The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things (The Horrible Bag #1)
by Rob Renzetti (Author)
When Zenith finds a strange, unsettling bag at his front door, he's not sure where it came from or who sent it to him.
He knows better than to expect his overprotective older sister Apogee to help him figure it out, because ever since she became a teenager, she's been acting more like a parent to him than a sibling. But he certainly did not expect for a horrifying spiderlike creature to emerge from the bag, kidnap Apogee, and drag her inside to the equally horrifying and unsettling world of GrahBhag.
Zenith sets off into the bag to bring her back but soon finds a bizarre realm where malicious forests, a trio of blood-drinking mouths, and a sentient sawdust-stuffed giant are lurking within the seams. And from every corner of the world come whispers of the Great Wurm, an eldritch horror with a godlike hold over the creatures of GrahBhag, who seems to have a dark, insidious purpose for Apogee. With the help of a greedy, earwax-nibbling gargoyle, Zenith will have to save Apogee from the Great Wurm and help them both escape the horrible bag before it's too late.
With a combination of dry, absurdist humor and no-holds-barred horror, Rob Renzetti has crafted a delightfully imaginative fantasy world that will hook readers as surely as it will send chills down their spines.
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Publishers Weekly
Two combative siblings must come together to survive an otherworldly kidnapping in this haunting adventure by Renzetti (Onward). Following a science-class mishap that resulted in his grounding, 11-year-old Zenith "Nit" Maelstrom is spending his summer constantly supervised by his patronizing older sister Apogee when a weathered satchel with a "general air of hostility" appears on the family's doorstep. After it belches forth a spidery creature comprised of knotted hair and toenails that drags his sister into the bag's interior, Nit dives in after her and emerges into an unsettling realm called GrahBhag. The eerie land proves populated by bloodthirsty, mouthlike seam monsters; a stuffed, patchwork man with a terrifying definition of friendship; and a gargoyle named Kreeble, who agrees to help Nit find Apogee in exchange for the opportunity to feast on the boy's earwax. A speedy plot hurtles a frantic Nit toward Apogee's cultlike captors and their insectoid leader, and insightful narration highlights the siblings' personal history to emotive effect. Renzetti imbues this series debut with classic horror inflections; the author's dedication to gross-out imagery transforms an otherwise straightforward fantasy into an inventive and genuinely creepy-crawly read. The siblings default to white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (July)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"Renzetti weaves an impressive middle grade novel about two feuding siblings that bond over their adventure in an unknown land... Each chapter leaves off on a cliffhanger... making for a suspenseful dark fantasy tale..."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
Fantasy
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