What do you think?
Rate this book
The Yearbook
Everyone thinks it a joke when creepy little poems about seniors appear in the Winchester High yearbook, but when these students start turning up dead, the joke does not seem funny anymore. Original.
229 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1994
22 people are currently reading
882 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lerangis
151 books794 followersLerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf, the Drama Club series, the Spy X series, the Watchers series, the Abracadabra series, and the Antarctica two-book adventure, as well ghostwriting for series such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Sweet Valley Twins, and more than forty books in the series The Baby-sitters Club and its various spin-offs.[1] He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow, and Beauty and the Beast, and five video game novelizations in the Worlds of Power series created by Seth Godin.[2] As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer.[3]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
September 7, 2021
Most of the Point Horror’s seem to have a familiar formula, this one really jumped out as it’s just so completely different!
Initially I found it quite odd reading from the male perspective!
Seventeen year old David Kallas agrees to join the yearbook, after a series of earthquakes David soon discovers a dead body. Taking it upon himself he soon learns a similar event happen in 1950 with numerous murders.
Can David stop history repeating??
This is such an odd entry in the Point Horror series, i wonder if they were trying to branch out with other writers and ideas.
I know that Lerangis's has also written Drivers Dead for the range, so I’m really curious to read that one now.
Overall a good solid enjoyable story. As the mystery was so different to the other books, I was slightly surprised in the way the story ended.
Initially I found it quite odd reading from the male perspective!
Seventeen year old David Kallas agrees to join the yearbook, after a series of earthquakes David soon discovers a dead body. Taking it upon himself he soon learns a similar event happen in 1950 with numerous murders.
Can David stop history repeating??
This is such an odd entry in the Point Horror series, i wonder if they were trying to branch out with other writers and ideas.
I know that Lerangis's has also written Drivers Dead for the range, so I’m really curious to read that one now.
Overall a good solid enjoyable story. As the mystery was so different to the other books, I was slightly surprised in the way the story ended.
May 9, 2023
4.25 Stars This is one of my favourite point horror books iv read so far. Really interesting premise and I was hooked by the mystery and characters straight away. Took a supernatural turn to the end that I was unsure of. But I was invested enough to stick with it and I enjoyed the ending. A highschool student is found dead in the local forest. When the school yearbook releases and predicted his death, David and Ariana race to discover who printed the harrowing messages and stop them before they can kill the other 6 students marked to reach the same deathly demise.
October 13, 2019
This was a really fun book! Quite different from the typical Point Horror style. I really enjoyed reading our protagonist David's perspective (other than his leching over Ariana that is. Ew.). But he has a dry and sarcastic sense of humour which definitely made me chuckle from time to time, and the story moves along quickly through his voice. The story was really clever and also quite silly at times which made for a great combination. An interesting cast of characters and a wild story involving something strange going on in David's home town...
February 14, 2022
Wtf kind of Point Horror was this?!
I've gotten used to the template that most PH books seem to follow, and then this one came along and sideswiped a hard left. The mention of sex AND dead bodies in chapter 1?! It's a world apart from the usual, which in itself is a great idea in theory... but I have many thoughts on this... insanity.
Firstly I need to point out that, though I usually try to read these in the context of the time, and appreciate that language and attitudes have thankfully evolved a bit since the 90s, this was problematic for me in the first 15 pages.
Oh, some casual animal abuse on page 6? Ok.
Then, when he finds something gruesome while out stalking his 'crush' who was parked up with her boyfriend, obviously making it HER fault he'd seen what he'd seen...
Some dangerous incel vibes, and we're only to page 14.
I'm not even touching that one.
Even with the cover being a fairly big spoiler for the first revelation, I don't know what it says about me that I guessed every one of the twists in this batshit crazy story. I'm giving it 2 stars for... creativity? And for breaking the usual PH mould, I can appreciate pushing boundaries a bit. But this went way off the edge into another universe of unlikeable characters, never-in-a-million-years relationships and downright chaos.
I would not be at all surprised if the author wrote down every far-out plot point they could think of, put them in a jar and just pulled some out at random to outline this story.
