equal parts creepy, fantastical, and out there! Middle grade kids will like this because it skirts the horror genre without being too over the top. Also, it's a pretty quick read!

[Alexa]

DNF, too young.

[Margaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely creepier than I thought it would be, but I'd recommend this one.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read but scary

[Sara Houser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed room of shadows. It can be a fast read the chapters are good and short. Great middle grade book, Plus the ending I did not see coming so it was a surprise.

[Kimberly Johannsen-Coller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, creepy read.