A Bite Above the Rest

by Christine Virnig (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A boy moves to a Halloween-themed town only to realize there may be more to the tourist trap than meets the eye in this fast-paced romp of a middle grade novel perfect for fans of The Last Kids on Earth and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library!

When Caleb's mom decides they are moving to her childhood home in Wisconsin, Caleb is not thrilled. Moving schools, states, and time zones would be bad enough, but Mom's hometown is Samhain, a small and ridiculously kitschy place where every day is Halloween.

Caleb is not a fan of Halloween when it only happens once a year, so Halloween-obsessed Samhain is really not the place for him. How is he supposed to cope with kids wearing costumes to school every single day? And how about the fact that the mayor is so committed to the bit that City Hall is only open from sundown to sunup to accommodate his so-called vampirism? Sure enough, Caleb becomes an outcast at school for refusing to play along with the spooky tradition like the other sixth graders. Luckily, he manages to find a friend in fellow misfit Tai, and just in time, because things are getting weird in Samhain...or make that weirder.

But there's no way the mayor is an actual vampire, and their teacher absolutely cannot really be a werewolf--right? Caleb discovers Samhain is so much stranger than he ever could have imagined. As one of the only people who realizes what's happening, can he save a town that doesn't want saving?

Select format:
Hardcover
$17.99

Kirkus

Thrills and chills in a gloriously goofy setting.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7--In this spooky middle grade adventure, Caleb and his mom relocate to the town of Samhain, WI, where Halloween is always on full display. Costumes in school are expected, businesses are decked out with themed decor, and even the mayor's office keeps "vampire hours." But when his English teacher's fangs and fur seem a bit too real, and his next door neighbor brews potions and has a wand, Caleb begins to wonder if Samhain is hiding a dark secret. Thankfully, he can rely on his friend and classmate Tai to help unravel this mystery, and they research and test theories to ward off werewolves and witches. Their actions raise the suspicions of the mayor, and what follows is a race to expose the truth behind Samhain to the rest of the town before Caleb and Tai's efforts are undone. The book strikes a good balance of humor alongside the horror: Caleb's daily choice of punny costume (e.g., writing "Go Ceiling Go!" on his hoodie to become a "ceiling fan") was a regular feature, and Caleb and Tai's illustrated monster research manual was peppered with good-humored sniping between them. A nighttime escape from a giant in the town library and full moon encounters with werewolves bring tension, but the book never gets so intense as to scare off readers. This is a good read-alike for fans of Kory Merritt's No Place For Monsters. VERDICT A fun title to get into the hands of middle graders, especially ones who can't get enough of Halloween.--Michael Van Wambeke

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Heart and hilarity define this quirky All Hallow's Eve tale by debut author Virnig, who evokes the classic Halloween Town film series to ghoulish effect. Following his father's death, 11-year-old Caleb and his mother move from Los Angeles to her hometown--the Halloween-obsessed locale of Samhain, Wis.--for a fresh start. The first thing Caleb notices about Samhain is that everyone is in costume and acts like the character they're portraying--all the time. It also seems as if a hint of evil permeates the air. Luckily, he quickly befriends classmate Tai, who's dressed as "the World's Most Perfect Fairy," and with whom he's paired for a school project. As they work on their assignment, the duo soon uncovers oddities that are a little out of place, even for Samhain--particularly with the vampiric mayor--and that residents have been experiencing curious memory lapses. Surrounded by witchy neighbors, werewolf teachers, and other things that go bump in the night, Caleb must navigate feelings of grief and isolation; levying hijinks balance weightier themes of loss and adjusting to a new normal. Caleb and Tai are depicted on the cover with pale and brown skin, respectively. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Christine Virnig

Christine Virnig is the author of Dung for Dinner. Christine is a pediatric physician specializing in allergies; she gets to talk about topics that most adults find downright repulsive, like phlegm, snot, and dust mite poo. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, two children, and two hairball producers.

Korwin Briggs is a writer and illustrator who makes comics, infographics, and books about academic stuff like history and science. He's the author of Gods and Heroes: Mythology Around the World, The Invention Hunters Discover How Machines Work, and The Invention Hunters Discover How Electricity Works.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665946575
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Aladdin Paperbacks
Publication date
August 06, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV017030 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Halloween
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Schools
Horror stories
Vampires
Monsters
Horror fiction
Horror tales

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!