1-2-3-4, I Declare a Thumb War (Graveyard Girls)

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1-2-3-4, I Declare a Thumb War (Graveyard Girls)

Author(s)

Publisher Name

Union Square Kids

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

September 06, 2022

ISBN13

978-1454944546

ISBN10 or ASIN

Meet Whisper, Frannie, Sophie, Gemma, and Zuzu, five friends who tell eerie tales by night and navigate middle school drama by day.

MISERY FALLS, OREGON, IS ABUZZ AS the 100th anniversary of the electrocution of the town’s most infamous killer, Silas Hoke, approaches. When a mysterious text message leads the girls to the cemetery—where Silas Hoke is buried!—life can’t get any creepier. Except, yes, it can thanks to the surprise storyteller who meets them at the cemetery, inspires the first-ever meeting of the Graveyard Girls, and sets the stage for a terrifying tale from Whisper that they’ll never forget.

This slightly scary, extremely addictive story is the first in a five-book series by New York Times bestselling authors Lisi Harrison and Daniel Kraus.

Editor review

1 review

A little bit spooky and a whole lot of fun

August 15, 2022

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Best friends Frannie, Gemma, Whisper, and Sophie share a common love of spooky stories. They call themselves the Grim Sleepers and rotate having sleepovers at each other's homes where they share creepy and scary stories. Growing up in Misery Falls, Oregon, the girls know the tale of the evil Silas Hoke, the town's most famous criminal, and attended the yearly Hoke festival to expel him from the town.

This year the town planned a week-long celebration for the 100th anniversary of Silas Hoke's electrocution. At the same time, the girls receive a mysterious text message from an unknown number asking them to meet in the graveyard. The mystery of who sent the text message is revealed about halfway through the book and is a fun little twist.

The spooky stories in Graveyard Girls are more outrageous and silly than they are scary. Whisper tells a story about teens addicted to technology (not me giving my son the side eye) whose thumbs want to take over the world. It felt like a relevant tale that the target audience would enjoy.

The story was told from multiple perspectives, giving the reader insight into the character's feelings. The plot was focused on the paranormal, but the girls' personal lives were also addressed. Throughout the story, we see Whisper struggling with her blended family, Frannie dealing with a bully, Gemma wanting the approval of her family, and Sophie striving to be the perfect student to get her parents' attention. Readers may have experienced some of these same struggles and will feel connected to the characters.

For kids who are looking for something spooky without being a horror novel, Graveyard Girls is a fun read. This book ends with a cliffhanger that makes you eager to read the next in the series.

sperrera Top 50 Reviewer 113 reviews

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User reviews

1 review

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0(1)

Characters

5.0(1)

Writing Style

5.0(1)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0(1)

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A spooktastic story about growing up as a group and adapting to everyone changing in different ways.

October 23, 2023

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Blurb:
Meet Whisper, Frannie, Sophie, Gemma, and Zuzu, five friends from Misery Falls, Oregon. The town is abuzz as the 100th anniversary of the electrocution of Misery Falls’ most infamous killer, Silas Hoke, approaches. When a mysterious text message leads the girls to the cemetery—where Silas Hoke is buried!—life can’t get any creepier. Except, yes, it can thanks to the surprise storyteller who meets them at the cemetery, inspires the first-ever meeting of the Graveyard Girls, and sets the stage for a terrifying tale from Whisper that they’ll never forget.

The story of the Graveyard Girls was very nostalgic. Originally, I expected something more fantasy, but then I was pleasantly surprised that this book was about growing up with a friend group. I had a group of friends myself: we would have a lot of sleepovers, tell scary stories and do some spooky dares on a cemetery. So, I really could see myself in these girls. Over the years, we grew apart and went in different directions. This book shows this development perfectly. Around the age of twelve, we start finding ourselves, who we are, what we like, what we want from life, etc. Sometimes, that means finding new friends or new ways of being friends. But it often also means saying goodbye to old friends. With everything else going on, navigating friendships during this time can be extremely difficult. But in the end, it can blossom into something that lasts forever. Whisper and her friends are right in the middle of this development. They are feeling the drift and are trying to hold on, but ultimately, they figure out that showing up for each other and adapting their friendship is what they need most to get through puberty. Thus, the Graveyard Girls are born.

I expected to be more scared, but seeing that this isn’t a fantasy but a contemporary middle-grade novel, this scariness felt real and perfectly suited for the story unfolding.

I’m excited to read book 2 next and can’t wait to see what the Graveyard Girls are up to next.