Grave Mistakes

A middle schooler discovers that her unusual family is the least of her problems. Readers will have no problem understanding why Molly Dade is stressed–being as her spacey mom is dead but still present as a disembodied voice; Marty, her likewise dead twin brother, is hanging around as a prank-loving poltergeist; and Dyandra, her adopted little sister, is a zombie who craves brains. Keeping these facts from becoming general knowledge has turned both school and her lifelong friendship with classmate Grace into nightmares. Oh, and Molly has actual nightmares, too, along with other symptoms suggesting that she’s been cursed by a witch. Emerging hints that the explosion that (more or less) killed her mother and brother a year ago wasn’t accidental steer the plotline to a melodramatic climax, but overall, debut author Curran keeps the tone light by, for instance, replacing Molly’s supposed grief with irritation at the cloying sympathy she has to endure in public to keep up pretenses. Curran also surrounds her with a secondary cast that, to Molly’s amazement and relief, takes her family’s differences calmly in stride once they’re revealed. By the end, some villains remain at large for future rematches, but everyone else, even ex-nemesis classmate Cara, is on Molly’s side–and Molly herself is not quite as “normal” as she had supposed. Most characters seem to be White; one of Molly’s grandmothers was Chinese. Addams Family lite for readers seeking spooky fun grounded in relationships. (Fantasy. 9-13)- Kirkus (June 1, 2023)

Kitty Curran is the co-author of two adult books published by Quirk (For Your Consideration- Keanu Reaves and My Lady’s Choosing- An Interactive Romance Novel), as well as a YA time-travel fantasy graphic novel forthcoming from Boom! Studios. Kitty has also worked as a designer and had her work featured in Time, Upworthy, CNN, HelloGiggles, CBS, and The Huffington Post. She is a London native who is now based in Chicago. Grave Mistakes is her middle grade debut.

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