I've gotten used to the template that most PH books seem to follow, and then this one came along and sideswiped a hard left. The mention of sex AND dead bodies in chapter 1?! It's a world apart from the usual, which in itself is a great idea in theory... but I have many thoughts on this... insanity.
Firstly I need to point out that, though I usually try to read these in the context of the time, and appreciate that language and attitudes have thankfully evolved a bit since the 90s, this was problematic for me in the first 15 pages.
"I cocked my arm, took aim, and threw. Thud. Dead on. Right in the critter's side. I braced for a yelp or a scream."
Oh, some casual animal abuse on page 6? Ok.
Then, when he finds something gruesome while out stalking his 'crush' who was parked up with her boyfriend, obviously making it HER fault he'd seen what he'd seen...
"At that moment, I hated Ariana. Hated her for making me want her so much"
Some dangerous incel vibes, and we're only to page 14.
"Since joining the yearbook I had learned to my horror that people I'd known on a first name basis had last names like Xarvoulakis, Wojcechowsky, Orailoglu, and Nwogalanya"
I'm not even touching that one.
Even with the cover being a fairly big spoiler for the first revelation, I don't know what it says about me that I guessed every one of the twists in this batshit crazy story. I'm giving it 2 stars for... creativity? And for breaking the usual PH mould, I can appreciate pushing boundaries a bit. But this went way off the edge into another universe of unlikeable characters, never-in-a-million-years relationships and downright chaos.
I would not be at all surprised if the author wrote down every far-out plot point they could think of, put them in a jar and just pulled some out at random to outline this story.
February 21, 2017
People liked this? It was terrible! Craziness.
September 7, 2025
I've mentioned previously that I quite like it when Point Horror books dabble with the supernatural. Far too many of these books lean on the same tropes of stalkers and threatening notes and sinister phone calls and dumb pranks, so it tends to be a refreshing change when ghosts or vampires or other supernatural happenings are included. I'll give Peter Lerangis some credit - he tries to do something pretty original and unique (for a Point Horror book) with The Yearbook... sadly it just doesn't quite work.
This is my first Peter Lerangis Point Horror book, and I appreciated the Lovecraft-inspired elements. As is probably evident from the cover (which admittedly is a big reason why I chose to read this Point Horror book next) this is trying to do something very different. This is only made more apparent by having a male protagonist - to date I believe the only other Point horror book I've read thus far with a male protagonist (not including the short story collections 13 Tales of Horror and Thirteen More Tales of Horror ) has been The Girlfriend , which remains my favourite Point Horror book I've read so far - and by telling the story in first person. I found this narrative technique took some adjusting to.
The biggest issue I have with The Yearbook is that the protagonist, David Kallas, is immensely unlikeable. It's unpleasant spending the vast majority of this book in his headspace, as he lusts after a girl (who is in a relationship) and tries to manipulate his way closer to her. I wouldn't mind so much if the plot didn't seem to actually support and reward his endeavours. There's a couple of moments where he gets called out for his creepy behaviour, and these were incredibly satisfying, but it all comes apart long before the end. I don't know if Lerangis was deliberately trying to create a character who is the embodiment of an incel (was that term even popular in the '90s when these books were being churned out?) but I really hate how he's positioned as the hero.
Despite this unfortunate element, I do like some other stuff Lerangis is doing here - besides the times things get a little predictable, and not including some very heavy-handed exposition - this story is considerably darker than most of the Point Horror books I've read so far, with Lerangis unafraid to kill off characters. This results in a feeling of actual peril that runs throughout the book. There's also a couple of likeable secondary characters, most notably Ariana and Chief Hayes. Unfortunately the ending is extremely questionable. I really wanted to like The Yearbook more, and it's certainly memorable, but damn those flaws are difficult to overlook.
