Give Me Something Good to Eat by D.W. Gillespie
Published by Delacorte Press on August 13, 2024
ISBN: 0593651812
Genres: Horror
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Goodreads

The town of Pearl is obsessed with Halloween and the entire community goes all out every year with a massive party. Only middle-schooler Mason Miller realizes that there is something very wrong with this annual event, and that while the townsfolk celebrate, a child goes missing and is immediately and completely forgotten by their families and friends. Mason is devastated when this year his own sister Meg is the one to disappear. With the help of his friends, Mason discovers the town is controlled by a witch who throws her own diabolical party every year in a monstrous place called UnderPearl, a haunted mirror image of Pearl.

For readers looking for a scary step up from Goosebumps, this is an excellent choice. Young horror buffs will appreciate the nods to horror classics like Evil Dead and UnderPearl has a real Tim Burton feel to it.  Gillespie does a terrific job building UnderPearl; it’s a genuinely creepy place and he doesn’t shy away from making the monsters truly frightening. While the terror of the witch’s plan for Meg, and of the fate of the previously missing children might seem too bleak, it is balanced out with the humor and emotional growth of Mason and his friends and their determination to take their town back. A great addition to a middle grade horror collection!

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath