Yesterday I finished an advanced reader copy of SCRITCH SCRATCH by Lindsay Curie. My personal opinion is that we don't have enough middle grade ghost stories, so I was delighted to see this one, especially since it was a spooky ghost story rather than a silly one. I also appreciated having a chance to read a book with two parents who are pursuing their dreams while also loving one another and their kids. SCRITCH SCRATCH is the story of Claire, who sees herself as a scientist. She likes a nice, orderly, sensible world. Unfortunately, her dad loves ghosts, especially the ones abundant in their home city of Chicago. Claire feels like she can't escape the absurdity of her dad's spooky stories since his work revolves around them. Then Claire's faith in an orderly, sensible world is severely shaken when a ghost appears during one of her dad's ghost tours.

The story unfolds with increasingly frightening moments and the struggle Claire has in trying to reconcile her orderly scientific mind with the chaos of repeated ghost encounters. Honestly, I loved the story from start to finish. I loved the spookiness and believe this is a worthy addition to the sadly few truly spooky ghost stories set in modern times. I loved both the family dynamics and the exploration of both friendship and change that the story offers. And I truly loved the peek at Chicago history. If you have a chance to grab this one in September when it comes out, it'll be worth your time in comforting warmth and spooky thrills.

This title was recommended to me by one of our librarians, and I am so glad that she did. It took a bit to get into this book, but once it got going, the spooks were spooky! But more importantly, this is a tale about the importance of sharing history and stories of the past. Claire is a relatable protagonist because despite her fear of the ghost haunting her, she still strives to do the right thing and figure out the mystery behind her haunting. The ghost scenes are pretty frightening! Consider checking this one out yourself before recommending it to any younger children, but middle grade horror fans will find this title delightful and scary.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so much fun! It's the perfect blend of actual history and spooky mystery that needs solving. The main character, Claire, has to help her dad with his "ghost bus tour" one evening, and after the ride something terrible follows her home. Suddenly she is being haunted, and she has to find a way to make it stop. Claire is a very relatable character and I loved how she progressed throughout the book. And honestly, for being a middle-grade ghost story, I still found myself so spooked at some parts that I was glad I was reading it during broad daylight! To make things even cooler, Scritch Scratch is infused with a lot of real history from Chicago. It made me really want to visit it someday!

All in all I would absolutely recommend this book, both for children and adults! Definitely pre-order it and have it ready for spooky season!!

Loved this scary story!! Lindsay Curie did not disappoint with her 2nd book! Those students that love scary stories will devour this story about a young girl who goes on her father's ghost tour only to find out that a ghost has followed her home. Why did this ghost follow her home? Find out in this new story!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.


I don't know what it is about children's/middle grade books that seem so inviting. Maybe it's a nice break for me from murders, affairs, and all around usual unpleasantry that I get from my regular reads (horror/thriller/mystery) still, I didn't stray too for with this one!!

Claire arguably has the coolest dad, but she doesn't see it that way. Running a ghost tour bus and publishing haunted locations isn't her idea of a good time - and she doesn't want to be involved. However, one night she helps her dad out on one of his tours and can't help noticing a little boy on the back of the bus dripping wet...

After a series of peculiar events and hauntings Claire realizes she may need help in figuring out just what exactly is going on.

Also let me state that I'm twenty seven but reading some of this book at one in the morning still got to me 👌 definitely a good read for kids who are into scares.

I loved the characters and both the family dynamic and friendship dynamic. The haunted locations were also a plus and taught me things I hadn't ever heard or known of which I love.

Definitely would recommend

A great middle grade scare!

Claire has no interest in her Dad's obsession with the history/ghost stories of their hometown. In fact, as a scientific mind who focuses on facts and proof, Claire views her father's work as a little embarrassing. One night she gets talked into covering for a sick employee of her father's and everything changes.

Willie doesn't care if Claire is a believer or not, he just needs her help. Will she be able to look past her disbelief to figure out what it is that Willie is really asking for?

I like how Claire discovered she didn't have to struggle to solve this mystery on her own, but came to rely on her brother and friends. The fact that Willie's tragedy is centered around an actual event will draw in my students who love to read about disasters. It will also appeal to those students who love a good scare.

