When shy 6th-grade shutterbug Whit Garcia starts middle school, he's forced to join a yearbook club with three other weirdos who will never be voted "most likely to succeed." But after the ghosts of missing students start haunting them, Whit, Hester, Hillary and Press must solve the supernatural secret behind these spirits - or their yearbook club will be voted most likely to join them.
But are these ghostly students the real bad guys? Or are they just warning Whit and his friends? Warning them about a darkness beyond their schoolyard...a darkness that threatens to swallow the school - and its occupants - whole.
The sophomore offering from Seismic Press, FEARBOOK CLUB is a story all about fitting in, fighting ghosts and forming friendships with other misfits, especially when you're a misfit yourself. Springing from the pen of writer Richard Ashley Hamilton (How To Train Your Dragon, Guillermo Del Toro's Trollhunters) and artist Marco Matrone.
Author’s note. Artist interview and character studies. Full-color illustrations.
Format
Page Count
Trim Size
Dewey
AR
Genre
Scholastic Reading Counts
JLG Release
Book Genres
Topics
Standard MARC Records
Cover Art
Gr 6-9-It seems like every school has a ghost story attached to it, and this graphic novel plays with that idea. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to its potential. After Whit Garcia is drafted to the school's yearbook club as a photographer, he and the other club members dig into the mystery of students who go missing every year. Whit and his friends are likable and fairly diverse, including Asian American twins with eccentric personalities and a would-be bully who is revealed to be far more sympathetic than first thought. There are some appropriately creepy scenes, including an especially memorable one involving ghostly images emerging from developing photographs. However, the narrative logic established by the story is inconsistent and it ends with some unanswered questions. That's not to say that the book is total loss-it examines anxiety, grief, and bullying and serves as an easy introduction to such themes, setting up broader discussions. Older readers may find the humor overdone with jokes that don't always land, but it's just silly enough to entertain younger readers. The same goes for the scares: mostly the spooky scenes are more cartoony. All in all, it's an easy read that new fans to horror may find interesting, populated by engaging characters. VERDICT A safe bet for younger readers looking for a fantasy adventure with diverse characters.-M. Brandon Robbins