Last Laugh

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Author(s)

K. R. Alexander

Publisher

Scholastic

Genre(s)

Horror

Age Range

10+

Release Date

January 02, 2024

ISBN

1339012154

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What's scarier than a collection of clown dolls in a secret locked room?

How about... those clown dolls coming to life. And hunting you down.

Editor review

1 review

Not for those with coulrophobia!

November 06, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Victor lives with his parents and his older sister Sarah and younger sister Genevieve. When his grandmother needs to travel out of town, the children's mother has them stay at their grandmother's house to watch her three cats. The grandmother was a world traveler, and her house is packed with objects she has collected, and there are a good number of dolls, which Victor finds a bit creepy. High school aged Sarah isn't happy, and decides to go out with friends, leaving Victor and Genevieve alone. To get back at her, Victor breaks his grandmother's rules and goes into her bedroom, where he finds an immense collection of clown figurines. He takes one and tucks it under the covers of the bed where Sarah will sleep, since she is terrified of clowns. When Sarah comes home, she finds her clothes in the sink, covered with ketchup, and feels that it is Victor's way of getting back at her for leaving. The only problem, Victor didn't do it. And the clown is gone. Once the children return home, Victor starts being stalked by clown figurines and dolls that no one else can see. He eventually confides in his sisters and his best friend. They believe him, but there's little they can do. I don't want to say much more and spoil the plot, but Victor has to battle the clowns to save his grandmother, who becomes ill because they are on the rampage, and who holds the key to why they are all evil!

Good Points

Well, I didn't have coulrophobia before, but there's nothing like a clown doll menacing characters with a steak knife to instill a little bit of fear! There's just enough family drama in this to root it to reality, and I loved that the siblings are fighting together. The grandmother's backstory with the clowns is a nice twist, and makes sense. It doesn't hurt that we end on a bit of a cliffhanger; the story's not over, not that there will be a sequel. This makes it extra creepy. It's good to see that Victor has a good friend (don't have the book E ARC with me; I think it began with a G. Gavin or Garrett), and they are not only able to work together, but the clowns target him because of their friendship. The epic clown battle is great. Students who think they want to read Stephen King's It will definitely pick this up, as will Alexander's loyal followers.

Alexander writes a LOT of books, and they're really good, but they aren't perfect. I loved the grandmother's story, and that could have been better developed; we don't really find out about her involvement until everything is over, and it would have been cool to see her help with the fighting instead of having her be passed out in a hospital bed. Young readers may not care as much about the grandmother's fate.

Are there many middle grade books about creepy clowns? R.L. Stine's Nightmare on Clown Street is the only one I can recall, although Arden's Small Spaces gave me that vibe. Is it that clowns are TOO SCARY for middle school? This is a possibility.