Claire is a little embarrassed by her parents-- her mom runs a baking business, JuliCakes, out of their home, and her father runs a Haunted Chicago tour company. He takes people around the city to different creepy sites on a bus, and Claire has no interest in any of it. When the bus driver and her older brother Sam are unavailable to help, Claire is pressed to step in to take tickets, monitor the bus, and generally help out. She would rather be working on her science fair project, but doesn't want her father to lose out on income, so reluctantly goes along. At one point, she thinks she sees a young boy alone on the bus, but it turns out to be much more sinister than that. The boy is a ghost who won't leave her alone, flooding her dresser drawers, lurking outside of her room scratching at the door, and even following her to school and causing a flood in the restroom. Of course, the flooding her brother Sam witnesses, which makes them call their parents home suddenly, isn't something her parents can see! Claire is understandably spooked, but doesn't know quite what to do. Sam believes her and tries to help, and she eventually reaches out to her best friend, Casley. Things have been difficult with Casley ever since new girl Emily has befriended her. Emily's life isn't easy, however, and it turns out that she and her mother have moved in with relatives, and Claire's crush Warner is Emily's cousin. Claire knows that this ghost wants something from her, and will haunt her until she finds a way to put him at ease. The answers come from some forgotten Chicago history, and encourage Claire to help with her father's research.

Strengths: This is an excellent ghost story, but also has some great historical aspects as well as key concerns for middle school students. All ghosts should be slightly murderous, and this one, with his damp, wordlessly insistent hauntings, was perfect. Claire's relationship with her parents was great; they are both involved and supportive, but somewhat embarrassing, and she ultimately likes spending time with them. I also appreciated that her brother was her biggest ally. Don't see that a lot, and I enjoyed it. The friend drama with Casley and Emily-- Every. Single. Day. in middle school. However, middle grade lit isn't overflowing with instances where friends look critically at what is going on, examine the background and motivation of new friends, or reconcile, so I really liked that part!
Weaknesses: The title and the cover could be better.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. This will be a big hit with fans of Ellen Oh's Spirit Hunters and White's Nightbooks.

Fun, spooky book for MG readers. I really liked the prologue! It got me pulled into the book. I definitely think kids will like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Source Books for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Something about the cover of this one grabbed my attention as I was looking for my next book. So I read the synopsis and decided to give it a whirl. I am glad I did because I actually really enjoyed this book. It is a middle grade book and I am a 51 year old woman but hey, I like to read all kinds of books. What can I say? I think you can learn something from every single book you read. The book takes place in Chicago and Clare is our main character. Her Father runs a tour bus that takes people through the haunted parts of Chicago and Clare is so embarrassed by this. Isn't Middle School hard enough? One night, her Dad's employee can't work so Clare has to step in and help him hand things to the customers and watch out for cops coming to tell them to move the bus. Something strange happens while she is out with them, however. She sees a boy that nobody else sees and when her Dad tells her no children are allowed on the tour, Clare knows she has seen her first ghost. This particular ghost has followed her home and wants her help finding his family. She has no idea who he is or where he died, however, and gets her brother and a couple of friends involved as she can't do it on her own. I will stop there but let me tell you that for a middle grade book, this had a lot of action and suspense. I loved this book and from the very first stop on the tour bus, I was looking things up to see if they were real. Turns out there ARE real, including the little boy. If you google him, you can find his little face right in front of you. The book had action, suspense, teenage girl/friend issues and so much more. I would 100% recommend it.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I found the main character to be whiny and self-centered. However, the middle grade audience this book is intended for may identify with her. I feel the my parents don't understand me/I can't trust them trope took away from some of the more interesting parts of the story. I did like that the ghost elements were pulled from real history, but it the overall story felt a little forced.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Lindsay Currie for the eARC of this book. I am so happy to be a part of the Scritch Scratch Street Team as well! I loved Peculiar Incident, so I knew I had to read another by Currie and I am glad I did. This book was just the right amount of spooky AND had such rich Chicago history! I am not from Chicago and have only been once, but the way Lindsay described it (and that map!) I felt like I could see it all. I really loved this story and know my students will be fighting over it.

Middle grade spookiness at its finest.

A brilliant middle grade mystery steeped in historical Chicago and spiced with a ghostly past!
Currie has created a spooky read that middle graders will surely enjoy. But beneath all the creep and eeriness is a story about Claire, a young girl whose confidence is shaken in her resolute belief that science is incontrovertible. She learns to find value in helping a stranger – a ghostly stranger, no less - growing in friendships, and cherishing family relationships. The strength one gains from a strong family and friendships weaves throughout this tale, sending a hopeful message to all. I loved how these kids come together and look beyond their grievances (because we know all siblings and BFFs have those from time to time) to help a soul desperate to be remembered. I found the historical information about Chicago’s spectral past fascinating. Mix that with the clever and engaging writing, and you have a fantastically haunting read! I’d recommend this book to readers of all ages, those who love a good mystery, and admires of history.

