e-Audio, 05:23:02
Narrated by: Sam Stark
Release Date: August 25, 2026
Published by: HarperCollins
Read from: August 28, 2026
Stand-alone (?)
Source: Netgalley (I received an e-ALC of this from the publisher and Netgalley. I also received this as an ARC from the publisher at ALA. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Bullying, Death, Grief, Violence, Fire/Fire Injury, Child Death
For Readers of: ARC, Catchy Title, Sparkly Cover, Middle Grade, Most Anticipated, Netgalley, Paranormal, Stand-aloneA hilariously creepy middle grade novel from award-winning author Caleb Roehrig! Poe has spent his whole life wishing he could meet a ghost, but when he moves into a real-life haunted house, he discovers that communing with the other side might be a little more than he bargained for.
Twelve-year-old Edgar Alden, also known as “Poe,” has always been an outcast. Obsessed with the macabre, he’s never remotely hit it off with other kids. Only Grandma ever really understood his love for the supernatural, but when she dies and his parents move into a dilapidated house on the other side of town, things for Poe quickly go from bad to worse.
You see, Poe has a roommate. A dead one. A 12-year-old ghost named Violet, who’s been stuck haunting Poe’s room for longer than she can remember. Violet is territorial, kind of annoying, and tethered to the human world by her doll, Baby Jessica.
But Poe quickly discovers that Violet isn’t the only spirit haunting his house. There’s a vengeful, violent entity in his basement. And it’s up to Poe to find a way to help them both cross to the other side.
Creepy Kid is a heartfelt but page-turning exploration of grief, moving on, and finding one’s place in the world—sure to make middle grade readers laugh, cry, and wonder about the mysteries that might lie on the other side.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was so cute! I felt for him a lot. I had been in that situation before. But man, this got weird. I didn’t have yelling at the ghost on my Bingo card lol Definitely worth a read if you like middle grade! I loved it!
So the number one thing I loved about this was the bullying message. This kid was bullied at every place they went to and it his parents didn’t try to do much about it. They thought a do-over would help, but all it did was start all over again. And it was sad because he was essentially being bullied for where he lived. Nothing to do with anything and it wasn’t like it was his fault. It was just weird. Those kids were annoying lol
The ghost thing was hilarious. I laughed out loud when they met and he basically told her off. I have no idea how he pulled that off because Lordt I would have been terrified. But he was a good actor. He got her to feel a little down enough for her to see that they could work better together. I was glad to see that they actually helped each other too. And then the other guests that came up after this, was also pretty cool. It made me start thinking, if I had this gift, what would I do with it and who would I want to talk to.
The ending was crazy? I didn’t understand what in the world was happening. And then the other kid came and said what he said and I was left staring at the wall like a fish with my mouth open. I want to know for sure that’s what happened, but I also loved that Roehrig left it a mystery. That was actually pretty cool. It really made him go from weird kid to cool kid after that. Well maybe that happened after the fight……….
This was a cute, spooky book. The perfect read to kick off spooky season! I hope y’all pick this up because it talks about way more than just a spooky boy and his ghost. I hope y’all pick this up and let me know what you think!
Overall, I give this
