The Curse on Spectacle Key

Gr 4-7--Frank, an avid reader who loves horror stories, is extremely frustrated with the frequent transfers his family makes to accommodate his parents' work as building renovators. When they tell the 11-year-old they acquired a new project, they promise that this move, to Spectacle Key, FL, will be the final one. No sooner does the family begin unpacking boxes in their new lighthouse home than things begin to go awry, from electrical malfunctions to crab infestations to a historical preservation group pressuring the family to leave. As tensions escalate at home, Frank escapes by exploring the island, only to encounter mounting evidence of a supernatural presence on the key. Aided by Connie, a young girl who may be a ghost, Frank realizes he must learn the history of his new home, and his family, to lift the curse before his parents give up and move away. This middle grade--friendly horror story features a Cuban American protagonist who has an extremely positive relationship with his family but is less competent at making friends, even with the not-quite-living. While the history Frank unearths is less than pleasant, he reminds the adults that people should not cover up the past just because it is ugly, and there is importance in remembering. Quirky secondary characters, including a mystic and a circus-acrobat librarian, enhance the narrative, as do Acevedo's spin with horror tropes and sly wordplay. VERDICT A solid purchase to enhance popular middle grade horror collections. The balance of humor and horror should attract readers, and the lessons Frank learns are relevant to all.--Nancy Nadig

Cuban American 11-year-old Frank Fernández, an ardent book-lover, has never resided anywhere for more than a year, making it difficult for him to establish friendships. Though his parents had agreed to stay in Alabama for two years, their work renovating unique buildings leads them instead to a lighthouse in the Florida Keys, which is meant to finally become their forever home. But after arriving, inexplicable things begin to happen at the Spectacle Key property--thorny vines grow on the lighthouse's exterior walls, hundreds of blue crabs infest the building, and Frank begins to hear a sighing, sniffling sound accompanied by a sweet smell. After conducting an exothermic science experiment in a nearby abandoned building, Frank meets Connie, a white girl his age who can't recall anything about herself. As his parents start fighting and incidents around the lighthouse increase in severity, Frank, Connie, and Frank's Great Dane puppy, Mary Shelley, investigate a local curse, hoping to protect Frank's home. Acevedo (the Muse Squad series) concocts a tidy small-town mystery, filled with ghosts and suspicious townsfolk, that's led by an earnest tween's compassion and hope for friendship, justice, and stability. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

"The Curse on Spectacle Key masterfully blends its chills and thrills with healthy doses of humor and heart in a story about the value of friendship and family, and the need to remember our roots and learn from our mistakes." — John David Anderson, critically acclaimed author of Riley's Ghost and Ms. Bixby's Last Day

"In The Curse on Spectacle Key, Frank's move to a possibly-haunted lighthouse in the Florida Keys is a lucky thing for two maybe-ghosts, one de?nitely creepy doll, one lovable dog—and all the readers who are going to savor this book!" — Margaret Peterson Haddix, bestselling author of the Greystone Secrets series

"Acevedo achieves a remarkable amount of character development alongside a fast-paced and spooky mystery, all within a trim page count." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books