Twist

by Sarah Cannon

A group of gifted kids must band together to save their town and a fantasy world from horror-story monsters come to life in Sarah Cannon's imaginative middle-grade novel, Twist...

Eli has a dream. He's going to be the next Stephen King, and he's just created his best monster yet!

Neha has a secret. Her notebook is filled with drawings of a fantasy world called Forest Creeks, and it's become inhabited by wonderful imaginary creatures. But her new friends are in danger . . .

Court has a gift, both for finding trouble and for stopping it. And when she accidentally ends up with one of Neha's drawings, she quickly realizes that the monsters raiding Forest Creeks are coming from Eli's stories.

When these three creative kids come together, they accidentally create a doorway from Forest Creeks into the real world, and now every monster that Eli ever imagined has been unleashed upon their town!

Praise for Sarah Cannon's Oddity:

"This book grabbed me from page one. Wild, whacky, and yet utterly believable." —Sage Blackwood, author of Jinx

"Readers will be hooked from the first page. . . . Featuring a diverse cast of characters, this fantasy is chock-full of adventure and agency, making it a must-buy and a must-read for most ­middle graders." —School Library Journal

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Horror, Monsters, Humor, School, Friendship

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 11, 2020

About the author

Sarah Cannon has lived all over the U.S., but right now she calls Indiana home. She has a husband, three kids and a misguided dog. Sarah holds a B.S. in Education. She's a nerdy knitting gardener who drinks a lot of coffee, and eats a lot of raspberries.

She is probably human.

Reviews

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Oddity so much, & now I love this! Such a great author! It was creepy, hilarious, & charming all at the same time! Such a creative idea for a story! Eli dreams to be the next Stephen King. He loves writing scary monster stories, & he’s just written his scariest monster yet. Neha has a secret-her notebook is filled w/drawings of a fantasy world called Forest Creeks, & it’s become inhabited by wonderful imaginary creatures-but they’re in danger. Court has a gift-both for finding & for stopping trouble. She accidentally ends up w/1 of Neha’s drawings & quickly realizes that it’s Eli’s monsters raiding Forest Creeks. When the 3 of them come together they accidentally create a doorway from Forest Creeks into the real world-& now not only are Neha’s creatures out, but every monster Eli has ever imagined has been unleashed on their town. They must band together to stop the monsters & save the creatures & town. Wow! So good! I love how even though Court isn’t talented in way of drawing or writing, the author makes it clear that what she does for the group IS her talent & makes her just as important/essential to the group. They’re all 3 so different, but that’s what makes them unstoppable. The friendship that grows b/n them was so great to read about. Such a great dynamic. So much funny banter b/n characters! Court’s sister Amy & her D & D crew?? Their scenes are hilarious! & Dwight! So funny! The scene near the end w/him & the bus & “Eye of Tiger” playing!? I laughed so hard! Eli’s little sister Lisa is also a force to be reckoned with! She has my heart! Such an evil brave genius! Good thing she uses her evil genius for the powers of good! Lol The creatures also have my heart-Sleekit, Haystack, Zeb, Gargyle, Schmooze, & Swiz are some that are my favs! All so crazily different & unique & amazing! Eli’s monsters were also all vastly different, but all so creepy! Endearing & diverse characters(human & creature), a crazy fun adventure, & huge importance on friendship & family. Highly recommend. Beautiful cover by Geneva Bowers too!💜

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a lovely and engaging read with great characters and an interesting plot.

Eli, Neha, and Court have different talents and special abilities, but all three of them are imaginative and observant children. Eli's talent lies in creating engaging, brilliantly-plotted horror stories with howling monsters and other scary creatures. Neha is a talented artist who has filled her notebook with houses and buildings of an imaginary little town Forest Creeks. Court has a gift of observing nature and helping out those in need. The unlikely trio combats monsters that creeped from Eli's unfinished stories into Neha's fantasy world and threaten to destroy all the wonderful creatures that inhabit it.
Sarah Cannon captured the thrill of creating and sharing stories with your friends and trying to see unusual in the most ordinary things. I loved the way all her characters were diverse and unique in their own ways. Most of all, I liked the message of lending a helpful hand to those in need and having courage to face one's fears in order to defend the other.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Feiwel Friends for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to love this because a middle grade book that refers to Stephen King really sounds like something that tickles my fancy. Sadly that wasn’t the case and it ended up being a big jumble of nothing that tickled no fancies at all. Some parts had some merit but overall this just wasn’t for me.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, you know *I* love it!

