Book Review – What Stays Buried by Suzanne Young

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Description

In her first book for middle grade readers, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young brings together a thrilling ghost story, a heartfelt coming of age journey, and a poignant reminder that those we’ve loved and lost are never far away–perfect for fans of Bone Hollow and The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street.

Twelve-year-old Calista Wynn will lose her ability to speak with the dead on her thirteenth birthday. 

And with only a few weeks left, children have started going missing.

When Calista meets The Tall Lady–an angry spirit with a grudge against Calista, her family, and the entire town–she knows she’s found the ghost responsible for the disappearances.

It’s up to Calista, the only one who can see The Tall Lady, to stop her. If she doesn’t, Calista won’t just lose her powers… she’ll lose everyone she has left.

***Book description from Bookshop.org.***

The Gist

A week before Calista Wynn’s thirteenth birthday, she notices more visits from ghosts of young people, looking to her for help and direction. These ghosts aren’t just any young people, they are young boys that have recently gone missing from her small hometown of Meadowmere. As if Calista didn’t have enough to worry about, in addition to these visits, she’s grappling with the thought of losing her ability to see ghosts after her thirteenth birthday. It’s inevitable, causes her great sadness, and forces her and her family members to reckon with grieving the loss of loved ones. Being a medium makes this especially difficult when loved ones don’t want to cross over and continue to be a fixture in life’s daily activities, despite being dead.

The unexplainable disappearance of the small town’s children and a highly suspicious visit from a spirit called the Tall Lady leads Calista on a quest to find answers. With the help of her family and a surprisingly helpful town resident, can she resolve everything before her thirteenth birthday? How can she remain strong with all of this going on at such a critical time?

What Worked for Me

In What Stays Buried, readers are taken on an emotional journey. There’s this perpetual knowledge that the Wynn family is cursed, which is why Calista’s abilities will be gone after her thirteenth birthday. The understanding behind why this happens is revealed as the story develops, providing more backstory to the origin of the curse. This is where most of my interest lies in this book.

Meaningful discussions about death and grieving amongst young readers are essential, as no one is immune to experiencing either of them. Calista’s ability to see ghosts gives her a unique experience with this oftentimes painful life event and human emotion. Through her lens, young readers witness the ups and downs of dealing with the extraordinary loss of her loved ones, twice. It is an enduring experience for someone so young and I admire Calista’s ability to process her feelings in the midst of dangerously gathering information to find the missing children. For me, her character arc was inspiring without being overly didactic, and I appreciate the care that was taken in expressing the importance of Calista slowing down to grieve. It’s a requirement and should not be compartmentalized and ignored. I hope young readers will have similar takeaways from this story and share their feelings about it with others.

What Did Not Work For Me

Death and grief are associated with negative feelings, but it isn’t those subjects that didn’t work for me in this story. It was the pacing of the story that faltered for me. Pacing took a stumble when a certain side character contributed little to nothing to the overall story or actions of the main character. It also did not help that the author wrote in parts where the main character acknowledges the character as helpful. From my viewpoint, they weren’t.

Maybe it’s the lack of belief from the town that’s the reasoning behind this. Or maybe it’s the main characters’ loner status that’s influencing their appreciation of having anyone as a sense of support. In any case, it’s lost on me, but the side characters’ actions, or lack thereof, negatively affected the pacing and my reading experience of this book. I think it could have been treated differently.

Final Verdict

3.5/5

Aside from the pacing, the story is well-written plot-wise and has surprising moments of creepiness. *Cough* *cough* the Tall Lady and her minions. I never want to come across a spirit like her.

This book would be a great selection for a children’s reading group or book club, perfect for reading aloud by the campfire or in your reading nook by flashlight. If you aren’t ready to read it now, put it on your reading list for books to read during the Spooky Season.

Mediums, curses, ghosts, and supernatural elements fill the pages of What Stays Buried. I hope my review has convinced you to consider it for your next spooky read.

Many thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books, Suzanne Young, and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. My review/reaction is voluntary, all thoughts are mine and unbiased, and receiving the Advanced Review Copy does not influence my rating and/or recommendation.