Gr 5 Up–Gr 5 Up–Tremblay, an award-winning expert in horrifying adults, turns to frightening younger readers with his MG debut. Veteran narrator de Ocampo impressively embodies Tremblay’s claustrophobic setting of a single house and the small family within, which is still recovering from the COVID pandemic. The isolation exacerbated Casey’s anxiety, which manifested in uncontrollable twitches and tics—an excuse for his so-called friends to disappear. Until now. Casey doesn’t know who, but apparently, a friend has called for an extended sleepover. The next day, a mysterious man delivers Morel in a burlap bag—more mannequin than boy, not quite fully formed. The man leaves with two instructions: “No food.. No bed.” The strangeness is just beginning… Casey’s parents seem inexplicably unconcerned about the impending invasion of this body snatcher intent on becoming their son.
VERDICT De Campo expertly captures Tremblay’s creepfest, adroitly building momentum as Casey’s alarm—and Morel’s transformation—accelerates.
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