[Amy E Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure, Sarah Cannon is one of my absolute favorite humans so I went into reading Twist with a bias. That said, Twist is so much fun for grown-up kids of the 80's! Middle graders who may not quite be up for Stranger Things will enjoy the adventures Eli, Neha, and Court have saving their neighborhood.

[Wendy MacKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight! Cool conceit, great characters, plenty of twists! Kids will love this!

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twist by Sarah Cannon, 293 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2020. $17.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Three gifted middle school students are thrown together when their combined skills create a doorway from a magical world into their own. Eli the writer, Neha the artist, and Court the tough problem solver, must protect 1983 Oklahoma from terrifying monsters that follow magical creatures through the gateway and still manage to complete a group presentation for school.

Though the premise was fun, after almost 300 pages, it was too drawn out. If magical creatures were constantly making a mess in my house and eating my donuts, I’d be for getting rid of them, especially if no adults can see them. There are so many weird creatures and monsters it’s as hard to keep track of them as it is Eli’s little sister Lisa. But at least in Oklahoma you can blame devastating monster destruction on the weather.

Michelle in the Middle
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a want-to-be writer, I really enjoyed reading this book about what happens to characters when their authors stop writing about them. Set in the 80s, this book will appeal to middle grade readers who are not quite ready for Stranger Things or Stephen King. It's thrilling and suspenseful without being too gory or violent. It may even inspire some students to start creating their own characters. It has certainly inspired me. Thanks to NetGalley for the preview. I will definitely purchase this book for my library when it comes out in February.

[Sammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read my full review on my blog, The Writerly Way, here.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and Feiwel & Friends for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I don’t even know what I thought when I requested an ARC of this book, but I sure wasn’t expecting this. Phew. I hope it’s a series. It doesn’t seem to be, but the ending is open enough where there can be more, and I want more, darn it. I’m not ready to leave this world or these characters.

Twist is a throwback to the ’80s, complete with nerdy characters, some wholesome family bonding, pop culture references, monsters running amok, an overriding sense of danger, and lots of laugh-out-loud moments.

I just absolutely fell head-over-heels in love with these characters. It took a little coming around for Neha, in particular, but man was this a cast I could love. The creatures were wonderful and unique, and the danger and comedy blended so well that there were obviously high stakes and injuries/deaths, but it was light enough where it can easily be enjoyed by even middle mid-grade readers.

My Thoughts:

- This book had a delightful tone that was a mix of horror and comedy, while still being very voicy and accurate to that age group. It was creepy without relying on jump scares or gore. If there’s cozy mysteries, I’d call this cozy horror. All the nastiness happens off-screen and you hear about the aftermath, basically. The tone just has a pervasive feeling of building to something darker. That sense of monsters lurking around every page. It was brilliant. The story didn’t get too dark, though, and tended to have a fairly light tone, even when bad things were happening. Mostly, this was because the characters tended to be sarcastic or a little over-the-top in the best possible ways that made me laugh out loud several times. I was constantly caught off-guard by something that happened, and I really enjoyed the wackiness of it.

- The reader part of me loves the premise of this book, and the writer part of me is hiding in the corner, screaming in horror. Who wouldn’t want characters to come to life?! Except, you know, writers. Who know the true depths of their characters. Sure, this idea’s been done before, but I appreciated how it was executed here. The creatures are all heroes of their “won” stories. No, that’s not a typo. Yes, you’ll have to read the book to find out what that means. They were all so unique and fun and funny, and I would love having them around.

- There were a lot of different creatures, but keeping them straight was pretty easy, and they all had such personality. I just loved meeting all these cute and quirky creatures. Even though I wish some of them had more screentime or more of a wrap-up toward the end, I was impressed at how many of them were fit into the story without completely confusing or losing me. Because of this, some of the action scenes are utterly chaotic and a bit hard to follow … and I loved it? It’s the sort of chaos that lends itself well to children’s imaginations. The sort that’s filled with a variety of monsters that all try to monster at once, in a confined space, with a lot of people around. Cannon did a fabulous job of keeping the scenes light and voicy, so even while everyone was panicking, there was a sense of humor and just absurdness that worked really well to pull me in and keep me engaged.