2.5/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Thirteen More Tales of Horror - 4/5
3) The Dead Game - 4/5
4) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
5) Camp Fear - 3.5/5
6) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
7) Dream Date - 3.5/5
8) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
9) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
10) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
11) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
12) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
13) Nightmare Hall - The Scream Team - 3.5/5
14) April Fools - 3.5/5
15) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
16) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
17) Freeze Tag - 3/5
18) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
19) The Accident - 3/5
20) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
21) Funhouse - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Pretty Please - 3/5
23) The Stranger - 3/5
24) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
25) The Window - 3/5
26) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
27) The Invitation - 2.5/5
28) Nightmare Hall - The Wish - 2.5/5
29) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
30) The Perfume - 2.5/5
31) The Train - 2.5/5
32) The Waitress - 2.5/5
33) The Snowman - 2.5/5
34) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
35) The Yearbook - 2.5/5
36) Halloween Night - 2.5/5
37) Beach House - 2.5/5
38) The Mall - 2.5/5
39) The Boyfriend - 2/5
40) The Fever - 2/5
41) The Cemetery - 2/5
42) Mother's Helper - 2/5
43) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
44) The Phantom - 2/5
45) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
46) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
47) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
48) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
49) Beach Party - 1/5
This is my first Peter Lerangis Point Horror book, and I appreciated the Lovecraft-inspired elements. As is probably evident from the cover (which admittedly is a big reason why I chose to read this Point Horror book next) this is trying to do something very different. This is only made more apparent by having a male protagonist - to date I believe the only other Point horror book I've read thus far with a male protagonist (not including the short story collections 13 Tales of Horror and Thirteen More Tales of Horror ) has been The Girlfriend , which remains my favourite Point Horror book I've read so far - and by telling the story in first person. I found this narrative technique took some adjusting to.
The biggest issue I have with The Yearbook is that the protagonist, David Kallas, is immensely unlikeable. It's unpleasant spending the vast majority of this book in his headspace, as he lusts after a girl (who is in a relationship) and tries to manipulate his way closer to her. I wouldn't mind so much if the plot didn't seem to actually support and reward his endeavours. There's a couple of moments where he gets called out for his creepy behaviour, and these were incredibly satisfying, but it all comes apart long before the end. I don't know if Lerangis was deliberately trying to create a character who is the embodiment of an incel (was that term even popular in the '90s when these books were being churned out?) but I really hate how he's positioned as the hero.
Despite this unfortunate element, I do like some other stuff Lerangis is doing here - besides the times things get a little predictable, and not including some very heavy-handed exposition - this story is considerably darker than most of the Point Horror books I've read so far, with Lerangis unafraid to kill off characters. This results in a feeling of actual peril that runs throughout the book. There's also a couple of likeable secondary characters, most notably Ariana and Chief Hayes. Unfortunately the ending is extremely questionable. I really wanted to like The Yearbook more, and it's certainly memorable, but damn those flaws are difficult to overlook.
2.5/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Thirteen More Tales of Horror - 4/5
3) The Dead Game - 4/5
4) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
5) Camp Fear - 3.5/5
6) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
7) Dream Date - 3.5/5
8) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
9) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
10) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
11) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
12) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
13) Nightmare Hall - The Scream Team - 3.5/5
14) April Fools - 3.5/5
15) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
16) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
17) Freeze Tag - 3/5
18) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
19) The Accident - 3/5
20) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
21) Funhouse - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Pretty Please - 3/5
23) The Stranger - 3/5
24) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
25) The Window - 3/5
26) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
27) The Invitation - 2.5/5
28) Nightmare Hall - The Wish - 2.5/5
29) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
30) The Perfume - 2.5/5
31) The Train - 2.5/5
32) The Waitress - 2.5/5
33) The Snowman - 2.5/5
34) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
35) The Yearbook - 2.5/5
36) Halloween Night - 2.5/5
37) Beach House - 2.5/5
38) The Mall - 2.5/5
39) The Boyfriend - 2/5
40) The Fever - 2/5
41) The Cemetery - 2/5
42) Mother's Helper - 2/5
43) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
44) The Phantom - 2/5
45) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
46) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
47) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
48) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
49) Beach Party - 1/5
July 4, 2024
Worst point horror book I've ever read.
