Room of Shadows

June 1, 2017
What kind of horror might Edgar Allan Poe perpetrate in today's world?Angry at the way his life changed after his father left, eighth-grader David Cray beats up a bully in his new school and then retreats to a secret room in the old house in downtown Baltimore his mother has rented. There, unknowingly, he awakens Poe's spirit, who feeds on David's rage to re-enact dreadful details of the 19th-century author's most famous stories. For much of this suspenseful tale it's not clear who's responsible for the horrific events: a classmate mummified and nearly killed by a ceiling fan; a dead cat found in a locker; a swinging scythe that threatens another bound classmate. The police and even his mother suspect it might be David. Luckily, new friend Libby Morales (cued as Latina with her name but otherwise culturally indistinct) thinks better of him and works with him to solve the mystery. David's first-person narrative is presented in short, fast-paced chapters, with occasional commentary from Poe himself. Kidd makes use of authentic setting details--the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Poe's elaborate grave, and crab cakes from the Lexington Market--but seems to ignore the most salient one: David would probably have been the only white student in his school. A concluding author's note explains that this is a "dream Baltimore," where Poe gets the death he deserves. An introduction that might tempt readers to explore Poe's own nightmares. (Fantasy. 9-13)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Kidd's latest historical fiction novel mixes the macabre world of gothic horror with middle school angst. After David Cray's dad ran off to New York, David and his mother were forced to move into an old spooky house in Baltimore. When David's anger bubbles up and leaves a classmate injured, he is grounded and discovers a mysterious room. There he finds inspiration and an outlet for his rage. Strange mishaps start occurring all around the school. David and his only friend, Libby, must establish whether these events are just horrible coincidences or if something else escaped from the Room of Shadows. There are numerous references to Edgar Allan Poe's famous stories throughout. The action scenes are appropriately horrific but never overly gory. David's anger and isolation are relatable, and his relationships with Libby and his mother are realistic and well grounded. Kidd's attempts at bringing Poe into David's reality are forced at times, but the lush descriptions of the classic horror author's life and tales more than make up for this flaw. VERDICT Not a book for everyone, but definitely recommended for budding horror hounds and as a read-a-like for Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark.-Kasey Panighetti, Indianapolis Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 Before the start of eighth grade, David's life is upended. His father leaves, forcing David and his mother to move into a rundown Victorian house in Baltimore, and now he's grounded for beating up the class bully. Confined to the house, David discovers a secret room that possesses him with nightmarish dreams and visions. Meanwhile at school, bizarre, dangerous acts are being committed against students by someone calling himself the Raven, and David is determined to stop him before someone gets seriously hurt. Kidd (Night on Fire, 2015) drops clues from page one that horror master Edgar Allan Poe is of central importance to this literary thriller, including asides by the writer's tortured spirit. He draws upon Poe's short stories and mysterious death, while constructing a lively and suspenseful tale. It's an interesting idea for a ghost story, and one Kidd attacks with gusto, though it never quite comes together in a believable way. Happily, most readers will be too wrapped up in David's investigation to care, which is decidedly more thrill than chill.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
Thirteen-year-old David retreats to a secret room in the old Victorian house his mother is renting in Baltimore. Unwittingly, he awakens Edgar Allan Poe's spirit, which feeds on David's anger over his father's abandonment. When strange events resembling Poe's classic horror tales occur at school, David must stop the perpetrator or else be blamed. Kidd's latest novel is suspenseful without being overly gruesome.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)