- There are parents! And they’re alive! And they actually, you know, play a role in their kids’ lives! It’s sort of sad that I really need to call this out as something novel, but there you have it. I’m so used to parents being either dead or absent that it was so freaking refreshing to read about parents that were alive and present and took an interest in what their kids were doing. There’s a pretty heavy theme of family bonds (even as those family units look different) and sibling love, which was super refreshing.

- The book is set in 1983, and that struck me as an interesting time period to choose. Boy am I torn about this. Because oh, my aching childhood. Everything about it was so frustratingly familiar and nostalgic, from Eli writing via typewriter to arcades to the random pop culture that’s mentioned (like Michael Jackson’s Thriller). The part of my heart that never made it out of the ‘90s absolutely loved this. But … here’s the sticky part: this book is a middle grade book and therefore isn’t written for myself and my peers. Will middle grade readers find the '80s as interesting? I don't know. Maybe this says more about me than the book itself, because I suppose when I pick up a middle grade book, I assume it’s going to be contemporary unless it says otherwise, and maybe that’s an unrealistic expectation I have?

[Richard Propes · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a special feeling you get when you finish a book with a twinge of sadness, a regret that you've finished your journey with this story and these characters.

I got that feeling as I wrapped up Sarah Cannon's second middle-grade novel "Twist," a gently wicked thriller centered around three kids - Eli, Neha, and Court - whose special gifts create a special world that threatens to spiral out of control and into disaster.

Eli has a dream of being the next Stephen King and he's just created his biggest and baddest monster yet... and for Eli that's saying a LOT!

Neha has a more secret dream. An artist at heart, Neha has hand-drawn a fantasy world she calls Forest Creeks that has become inhabited by rather fantastic imaginary creatures she considers her friends.

Court? Court is really good at finding trouble and stopping trouble. When she accidentally finds herself with one of Neha's drawings, she quickly realizes that she's found a whole lot of trouble as the monsters from Eli's stories have invaded Neha's otherwise peaceful fantasy world.

When the three of them unite and accidentally create a doorway between Forest Creeks and the not-so-imaginary real world, every monster Eli has ever created is unleashed upon their Oklahoma town and it's going to take all the bravery, smarts, and quirky little gifts they all have to save themselves, their friends, their families, and their town.

If you've ever watched the early-to-mid 1980's kid-friendly adventure flicks tinged with frights and delights like "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial" and "Ghostbusters," then you have a fairly decent idea of what to expect in terms of atmosphere and feeling from Cannon's "Twist." "Twist" has kid-friendly scares, healthy doses of humor, more than a little affection, a deep appreciation for the creative intelligence of kids, and even a few rather hilarious tongue-in-cheek moments where adults will recognize and shriek in delight.

Set in Oklahoma in the year that I graduated from high school, 1983, "Twist" is most successful because Cannon writes up to children and trusts their intelligence, creativity, and emotions to understand and immerse themselves in this story.

Having only recently become aware of Cannon's writing, literally reading her first middle-grade novel "Oddity" within the last couple months, I've grown a deep appreciation and enjoyment for Cannon's ability to create fantasy worlds dipped in reality and characters that feel like authentic, vibrantly alive human beings. Cannon's writing always feature healthy doses of diversity and she brings the diverse cultures of the characters alive in honest yet imaginative ways.

While many of the structural elements of "Oddity" are present in "Twist," Cannon's approach here is to kick off "Twist" with less devotion to creating the fantasy world and more focus on immersing us in the story itself. Similarly, while the adults played a fairly substantial role in "Oddity," "Twist" is largely centered around a small group of middle-grade kids with the exception of Amy, Court's older sister, and her boyfriend.

As was true with my experience of "Oddity," I found myself bonding particularly with one specific character and in "Twist" it was Amy.

"Twist" will be perceived in different ways by different readers.

There will be some who see "Twist" as a rather straightforward middle-grade novel, an imaginatively written story filled with adventure and thrills and chills.

Of course, this is enough.

There will be some who will find themselves exploring the story's almost undeniable environmental elements, elements that won't be discussed here yet weave themselves into the tapestry of the story.

There will be some, and this is mostly where I find myself, who embrace the way that Cannon parallels the monsters that follow us throughout life - from childhood until our very end - and how we address those monsters, confront those monsters, make peace with those monsters, and surround ourselves with people who help us, guide us, nurture us, and heal us.