July 6, 2024
I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub
It starts with a little prologue with David and Ariana alone on top of a hill outside of the small “ugly” town of Wetherby. David shares that he has destroyed his whole town! But fear not he is writing a record in case it happens again! There are no fault lines under Wetherby so how did they get an earthquake? But a similar thing happened in the 50’s! Then people start to go missing! Dead bodies start appearing in the river and the sewage pipes. Someone sabotages the yearbook with shrunken heads of a dead boy and writes nasty threatening poems! And not forgetting there’s the secret society that meets in the basement of the school in secret passageways behind awesome bookcases! fertile soil, lots of Greek God references and a monster made of calcium. And did I mention it has tentacles?!
In my opinion Peter Lerangis pushes boundaries in his writing especially for a 90’s read like this one! In The Yearbook he takes influence from Greek mythology and throws it into a small town setting with strange goings on. Our main character, David, is memorable as well as the fact that for a Point Horror of it’s time, aimed at teens like me back in the day, it’s quite gory and graphic in parts with a mention of sex on page four! This was so welcome and refreshing for the brand!
I feel teen me who was obsessed with the fictional stalking of babysitters, slashers and urban legends would not have given this a chance but adult me LOVED this book! I will be seeking out more by Peter Lerangis for sure!
Give it a read if you enjoy unusual reads. If you love Stranger Things, Stephen King or Buffy you will love this!
It starts with a little prologue with David and Ariana alone on top of a hill outside of the small “ugly” town of Wetherby. David shares that he has destroyed his whole town! But fear not he is writing a record in case it happens again! There are no fault lines under Wetherby so how did they get an earthquake? But a similar thing happened in the 50’s! Then people start to go missing! Dead bodies start appearing in the river and the sewage pipes. Someone sabotages the yearbook with shrunken heads of a dead boy and writes nasty threatening poems! And not forgetting there’s the secret society that meets in the basement of the school in secret passageways behind awesome bookcases! fertile soil, lots of Greek God references and a monster made of calcium. And did I mention it has tentacles?!
In my opinion Peter Lerangis pushes boundaries in his writing especially for a 90’s read like this one! In The Yearbook he takes influence from Greek mythology and throws it into a small town setting with strange goings on. Our main character, David, is memorable as well as the fact that for a Point Horror of it’s time, aimed at teens like me back in the day, it’s quite gory and graphic in parts with a mention of sex on page four! This was so welcome and refreshing for the brand!
I feel teen me who was obsessed with the fictional stalking of babysitters, slashers and urban legends would not have given this a chance but adult me LOVED this book! I will be seeking out more by Peter Lerangis for sure!
Give it a read if you enjoy unusual reads. If you love Stranger Things, Stephen King or Buffy you will love this!
May 23, 2022
This is a read. Earthquakes, high school students finding themselves, mysterious disappearances and murder are all covered in this.
This only reads like point horror because it's short, has a teenager protagonist and fast paced. It is darker than the other ones. A really fun yet bizarre read!
This only reads like point horror because it's short, has a teenager protagonist and fast paced. It is darker than the other ones. A really fun yet bizarre read!
January 24, 2022
I enjoyed most of it. Especially the first half. Unfortunately, I feel a little let down by (spoiler alert) big reveal at the end…that the killer was in fact…a monster with tentacles who hated Coca-Cola? Did not feel like that’s where the story was going.
January 11, 2022
4.5 stars! I absolutely loved this story, it’s reminded why I loved reading point horror books so much as a teen. Basically, we follow the story of a guy who becomes involving with the yearbook group. Once the yearbook gets produced, murders start happening! I can’t say anymore with giving away to much. I loved the writing style, and the story was immersive.
November 7, 2023
Really fun monstery Point Horror! I had a couple of doubts, but everything was wrapped up nicely in the end. This is definitely one of the good ones.
November 17, 2024
2.5 - weird book and kind of surreal writing style.
June 9, 2024
This was so much fun! Really interesting premise and unique concept. I liked the sci-if elements and how out of left field everything was, yet it all made sense and ended in a satisfying way. Also, just gory enough! Think…slimey. 😈
November 2, 2016
In 'The Yearbook', David is in charge of proofreading the yearbook. Unfortunately, this simple task turns into a nightmare when the yearbooks end up being sabotaged by someone. Featuring gory images and disturbing poems, the yearbook is only the start of true horror. When David finds a body, he realizes that he could be next..
