Graveyard Shakes

Reviewed by: Cidney Mayes - Memorial Middle School Library, South Portland, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 9, 2018

Review

Graveyard Shakes opens with Little Ghost paying a visit to his friend Modie, a child who has been brought back to life by his father through spells, just as Modie's father is performing the ritual that will keep Modie alive. Every 13 years, a human child's life is sacrificed in order to keep Modie from fading. Modie is very conflicted and unhappy with the fact that a child must die so that he can live.

11 years later, Victoria and Katia have just arrived at a boarding school where they have been given scholarships. Desperate to escape homeschooling, Victoria is ready to do whatever it takes to fit in at her new school and be accepted by her peers, even though they are unkind to her. Katia, her younger sister, has no such desire to fit in and instead becomes the subject of ridicule for her strange behavior, much to Victoria's dismay. After a fight, the sisters stumble upon a graveyard where the two stories collide. Victoria falls into an empty grave where Modie's father is hoping to catch unsuspecting children so that he can perform his spell again.

The dual plots seem too much to fit into a small graphic novel such as this, and much of the action and explanation around characters and events seems rushed because of it. The book's strongest aspect are the illustrations. Recommended for graphic novel fans in grades 4-7.

Overall Book Score: good