It Happened to Anna
by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Author)
This spine-tingling ghost story follows a tween girl who's being literally haunted by loneliness until a new friendship upends her life.
Sadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost--a ghost that doesn't want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors. Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault. Which is why she's not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn't bother her for once. But Mal wants Sadie all to herself--and she'll do anything to make sure it stays that way.
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Kirkus
A spooky cautionary tale about the toll of unhealthy relationships and an ode to the power of true friendship.
ALA/Booklist
A thoughtful story about emotional growth, balanced gracefully with plenty of spine-tingling scares sure to satisfy middle-grade horror fans.
Publishers Weekly
Her whole life, a formless ghost has haunted seventh grader Sadie Rivera, violently preventing her from making friends--when Sadie befriends classmate Anna, Anna dies under mysterious circumstances caused by Sadie's ghost. Having moved with her father from Arizona to the small Idaho town where she was born, Sadie determines not to make another friend, until she meets charismatic Mal, whose presence somehow keeps the ghost at bay. Initially, Sadie is happy to have a friend without invoking the ghost's wrath, but her relationship with Mal gradually grows toxic: Mal is jealous when Sadie bonds with others and encourages her to pull increasingly cruel pranks on their classmates. Sadie must now make a choice: forge her own path despite her fears or remain in Mal's destructive thrall. Mejia (the Paola Santiago series) utilizes myriad horror elements to explore grief, anxiety, and depression, as well as dissociation and suicidal ideation. Though the central twist is heavily telegraphed, and Mal is somewhat underdeveloped, Sadie's journey toward self-acceptance is unflinching yet encouraging in this spine-tingling ode to the bravery it takes to heal. Sadie is half white and half Mexican; other characters cue as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
"Tragic, beautiful, and terrifying, It Happened to Anna will hit home for kids familiar with grief and will make anyone question blinking lights and cold chills. Absolutely haunting!" —Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Mine
"A compelling middle-grade ghost story in which you never quite know what is real and what is imagined. Just the right amount of creepiness for kids, wrapped around a compassionate examination of grief and friendship." —Christy Peterson, bookseller at Vintage Books
★ "A thoughtful story about emotional growth, balanced gracefully with plenty of spine-tingling scares sure to satisfy middle-grade horror fans." —Booklist, starred review
"A spooky cautionary tale about the toll of unhealthy relationships and an ode to the power of true friendship." —Kirkus Reviews
"[A] spine-tingling ode to the bravery it takes to heal." —Publishers Weekly
JUV058000 - Juvenile Fiction | Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural
JUV069000 - Juvenile Fiction | Ghost Stories
Schools
Ghosts
Ghost stories
Middle schools
Psychological abuse
Novels
