Review Detail

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.