The Fear Zone

July 1, 2019
A mysterious evil preys on the fears of a group of kids. The notes mysteriously arrive on Halloween, instructing eighth graders April (fat and bullied, likely white); her best friend, Andres (gay and Latinx); their former friend-turned-class bully Caroline (white); and unpopular ninth grader Deshaun (black) to go to the cemetery at midnight. Deshaun's popular best friend, Kyle (white and gay), tags along, and the group converges on a mysterious gravesite--it's old but also has been recently vandalized, and the dirt looks freshly disturbed. They feel compelled to dig, until they unearth a tin and hope that's the end of a prank. But it's no prank, and they find themselves haunted by their individual greatest fears--and in between the personalized hauntings, the malicious entity assumes the form of April's greatest fear, a clown, which menaces, waves at, and taunts the kids. While the target audience is--by age rating--too young to have had direct exposure to Stephen King's novel IT (1986) and its past and present cinematic adaptations, many will be familiar enough with the premise to recognize the glaring similarities. The narration alternates among the five characters, with their voices for the most part sounding all too similar. The parts dealing with the evil entity are scary without being graphic; the most effective subplot deals with an abusive home life situation. The unsatisfying ending leaves too many questions unanswered. Insurmountably derivative. (Horror. 8-12)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 4-8-When five young teens are summoned to the cemetery at midnight on Halloween, they think it's a prank, but curiosity gets the best of them. Once they arrive, there's no prank to be found, but there is an eerie gravestone bearing the grisly omen "your nightmares begin," which seems to appear by magic. As the days go by, all five are haunted by their worst nightmares, which are controlled by an evil clown who is stalking the friends and luring them to his lair. The friends must work together and face their fears in order to get out alive, or risk becoming prey to the terrifying clown. The story is told from varying points of view, which keeps the plot moving swiftly as each of the teens experiences their worst nightmares come to life. Each of the characters is given an "issue" (body image, struggles with sexuality, difficult home life, death of a parent), but none of these topics are fully fleshed out, nor do they contribute to the main plot; they could have easily been omitted. The dynamics among the five characters also feel underdeveloped. VERDICT Those who love plot-driven, edge-of-your-seat horror will enjoy the frequent scares. Recommended for collections with a solid group of horror fans.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL

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