Welcome to The Kid’s Korner.
I decided to do this feature as I have so many great children’s books to share. From picture books, to books for beginning readers, to middle graders, I have plenty of fun ones.
Today I’m sharing another spooky fun tale from Nancy Gray’s Spine Chillers!
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The Firefly (Spine Chillers)
by Nancy Gray
Genre: Horror
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: November 19, 2018
My Review
The fireflies appeared in autumn. Strange, as they’re only supposed to appear during the summer. Leila asked her mother for a net and jar to capture some in. They didn’t act like normal fireflies because… they weren’t. She spies something lurking in the woods. A bug man with skin the color of charcoal. She soon learns what it wants and has to make the toughest decision of her young life. Lives hang in the balance.
This book would have given me such shivers of delight when I was young. It did a pretty good job of doing that now. Leila was a brave little girl. Her love for her baby sister and her sense of right and wrong put her between a rock and a hard place and I admired her bravery.
The bug man was creepy as all get out. The author’s description had me visualizing a cross between a praying mantis and The Crooked Man. Once Leila confronted the thing I knew she couldn’t defeat it by herself and was excited when she discovered the Spectral Investigator’s Society. It’s supposed to be a boys club but exceptions are made. Supernatural creatures don’t distinguish between boys and girls.
The story really picks up the pace as Leila realizes she doesn’t have to fight this battle alone and a plan is formed to stop the creature. This is fiction, but how they kids rallied together and executed their trap reminded me so much of my childhood and how my friends and I would stand by each other, even when scared.
A good campfire tale to raise the goosebumps and make you jump at those bumps in the night.
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Synopsis
Leila’s sister has come down with a terrible fever that the doctors can’t explain. It started with the fireflies that mysteriously appeared in November, and then when she was visited by “the bug man.” When Leila confronts the FIREFLY that has made her sister sick she must make a terrible choice to save her sister or offer it another victim to satiate its terrible appetite! The monster needs to feed on blood and it needs another body to inhabit. His eyes are set on Leila!
You can find The Firefly on Goodreads
You can buy The Firefly on Amazon
About the Author:
Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her young adult fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.
Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.
Other Works by Nancy Gray:
Blood Rain
Blood Moon
Blood God
Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow
Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf
Spine Chillers: The Beast of Black Pond
Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes
Spine Chillers: The Firefly
You can find and contact Nancy Gray here:
– Website
– Blog
– Facebook
– Goodreads
Sounds like a scary fun read. (Poor Leila!)
I’ve read several books in this series and enjoyed all of them. Scar good stuff. The Krampus is up next.
What a great idea! It has been a while since I have reviewed a MG book, myself. This sounds like such an enjoyable read. It has my level of spooky. Thanks for sharing it! 🙂
I love reading books for young readers. My imagination gets refreshed.
The more I read your kids corner the moee I am convinced I should begin reading spooky reads with these Laura because…baby step!!! LoL
Yep, baby steps. Then run!! LOL
Oh, I think I would love this one!
I sure did. The Friefly thing really creeped me out.
Looks like a good one. Enjoyed the great review.
sherry @ fundinmental
You’d like these Sherry. I’m reading The Krampus right now.
I really should have read all of these when I had a chance the do sound like some great MG books.
Mary
I signed up to review them through Lola’s Tours. I need to see if I can get the first one, The Scarecrow. I have The Krampus to share next.
Oooooo I think Spine Chillers would have given me a delight to read as well as a younger child who had a fascination with horror stories behind my family’s back. Just the whole idea of fireflies appearing out of season and a bug man being taken down by a group of kids sounds like a joy!
It was original and scary good:) I was always looking for the scary books when I was young. Never grew out of it:)
This sounds so fun!!!
Erica | Erica Robyn Reads
I’m really enjoying the series. Character’s from each book mingle and the stories are pretty creepy:)
Hello. I’m Nancy Gray, the author of the Spine Chillers series. I just wanted to say thank you for all of the kind words and for all of the encouragement. It really makes my day to hear that people enjoy my work! I hope you like the others as much as you enjoyed this one.
I have enjoyed them, Nancy. Thanks for stopping in. I’m reading The Krampus now! I think the only one I’ve not read is The Scarecrow.