Last Exit to Feral

Frights From Feral #2

by Mark Fearing

Can two girls get to the bottom of their small town’s secrets, or will they become another ghost story? Find out in the second entry of this freakily fun graphic novel series!

Feral is littered with secrets, mysteries, and unexplained disappearances. The town has always been weird… and most residents just accept that.

But intrepid young investigators Freya and Monica are sure that Feral is getting weirder. Kids are disappearing more and more, signs of the supernatural are surfacing in new places, and the lights went on in the abandoned Messner Mansion. Even though they know they shouldn’t, the girls can’t resist the temptation to find out what’s inside.

The adventures from Welcome to Feral continue as they descend into the deep, dark passages hidden below the haunted town. If they aren’t careful, they might become the town’s next unsolved mystery!

With vibrant art, clever humor, and plenty of thrills, animator Mark Fearing conjures a fearsome saga out of small-town terrors.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2023

About the author

Mark Fearing is the author-illustrator of the graphic novel Earthling! and has illustrated several award-winning picture books. The inspiration for The Great Thanksgiving Escape, the first picture book he has both written and illustrated, were memories of the unexpected, unplanned events at family gatherings-"the fun that was discovered, not mandated." Mark Fearing lives in Oregon.

Reviews

[Jojobooks Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the art! Teacher Teacher was my favorite!

[Caysë · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as great as the first one but still really fun. Better not be leaving us on that cliffhanger!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Following their exploits in Welcome to Feral (2022), Freya and Monica get drawn into a mystery involving the decrepit Messner Mansion. It was abandoned in 1939 after Ichabod Messner, a cantankerous teacher, went missing. It has the appeal that many abandoned buildings have to tweens, especially in a town like Feral where there are alligators in the Bottomless Pond and curses abound. When Freya and Monica go in, they accidentally unleash Ichabod's ghost from a well, and also meet Emma and Barnaby Halvorsen, child ghosts whose uncle was Ichabod. They all need to figure out how Ichabod became so twisted before the first day of school so that his spirit doesn't wreak havoc on Humbert H. Humphrey middle school. They use maps, check out ghost sightings, and eventually find a tunnel to explore. They let MORE ghosts out, including a horrifying Teacher as well as a Franken-Farmer but also find out information about Ichabod's past; he was a well respected and decorated teacher up until a point. Can the children figure out why the teacher went so badly wrong, and can they set his spirit at ease so that the new school year is safe?

Strengths: Why aren't there more horror books about the spirits of disgruntled teachers? Or the murderous ghosts of them? Teachers are both very familiar to students, but also a bit mysterious. Do we really live in the building? (I wish. I've had plans to loft a bed in the back room and hang my clothes undernearth for YEARS. But Pongo has to be able to live there, too.) Freya and Monica have quite a romp as they look for clues and find new areas to explore, and the illustrations remind me (appropriately!) a bit of Thaler's 1989 The Teacher from the Black Lagoon. I can see handing this to children who are wearing Stranger Things t-shirts!
Weaknesses: Pretty sure that a house that's been abandoned for over 80 years would not be safe to enter. I guess the excuse is that Feral has all kinds of creepy things going on there.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy scary graphic novels like the Creepover series, The Pathfinders series, or Stine's Just Beyond books. Also reminded me a bit of Gilman's 2012 Professor Gargoyle.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun series features a group of kids talking about their crazy town, Feral. There's a mystery to solve or an adventure to go on.

This one was about a teacher at the school who was an award-winning nice guy... until he wasn't. What happened to him? What turned him mean? The ghosts at an overrun house in Feral have the clue about what transpired. The adventures into basements and creaky houses give up their clues until a primordial ghost solves the puzzle.

It's a fun one for the fall season but really anytime.

[Geordie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sequel to 'Welcome to Feral'. As a kids spooky graphic novel, it's fine. As anything else, it's a let down. It dropped the episodic structure of the first book, and also massively dropped the scares and stakes of the first one. There was seldom any feel of heavy risk to the protagonists, and when the book actually went back and undid some of the creepy endings from the first book, it really felt like the author was badly watering down his world. Also too long of a story, with pretty tepid characters. It really felt like the writer had a lot more strength in short stories.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

This  time around, the style is vamped up with the chapters having a postcard (mostly of course are creepy) starting things off.  This time we follow Freya and her friend Monica as they learn an important clue to the history of the town. Picking up where we left off in book one, the clever sleuth, old and new friends (some a little less lively than others) spooky fun is around every corner.  A few special cameos from book one pop in, and the excitement will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the first one. Story was less spooky this time and wrapped up some of the incidents from the first one a little too nicely. Hoping for a third installment!

[Daniel Ganev · Rating 5 out of 5]

People you should read this amazing 🤩 book 📖📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

[Codey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a children’s book and I’m a 34 year old woman but it had me gripped. This was a very good 2nd book. I thought there were going to be all new stories but I’m glad it went back and touched on the stories from the previous book and it left it in a perfect place for the next book. I loved the characters and the story line it was really good.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick read that is legit creepy for being a kid's book! I liked all the monsters. It reminded me of Goosebumps. It would make a great children's tv show too, either animated or live.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation of Welcome to Feral- a perfect blend of spooky and silly perfect for fans who've outgrown Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol and ready to sink their teeth into Goosebumps-style scary stories. Provides answers and teases perhaps even more frights to come.