A group of young friends are being haunted by a ghost who wants to give them a message but doesn’t seem to know how to get this message across so they can understand it. Graceland Cemetery may never be the same calm and peaceful place it has been ever again.
Will’s mom has a job that is a bit different from the one that most parents have, and he even has his own job there. Will doesn’t really like to talk with his classmates about what his mom does. She’s the executive director of Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.
Will spends a lot of time at the cemetery, and because of his mom’s job, he has access to a lot of things that most people don’t. And he enjoys it. But he really wants to have more friends.
He isn’t happy when a group of school kids that he is one of visits Graceland Cemetery for a scavenger hunt. His mom works there! Everyone will find out his hobbies! Maybe even that he is the one who normally directs these scavenger hunts.
The class bully pressures Will into sneaking out something and then he “loses” it. Immediately after, the trees in the cemetery become sick and blood appears in unusual places in large amounts. Will and his new friends have to find out what is going on to save his mom’s job and his sanity.
Even though this book was written for young people, I read it and loved it. At times, it is really creepy and you are worried for the characters. I guess you could say there is just the right amount of creepiness to the story.
A ouija board is introduced in the story, but they aren’t really sure about how to use it, and their attempts to do so appear to go horribly wrong. A lot of eeriness and uncertainty about what is going to happen is in this part of the book.
I love it that Will’s class at school is reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. She is one of my favorite authors, and since I believe her books are excellent, I think they should be read in school. There is a lot to learn from them. And as Will said, he will never go to an island for no reason if a mysterious stranger invites him. To make it even better, this book reveals things to Will that he uses to fix what is going on.
If you love great mysteries, then you will love this book. If you like reading about ghosts and creepy hauntings, this book is for you. And if like me, you love a great book to sink your teeth into before you drift off to sleep, this book won’t lull you to sleep, but thoughts of what is going on will fill your mind as you drift off to never-never land.
If you would like your own copy of this book, I’ve provided an Amazon link below for you to use.
Amazon Link: X Marks the Haunt
Favorite Sentences:
I learned that if a mysterious stranger ever invites me to an island for no reason, I’m not going.
Just then, a large bubble rises from the hole in the ground and pops, splattering all of our sneakers with red.
I am definitely never going to mess with ghosts again.
Crooking a bony finger at me, the girl opens her mouth in a silent scream.
How could anyone sleep after a ghost has been hanging out in their closet?
New Word Learned:
columbarium– a sepulchral vault or other structure with recesses in the walls to receive the ashes of the dead
About the Author:
Lindsay Currie is the author of six middle grade novels, Including The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, Scritch Scratch, What Lives in the Woods, The Girl in White, and It Found Us. She grew up on Nancy Drew and loves a good mystery. Bonus points if it’s spooky! When she’s not writing, Lindsay can generally be found looking for an adventure of her own. She loves researching the forgotten history in her city, Chicago, taking long walks with her family, and as pretty much everyone knows . . . Disney World!
To find out more about Lindsay, please visit her website at www.lindsaycurrie.com or one of her other sites listed below.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindsayncurrie
Instagram: @lindsayncurrie
TikTok: @lindsaycurrieauthor