The premise was undoubtedly interesting. I liked the idea of a group of students getting killed off one by one. However, the poor execution ruined the book's potential to deliver spine-chilling horror. It took forever for the best bits (such as the discovery of the body) to arrive. By the time they did, I had already lost interest. To make things worse, the pacing was completely off. It was too slow at first and later it was the opposite. As a result, there was no suspense or any build-up to the climax.
All of the characters were boring, forgettable and painfully one-dimensional. Although several students were mentioned, the author only focused on David and his love interest Ariana. Despite that, neither one of them was fleshed out. I felt neutral towards David whose entire life seemed to revolve around the mystery of the yearbook and Ariana (not necessarily in that order). Meanwhile, Ariana was just the token pretty girl with no personality. It was hard to root for characters that you just don't care about.
The horror could have been better if the author had shown what the victims experienced prior to their death instead of explaining their deaths in a few sentences. The answer to the mystery did somewhat make sense but the long-windedness of the story was really off-putting. Besides that, the police were unrealistic as they had no qualms about sharing information on the case with David - the one who found the dead body. Logically, he'd be at the top of the suspects list.
Overall, 'The Yearbook' was a disappointingly dull read filled with scenes that went nowhere, flat characters and ineffective writing.
The premise was undoubtedly interesting. I liked the idea of a group of students getting killed off one by one. However, the poor execution ruined the book's potential to deliver spine-chilling horror. It took forever for the best bits (such as the discovery of the body) to arrive. By the time they did, I had already lost interest. To make things worse, the pacing was completely off. It was too slow at first and later it was the opposite. As a result, there was no suspense or any build-up to the climax.
All of the characters were boring, forgettable and painfully one-dimensional. Although several students were mentioned, the author only focused on David and his love interest Ariana. Despite that, neither one of them was fleshed out. I felt neutral towards David whose entire life seemed to revolve around the mystery of the yearbook and Ariana (not necessarily in that order). Meanwhile, Ariana was just the token pretty girl with no personality. It was hard to root for characters that you just don't care about.
The horror could have been better if the author had shown what the victims experienced prior to their death instead of explaining their deaths in a few sentences. The answer to the mystery did somewhat make sense but the long-windedness of the story was really off-putting. Besides that, the police were unrealistic as they had no qualms about sharing information on the case with David - the one who found the dead body. Logically, he'd be at the top of the suspects list.
Overall, 'The Yearbook' was a disappointingly dull read filled with scenes that went nowhere, flat characters and ineffective writing.
December 1, 2014
David Kallas is seventeen, and pretty much obsessed with classmate Ariana. After a mild earthquake brings them momentarily closer, David finds himself agreeing to join the Yearbook staff in order to spend time with Ariana.
David is on his way to the printers one night when he comes across a dead body - he freaks and flees home, where he has a strange dream about someone named Mark.
He begins to dig around for information - and realises that in 1950, a similar earthquake sparked the beginning of a spate of high-school murders. Are his classmates in danger? Can David find out what's going on before he or Ariana are put in serious danger? And what do his dreams mean?
I liked this a lot. I liked David's voice - he was sarcastic, quick-witted and funny. The actual plot was completely daft, but this is Point Horror, not Stephen King, so that can be forgiven. I couldn't have told you how this would end in a million years, so there's no way you could ever say this was predictable!
I did think one thing was really funny, but I'll put it in a spoiler so I don't give anything away.
David is on his way to the printers one night when he comes across a dead body - he freaks and flees home, where he has a strange dream about someone named Mark.
He begins to dig around for information - and realises that in 1950, a similar earthquake sparked the beginning of a spate of high-school murders. Are his classmates in danger? Can David find out what's going on before he or Ariana are put in serious danger? And what do his dreams mean?
I liked this a lot. I liked David's voice - he was sarcastic, quick-witted and funny. The actual plot was completely daft, but this is Point Horror, not Stephen King, so that can be forgiven. I couldn't have told you how this would end in a million years, so there's no way you could ever say this was predictable!
I did think one thing was really funny, but I'll put it in a spoiler so I don't give anything away.