*I will be adding this review to a blog post/author interview and other social media sites later this summer.*

I loved this incredibly imaginative, beautifully written, and spooky as heck middle-grade novel. I was immediately sucked into Claire's story - I mean it, I couldn't put this book down. I immediately felt for Claire's plight of being both terrified and interested in the paranormal. Reading this novel has me super interested in reading Lindsay Currie's other novels.

Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She's a scientist, which is why she can't think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she's made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There's something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour...he's gone.

Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad's ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her.

Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something...and Claire needs to find out what before it's too late.
Characters are very well-developed too. I enjoyed Claire’s relationship with her brother Sam and how he helps her, and the same with Claire’s best friend and a new friend. There’s a good circle of characters going on in this book. I loved that Claire was scared and she had ways of coping with it that made her feel more real. She’s a good heroine.
Yes, it's spooky and dark and all those things you've probably come to expect from me since THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET. However, it's also rooted in truth and history and steeped in a hefty dose of local Chicago legend.

This is a fun and spooky story. At first, the protagonist, Claire, had no interest in ghosts. As someone who loves science, she couldn't wrap her head around ghosts being real. However, after spending an evening on a ghost tour with her father (who has his own ghost tour company in Chicago), she finds herself getting followed by a little boy, who is a ghost! I really loved how this story was rooted in real Chicago history but brought to life a fictional story. I learned so much as I read, and found myself wanting to know more and more. As an educator, I know that my students will also want to learn more about Chicago and its history. The characters in this book are well developed and easy to love (or hate!), the ghost story is creepy but good for middle-grade students, and the book was very hard to put down. I will definitely be reading more by Lindsay Currie in the future!

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “Scritch Scratch” for my review. This book had so much potential. It was right my alley for a good read, because it is a middle grade, creepy, supernatural tale.

Firstly, I loved the friendship element in the story. Even though Claire is jealous of Casley and Emily, I love how Casley takes charge and hangs on to Claire and works on their friendship. I love when books emphasize the importance of friendship and promotes working on them even during bad times. In fact, I loved Casley more than the others as she is a very good role model.

Secondly, the story is very atmospheric and creepy and the author manages to maintain the same throughout. I found the writing on the bathroom wall to be particularly disturbing. I also liked how Claire teams up with the other eventually to come up with a plan to solve the mystery.

Thirdly, I also loved how the author showcased the less known side of Chicago’s history. I had not heard of the SS Eastland nor the Iroquois Theatre Fire before. Hence I enjoyed reading about them, and made me want to research more about Chicago’s history post reading. So, yes, I liked a lot of things about this story.

However, the plot threw me off towards the end and the climax was disappointing. The reasons for why the ghost did what it did was weak. Did he crave attention? Did he want the public to remember him? Also, the reason the author provides as to why the ghost chose Claire to communicate with doesn’t make sense. I felt confused and disappointed after reading it.

Overall, this book was nice but I wished it had ended in a better manner.

A very interesting and fun ghost story adventure! I really liked Claire and all her worries and insecurities. I found them to be realistic and I understood where she was coming from. The aspect of the whole ghost story in the plot was amazing and I had a lot of fun reading this!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced ebook of Scritch Scratch! I have been hearing about this book for awhile now on Twitter and was really excited to read it. This book did not disappoint! I absolutely loved everything about this book. The characters are relatable for kids and many will see themselves in their stories. The city of Chicago provides the perfect spooky backdrop to the plot. One of my favorite things about this book is the historical elements that are infused throughout. Any time a book makes me want to run out and research the events in the story I know it's a book that my students will love. The fact that it is a seriously creepy, ghost story is the icing on the cake. So many of my students love spooky stories that I cannot wait to get this into my library and into their hands! Great read!!

I'll admit I saved this book to read as a treat. I loved Lindsay's previous book, and I had a feeling that she was only getting warmed up as a first-rate creeptastic storyteller. And I was right! This story is set in my favorite place in the world- Chicago, and I am a stickler for wanting the geographic details to be correct, even in fiction. I shouldn't have worried, and if you know the city, you'll know just where you are all the time. Local kids will love it, and kids who live farther away will get a real sense of what it's like to live in an urban environment.
The premise that Claire is a scientific-minded girl whose dad runs a ghost bus tour rang true, and the fact that Claire gets along with her brother is a nice change after reading so many MG books with sibling friction.
I can't wait to read this one aloud. If you love RL Stine or Mary Dawning Hawn, this story ranks up with their best.

Loved the element of mystery/horror in this book. Perfect for middle schoolers. The main character embracing her family and somewhat abnormal topic of ghosts. Will be recommending to many of our middle schoolers!!