"Twist" is really a book that you can enjoy simply for its story, yet it's also a book where you can explore its themes, its lessons, its subtle and not so subtle references, and its ridiculously enjoyable pop culture references. It's a book I enjoyed reading immensely and a book where I felt a twinge of sadness as I arrived at its closing pages.

Kids will love "Twist" and I'd dare say that adults will enjoy and appreciate the discussions that follow.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always pleased when I find books featuring young protagonists who are gifted intellectually and able to problem solve and work their way out of messy situations. This middle grade novel follows a group of middle graders as they do battle with ferocious and determined monsters who threaten their Oklahoma town in 1983. It was cool that each of the three main characters has a special interest that will come in handy during the final battle. Eli is a would-be Stephen King, writing scary stories and creating the monsters that somehow come to life. Neha has created a fantasy world through the drawings in her sketchbook, and Court, a new addition to the resource room, is great at thinking critically and acting swiftly. All three worlds--the two imaginary ones and the one in which the youngsters live--come together with sometimes humorous and sometimes downright frightening results, and it's up to these three youngsters to save the day since the adults in their lives cannot see the monsters and other critters. The idea of characters in a story or a piece of artwork coming to life isn't particularly new, but it's rendered nicely here as even Eli's irrepressible young sister, Lisa, gets in on the act of hunting down the monsters. There are so many good guys and bad guys, including the horrible Howler, that it can be challenging to keep them sorted out into the right sides. What works here is the character development since each human character is well drawn, and even snippets in which a character appears add to what readers know about them. I loved DM Amy, Court's older sister, who kept her friends busy with their gaming activities while the rest of the world was falling apart. Oh, yes, and if all this was not enough, there are tornadoes threatening the area. I got tired of all the battles, but many readers will enjoy this well enough.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely was charmed by the amount of imagination that went into all the creeps from Forest Creeks, and have a soft spot for the Spider Plant in particular. I liked the family relationships and friendships and that it didn't lean too hard on the bullying, which would have taken away from the adventure. It felt a little long for me as an adult reader - if I had read this as a 5th grader I would have totally been caught up in its epic-ness.

Although... what is with the ending? Is the compromise really that the monsters can eat people, just not in *this* particular town? It didn't come off as a good solution.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this monstrously delightful adventure and I don’t know if I could like it more. Think Stranger Things but for the upper elementary set: Oklahoma, 1983, imaginary creatures good and evil, an unlikely team of misfits, nods to lots of fandoms, so many tropes, Dad jokes, kids kicking butt and taking names. For fans of Percy Jackson, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, art and writing and so much more. Vivid characters and a lovely focus on the importance of stories and storytelling. I can't help feeling like this would be a perfect family read aloud, because there's so much in here that adults would get that their kids might miss.

[Scoot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I was interested in the story. I mean, monsters and other imaginary creatures in the real world! What's not to like? The writing style. It was lackluster and never drew me in. I was told countless times that something happened before it did, and was told how that made characters act or feel. It was not very engaging. If not for the premise, it would have made my DNF pile. But even though I plowed through to the end, I was left disappointed by the final battle. I really wanted more from this book.

[Chelsie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. It had everything I was looking for. It just could not keep me interested. Maybe it was my mood, but I found myself re-reading paragraphs to see if I missed something. A few times I had to stop and ask what just happened, re-read the page, shrug and move on. I ended up getting frustrated and quit reading. Maybe I will pick it up and finish later.

[Wendy Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Goonies/Gremlins/kids save the day 80s vibe of this book. So fun. I had a hard time following all of the fighting though and got confused with all of the different monster characters. I think it would translate really well to the screen to be able to see all the action. There are a lot of kids out there who would really appreciate this book and I will be recommending it, maybe even using it for a future book club.

[LS Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a genre I ever like and was true for this book also. To me it was like Minecraft and Pokémon combined and come to life. I couldn’t keep track of all the made-up creatures and made-up names. Each chapter seemed repetitive.

[Rebekah Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Cannon’s imagination knows no bounds. Her stories are super quirky, infused with humor, and leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Twist was a truly enjoyable read.

[Amy Reichert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah's books are always brilliant!

[Ari Cohen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a 2 star book. Meh. It could have been better.

Still, Thanks Sarah Cannon!

[Lily Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was just gonna be another fun books to read in my spare time. Nothing that stuck out but oh my God was I wrong! This book had me pulled in. I barely wanted to stop reading the way. The author describes how the monsters look and how everything is feeling in that moment. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love this book. I would recommend it to everyone.