May 31, 2015
Well, the writing is humorous at times, but other than that, it felt like the story tried to do too much, and did nothing really well at that. I didn't find the characters particularly interesting or memorable or likeable, and there were too many bit-part characters to remember about or care when they kicked the bucket.
It seemed like it would have potential at first to be creepy, with the first body David finds, but everything else after that doesn't live up to its potential and is, in fact, rather silly. Half-life, huh? So what. Why's this monster caught up with numbers and stuff. Why's it care about student numbers in picking victims? Cola? Really? Future dreams? Was any of that necessary? It just used up pages that could have gone into making the book scarier. Again, everything just became too silly to deal with.
It seemed like it would have potential at first to be creepy, with the first body David finds, but everything else after that doesn't live up to its potential and is, in fact, rather silly. Half-life, huh? So what. Why's this monster caught up with numbers and stuff. Why's it care about student numbers in picking victims? Cola? Really? Future dreams? Was any of that necessary? It just used up pages that could have gone into making the book scarier. Again, everything just became too silly to deal with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2017
Ahh, high school senior. What a blissful year for some. For me, it meant freedom.
Anyway, David Kallas had a crush on Ariana Maas. And because of that, he decided to join the Voyager, a group that is involved with the making of the school yearbook. Everything was going smoothly until that fateful night David discovered the body. And to make the mystery more exciting, David had a dream of a boy named Mark from someplace in the future, I presumed.
2016 (22) 1994 (44) 1950 (88) 1862 (176) 1686 (352) 1334 (704) 630 778 B.C.
Uhm yeah, you have to read the story to know the meaning behind the set of numbers.
Anyway, David Kallas had a crush on Ariana Maas. And because of that, he decided to join the Voyager, a group that is involved with the making of the school yearbook. Everything was going smoothly until that fateful night David discovered the body. And to make the mystery more exciting, David had a dream of a boy named Mark from someplace in the future, I presumed.
2016 (22) 1994 (44) 1950 (88) 1862 (176) 1686 (352) 1334 (704) 630 778 B.C.
Uhm yeah, you have to read the story to know the meaning behind the set of numbers.
September 6, 2019
Weird mashup of King and Lovecraft- but nowhere near as good obviously. Honestly the protagonist is a difficult one for me, I spend the first half of the book thinking we were supposed to be disgusted by him (I certainly was), he was written as a nasty perverted incel creep character and I was honestly getting 'The Collector' vibes off of him... so yeah was a bit off putting when it dawned on me 'oh wow, this is our hero'. Must be a 90s thing, the main character made my skin crawl more than any deep ancient one could.
August 28, 2014
Definitely not my favourite Point Horror. It was all a bit too weird. And as is common for these books it took too long to get going and went too fast at the end.
December 9, 2014
I liked how snarky he wrote for the main character. I wasn't impressed by the ending it left too much lacking. I was going to keep hold of this for my son but since the end was so lame of it goes.
July 28, 2018
This book started off great and then somehow completely lost it. The ending was awful.
March 10, 2020
This started out fun but quickly dissolved into chaos.
January 14, 2022
Its not a Point Horror unless its not batsh$t crazy in some way LOL.
March 1, 2022
This was definitely a 'different' type of Point book. For one, it was mixed with a dash of . For another, the protagonist David was actually pretty clever and had a decent sense of humour, narrating in a cheesily amusing way.
To be honest I don't know that I understand what actually happened in this story even after finishing - perhaps because my brainpower is low at this particular moment in time due to non-reading-related factors. But for example, one thing I don't get is whether David was having or something.
Thinking about it now a few days after finishing the read, I wonder if the book would have benefited from being an actual novel in its own right, rather than something squished into Point book parameters. For example I think that the Marky stuff could have been more fleshed out, namely the Walter Odeja stuff. I never got the idea that Walter was and I'm assuming I should have? Then again with the way the book ends I guess they're all sort of one big happy family in a way?? I dunno ...
Anyway ... this book certainly gave me much food for thought. I do know I've read it before, but I didn't remember how it ended so it's good to be reminded of that. Just so I don't forget in future:
Well that's all I'm gonna write for this review. I'll leave it with my notes jotted down while I was reading:
To be honest I don't know that I understand what actually happened in this story even after finishing - perhaps because my brainpower is low at this particular moment in time due to non-reading-related factors. But for example, one thing I don't get is whether David was having or something.
