Now Entering Addamsville

Now Entering Addamsville
Age Range
12+
Release Date
October 01, 2019
ISBN
978-0062935274
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When Zora Novak is framed for a crime she didn’t commit, she must track down the true culprit and clear her name before it’s too late. But in a small town obsessed with ghosts, getting people to believe the truth might prove to be impossible. Stranger Things meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this eerie murder mystery. “A darkly humorous, rapid-fire read in which the living are sometimes scarier than the dead.”—Kirkus When someone burns down the home of the school janitor and he dies in the blaze, everyone in Addamsville, Indiana, points a finger at Zora. Never mind that Zora has been on the straight and narrow since her father was thrown in jail. With everyone looking for evidence against her, her only choice is to uncover the identity of the real killer. There’s one big problem—Zora has no leads. No one does. Addamsville has a history of tragedy, and thirty years ago a similar string of fires left several townspeople dead. The arsonist was never caught. Now, Zora must team up with her cousin Artemis—an annoying self-proclaimed Addamsville historian—to clear her name. But with a popular ghost-hunting television show riling up the townspeople, almost no support from her family and friends, and rumors spinning out of control, things aren’t looking good. Zora will have to read between the lines of Addamsville’s ghost stories before she becomes one herself. Acclaimed author Francesca Zappia has a perfectly pitched teen voice that shines in this inventive novel. Now Entering Addamvsille is perfect for fans of Brittany Cavallaro, Victoria Schwab, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

When Zora Novak is framed for a crime she didn’t commit, she must track down the true culprit and clear her name before it’s too late. But in a small town obsessed with ghosts, getting people to believe the truth might prove to be impossible. Stranger Things meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this eerie murder mystery. “A darkly humorous, rapid-fire read in which the living are sometimes scarier than the dead.”—Kirkus When someone burns down the home of the school janitor and he dies in the blaze, everyone in Addamsville, Indiana, points a finger at Zora. Never mind that Zora has been on the straight and narrow since her father was thrown in jail. With everyone looking for evidence against her, her only choice is to uncover the identity of the real killer. There’s one big problem—Zora has no leads. No one does. Addamsville has a history of tragedy, and thirty years ago a similar string of fires left several townspeople dead. The arsonist was never caught. Now, Zora must team up with her cousin Artemis—an annoying self-proclaimed Addamsville historian—to clear her name. But with a popular ghost-hunting television show riling up the townspeople, almost no support from her family and friends, and rumors spinning out of control, things aren’t looking good. Zora will have to read between the lines of Addamsville’s ghost stories before she becomes one herself. Acclaimed author Francesca Zappia has a perfectly pitched teen voice that shines in this inventive novel. Now Entering Addamvsille is perfect for fans of Brittany Cavallaro, Victoria Schwab, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
Now Entering Addamsville
(Updated: November 25, 2019)
Overall rating
 
3.7
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
N/A
Writing Style
 
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
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Zora Novak has been accused of a crime she didn't commit. It doesn't help that her family are known as the town's outcasts and she's been accused of setting a few fires. Her father is in jail for conning people out of their money and her mother disappeared mysteriously. Add to all of this, ghosts roam her small Indiana town. Zora can see the dead, but can't hear them. To makes worse a ghost-hunter TV show comes to Addamsville to investigate the ghost rumors. Through all of this, it's up to Zora to find out who set the fires, clear her name, before she joins the ghosts in town.

What worked: This is one quirky paranormal story set in a small Indiana town. It kind of reminded me of the 90s paranormal TV show Eerie, Indiana meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Addamsville is like Eerie with it's quirkiness and ghosts.

Zora is someone who seems to not care what others think of her, though readers find out that this isn't necessarily true. She misses her mother something fierce and wants to know what really happened the day she disappeared. Zora's mother also shared a paranormal ability with Zora-she could see the dead and fought against the Fire starters. I also get why Zora might appear to be hard and tough. The town hasn't exactly been kind to her or her family.

There's a Supernatural feel throughout this novel too, especially when Zora teams up with her nerdy cousin Artemis to find out who really killed the school janitor and clear her name. I'd love to see this duo in any sequels. There's a huge hint of one at the end!

I did get confused on what was going on at times. Like why did Bach, an ageless guy, really want to help Zora? There's hints at a bigger picture going on in this town that involves supernatural beings that might destroy not only the living but ghosts too.

The town and the historical old homes are characters too as they give a surreal atmosphere. The subtle at times creepiness is more psychological horror than graphic.

Trippy, paranormal tale set in a Midwest small town with a cast of quirky characters.
Good Points
Trippy paranormal tale set in Indiana
Buffy The Vampire meets Stranger Things
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