Last Laugh

October 16, 2023
During a visit with his siblings to their maximalist grandmother’s house, 12-year-old Victor plays a prank on his coulrophobe older sister Sarah by removing one of the myriad creepy clown dolls from his grandmother’s bedroom and hiding it in Sarah’s room for her to find. The joke fails to get a reaction when the clown mysteriously disappears, and instead Victor catches himself seeing the unsettling figure around every corner. As the clown sightings worsen, a jumpy and exhausted Victor enlists his brainy younger sister Genevieve and best friend Gareth to suss out the cause of the almost-encounters and whether it’s a revenge ploy from Sarah. When Grandma is found unresponsive in her now suddenly clown-free bedroom, and a disembodied voice begins taunting Victor with dire threats, he must solve the disturbing mystery behind the stalker clowns before anyone else is affected. Tedious repetition occasionally stymies forward momentum. Still, Alexander (Gallowgate) imbues this succinct thriller with appropriately eerie atmosphere, presenting a tale of pint-sized terrors via squirm-inducing clown doll scenes that effectively ratchet up the tension. Victor is described as having “dark olive skin,” and Gareth is of Filipino descent. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US.

November 1, 2023
A boy is haunted--and hunted--by possessed clown dolls. Victor's older sister, Sarah, mocks him because he's afraid of their grandmother's creepy collections of figurines and other odd objects. Sarah's terrified of clowns, so when Victor, Sarah, and their younger sister, Genevieve, must spend the night at their grandmother's house alone, he breaks one of the few rules--don't go in Grandma's room--to borrow a clown doll and hide it under Sarah's pillow. The doll vanishes, kicking off a string of strange events. Could Sarah have caught wind of the prank? Or is there actually an army of animated clown dolls after him? What starts off as a series of blink-and-it's-gone doll spottings quickly escalates into nonstop harassment; soon, the dolls also begin targeting Victor's sisters and his friend Gareth. Victor goes to his grandmother for help, only to find she's unconscious from a mysterious ailment--Victor knows it must be connected to the clowns, raising the stakes for him and his loved ones. Although the setup is somewhat contrived, the fast pacing and short chapters ending with ominous final lines quickly get readers to the good stuff. The book also makes clever use of design, breaking up sentences across multiple lines at key moments. The big climax and denouement are followed by a delightful twist. Victor and his siblings have olive skin and dark curly hair; Gareth is Filipino. Solidly executed, with fast and frequent frights. (Horror. 8-12)

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December 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Centering 12-year-old Victor, this creepy tale rides the clown horror bandwagon with sinister dolls to up the ante. Victor's sister Sarah is absolutely terrified of clowns. Egged on by their eight-year-old sister Genevieve, he decides to scare Sarah by hiding a clown doll of his grandmother's in Sarah's bed. Victor and his siblings have been told never to touch their grandma's relics. Just why has his grandma been so strict about not letting anyone in her bedroom? Unfortunately, Victor finds out the hard way when the clown dolls start following him, and people around him fall into a waxy, soul-sucking coma. The plot is fast-paced and engaging. Characters are likable but not too well developed. The sibling rivalry will be highly relatable to young readers. It's great to see that the children are the ones to come up with the solution to overcome the evil spirit and return the clowns. Characters are not racially defined. VERDICT A creepy sibling horror tale that shows what happens when you don't listen to Grandma. Recommended especially for struggling or reluctant readers.-Julie Shatterly

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