Thinking about it now a few days after finishing the read, I wonder if the book would have benefited from being an actual novel in its own right, rather than something squished into Point book parameters. For example I think that the Marky stuff could have been more fleshed out, namely the Walter Odeja stuff. I never got the idea that Walter was and I'm assuming I should have? Then again with the way the book ends I guess they're all sort of one big happy family in a way?? I dunno ...
Anyway ... this book certainly gave me much food for thought. I do know I've read it before, but I didn't remember how it ended so it's good to be reminded of that. Just so I don't forget in future:
Well that's all I'm gonna write for this review. I'll leave it with my notes jotted down while I was reading:
April 29, 2022
Well I have to say that I wasn't expecting anything like what I just read...
I hear the name Peter Lerangis and I remember seeing his name in a few of my Babysitter Club books by Ann M. Martin and realize he ghostwrote those entries now that I'm older (sorry to burst anyone's bubble that did NOT know that...)
This definitely is not for middle school girls...
The cover and the blurb on the back are actually quite clever at totally misdirecting you. You think there are going to be some dead teens, some sort of revenge for some petty reason or jealousy and everything gets wrapped up in a cheesy little ending, right?
NOT...EVEN...CLOSE.
Again I am not much on first person perspective but this time it made it very interesting as I continued on. David Kallas writes that he and Ariana Maas, the girl he has been crushing on, have destroyed their town of Wetherby but that it was a horrible accident due to horrific events which he narrates.
It all started when the earthquake struck the town and Ariana saved David's life and the lovestruck teenager agreed to join the yearbook staff to help them out. That night when David is supposed to proofread the yearbook, he can't help but want to stop and spy on Ariana and her boyfriend (kind of creepy) but stumbles on something terrifying instead.
A dead body who soon turns out to be a missing senior in David's class and soon, another body turns up when it seems someone has changed the layout of the yearbook. Grotesque faces etched over blank photos, other photos with menacingly evil poems beneath them and one beneath that of the first victim.
Are these poems marking out the teens next to die? What follows is a story in the vein of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King with hints of Christopher Pike and an ending so far of the rails of any Point Horror book you have ever read.
The one major spoiler I will not divulge gives this book its very bittersweet ending and it was a twist very easily figured out but it still made me tear up. I highly recommend The Yearbook if you can find it.
I hear the name Peter Lerangis and I remember seeing his name in a few of my Babysitter Club books by Ann M. Martin and realize he ghostwrote those entries now that I'm older (sorry to burst anyone's bubble that did NOT know that...)
This definitely is not for middle school girls...
The cover and the blurb on the back are actually quite clever at totally misdirecting you. You think there are going to be some dead teens, some sort of revenge for some petty reason or jealousy and everything gets wrapped up in a cheesy little ending, right?
NOT...EVEN...CLOSE.
Again I am not much on first person perspective but this time it made it very interesting as I continued on. David Kallas writes that he and Ariana Maas, the girl he has been crushing on, have destroyed their town of Wetherby but that it was a horrible accident due to horrific events which he narrates.
It all started when the earthquake struck the town and Ariana saved David's life and the lovestruck teenager agreed to join the yearbook staff to help them out. That night when David is supposed to proofread the yearbook, he can't help but want to stop and spy on Ariana and her boyfriend (kind of creepy) but stumbles on something terrifying instead.
A dead body who soon turns out to be a missing senior in David's class and soon, another body turns up when it seems someone has changed the layout of the yearbook. Grotesque faces etched over blank photos, other photos with menacingly evil poems beneath them and one beneath that of the first victim.
Are these poems marking out the teens next to die? What follows is a story in the vein of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King with hints of Christopher Pike and an ending so far of the rails of any Point Horror book you have ever read.
The one major spoiler I will not divulge gives this book its very bittersweet ending and it was a twist very easily figured out but it still made me tear up. I highly recommend The Yearbook if you can find it.
