Publishers Weekly
06/10/2024
When 12-year-old Ethan feels overwhelmed by his anxiety, his best friends—devil-may-care goofball Harley and confident, pragmatic Olivia—help him overcome his fears. Such is the case when they convince him to attend a classmate’s viewing party of Demons of Death 4: Death Fingers, an urban legend–inspired horror film that’s “supposed to be the scariest movie ever made.” Though Ethan arrives late, he’s just in time to watch the television transform into a cyclopean creature that devours people’s heads while leaving them alive yet unresponsive. Now Ethan must find a way to confront his own fears without Harley and Olivia if he hopes to rescue his friends and save the world from an unstoppable menace, along the way discovering the secrets behind the film and its monster. In this gleefully off-kilter ode to late-night B movies and classic kids’ horror tales like Goosebumps, Wendig (Dust & Grim) skillfully tempers terrifying events with a tint of absurdity, playing them against Ethan’s all-too-relatable worries. It’s a fast-paced and intense adventure that never loses sight of its human elements. Ethan and Harley are white; Olivia is Black. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"In this gleefully off-kilter ode to late-night B movies and classic kids’ horror tales like Goosebumps, Wendig (Dust & Grim) skillfully tempers terrifying events with a tint of absurdity, playing them against Ethan’s all-too-relatable worries. It’s a fast-paced and intense adventure that never loses sight of its human elements."—Publishers Weekly
"Wendig expertly ratchets up the terror and suspense to a feverish pitch.... Top of the class when it comes to frights."—Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Dust & Grim: A New York Times Bestseller An Amazon Best Children’s Book A TXLA 2023 Lone Star Reading List Selection
* "Playing to strengths demonstrated in his many comics and tales for older audiences, not only is Wendig a dab hand at concocting extremely creepy critters, but here he also pulls together a secondary cast of quarrelsome but supportive allies for the beleaguered teens."—Kirkus, starred review
* "Wendig charges onto the middle-grade scene with a monstrously fun tale of family and funerary arts.... [The] easy writing style is a perfect vehicle for the humor and rapidly paced shenanigans that propel the narrative.... Monstrously fun.... A sure pick for those enamored by Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and Tahereh Mafi’s Whichwood."—Booklist, starred review
* "Wendig thrills, enchants, and amuses in equal measure.... Peppered with nail-biting action scenes, the well-paced storytelling is as heart-felt as it is heart-racing, and readers who appreciate word play will love the snark-filled banter and witty narrative voice.... The ideal read-next for fans of Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, this is also perfect for readers who embrace the weirdness of family."—BCCB, starred review
* "A spooky, heartfelt, darkly funny adventure.... The importance of relationships, regardless of blood relation, runs deep and gives an endearing core to this perfect Halloween read."—Shelf Awareness, starred review