July 9, 2024
Really fantastic entry in the Point Horror series that stands out in style and concept from the more well-known books, while the high school setting and teen drama still put it firmly within the period and genre.
The first-person narration is consistent and entertaining; David has a relatable voice, while standing out from the crowd. The other characters have less going on for them, but the mystery unravels at such an exciting pace that it doesn't really affect the enjoyment of the story. I was impressed with how much world-building and mythology Lerangis was able to establish in such a short novel, and it definitely helps to heighten the intrigue and increase the impact of major plot points. There are lots of breadcrumbs to follow, too, and there is nothing about the climax that wasn't cleverly foreshadowed throughout the book.
I had always been intrigued by the cover of this one, although had never read it, as far as I could recall. Now I understand the relevance of the imagery, and I'm sure I didn't read it during my youth, as it's not a story I would have forgotten. Top marks for exceeding expectations.
The first-person narration is consistent and entertaining; David has a relatable voice, while standing out from the crowd. The other characters have less going on for them, but the mystery unravels at such an exciting pace that it doesn't really affect the enjoyment of the story. I was impressed with how much world-building and mythology Lerangis was able to establish in such a short novel, and it definitely helps to heighten the intrigue and increase the impact of major plot points. There are lots of breadcrumbs to follow, too, and there is nothing about the climax that wasn't cleverly foreshadowed throughout the book.
I had always been intrigued by the cover of this one, although had never read it, as far as I could recall. Now I understand the relevance of the imagery, and I'm sure I didn't read it during my youth, as it's not a story I would have forgotten. Top marks for exceeding expectations.
May 21, 2024
I'm giving it 4 stars based on the fact that I read it around 30 years ago and still remember it (if vaguely).
I do remember having issues with David's stalky creepiness at the time, but was Then Again, Maybe I Won't all that different? (Somewhat of a rhetorical question as it's been such a long time since I read either).
At the time of reading in high school, I enjoyed the horror and the school setting. If memory serves correctly, I was on our Yearbook staff at the time (or I might have joined later), so that was interesting to me. I found it an original and fun read with the right amount of terror for who I was as a reader at the time.
I do remember having issues with David's stalky creepiness at the time, but was Then Again, Maybe I Won't all that different? (Somewhat of a rhetorical question as it's been such a long time since I read either).
At the time of reading in high school, I enjoyed the horror and the school setting. If memory serves correctly, I was on our Yearbook staff at the time (or I might have joined later), so that was interesting to me. I found it an original and fun read with the right amount of terror for who I was as a reader at the time.
March 26, 2023
This book (like the other PH from Lerangis) is a departure from the typical Point Horror formula. There is an undeniable supernatural element you usually don't find in PH. The male protsgonist is also a bit of a departure as these books usually feature females.
I did find the changes refreshing although the protagonist was what would now deem an "incel" and his behavior in several places was really inappropriate and creepy. The Lovecraftian elements were interesting although not fully fleshed out and explained.
Overall I enjoyed this but not as much as his other PH, Driver's Dead. I definitely enjoyed a protagonist with a somewhat decent relationship with the other characters as PH novels seem overrun with awful friends.
I did find the changes refreshing although the protagonist was what would now deem an "incel" and his behavior in several places was really inappropriate and creepy. The Lovecraftian elements were interesting although not fully fleshed out and explained.
Overall I enjoyed this but not as much as his other PH, Driver's Dead. I definitely enjoyed a protagonist with a somewhat decent relationship with the other characters as PH novels seem overrun with awful friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2025
This book has been sitting on my daughter's shelf for some time, so we decided to read it aloud together. Very odd book. It was a little bit hard to follow because the author kept throwing short chapters in about a boy named Mark. Who was Mark? David Kallas and Ariana are the main characters and both were highly irritating. David finds a hollowed out human body flowing in the river and that begins the story of missing and dead high school students. Who is writing poetry that threatens the seniors' lives and who is killing them?
It could have been done better. Unusual premise. The murderer was not what I expected at all.
Definitely not a keeper on my shelf.
It could have been done better. Unusual premise. The murderer was not what I expected at all.
Definitely not a keeper on my shelf.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews