I'm always a fan of retellings and books that revisit classic stories, especially when the original leaves us without explanations. Like the Pied Piper. We can't help but wonder what motivates the Piper, where he takes the children, that sort of thing. And Chow is giving us an explanation. A complicated one involving primordial forces, deep earth magic, and offerings. There's plenty of complexity to the detail and the pacing is tight, making for a compelling read.

Audiobook Review - This is a fun and fast paced middle grade fantasy. Chow knows how to play up the creep factor and build suspense. Perfect for kids looking for a creepy story that isn't gory and not too scary.

Let's say someone comes up to you and promises to give you the greatest desire of your heart? What if that desire is impossible? What if that desire it to bring someone you love back from the dead? This is exactly what the conductor offers Reggie, and as a young boy, of course he wants his dad back! Reggie quickly finds out that everything is not as seems...

What a great way to retell the mysterious story of the pied piper. I really enjoyed the creepy elements. They were well done and I felt that they were unique enough that it kept my interest. I also liked that some creatures you typical would things of as a negative were actually friendly and helpful, while others were as bad as some may imagine. The dynamic between the three kids who go through this experience today include some great character arcs and a good combo of personalities.

I would recommend this to any middle school age id who likes creepy stories or any who enjoy the tale of the pied piper.

This was such a great creepy/spooky read for middle graders! I would have never thought of using animatronic passed loved ones as a creep point in a book for kids, but it worked.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Derrick Chow, and the publisher of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Ravenous Things" is a creepy modern retelling of the Pied Piper.
Main character Reggie Wong is lured by a mysterious train conductor who promises him that he will see his father again who has passed away. Once Reggie is back with his dad though, he realizes he has been tricked. It is now up to him and two new friends/fellow passengers to get out of this mess. Will Reggie and the other children be able to escape?

This book was a great read and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was pretty creepy to me though and might be creepy to younger children. I would recommend it to others who enjoy a more chilling/creepy read.

This book was a lot of fun! So interesting and spooky! Great discussions about loss and death. I really enjoyed all three of the main characters and how they each had their own distinct character arcs. The conductor was a fabulous villain who I really enjoyed.

The only reasons I’m giving this book four stars instead of five are because of the ending and the POV. The ending really felt like it dragged on for a very long time. I’m glad it wasn’t rushed, but a couple times I had to stop and check to see if I was finally almost done with the book. And while I loved Reggie, at times the narration slipped into an omniscient point of view, but not consistently enough for it to feel intentional. It felt like we got a bit of head hopping, which was disappointing because I think the book would have been so much stronger had it either been entirely Reggie’s POV and closer to his character OR completely omniscient.

This is the best Middle Grade Fantasy of 2022 for me. It is a fast paced book that does a great job on character development and deals with death, depression, friendship and growing up.

I listened to the audio and narrator did an amazing job. He helped the listener be drawn into the story.

This book was fabulous spooky goodness! The writing takes you into this world and makes you believe every word! As much as I hate rodents and bugs this was a wonderful re-telling of the pied piper story.

Fans of books like Coraline or Goosebumps will like this one!

Todd Haberkorn’s narration was amazing! He had so many different voices and accents and does them all very well!

This is a fun Middle grade book that I will be buying for my library I have a couple kids in mind already!

4 stars

I received this book from the publisher Disney Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Nothing has been right since Reggie's dad died, so when a mysterious man with a flute claims he can give bereaved children the one thing they wish for the most, it's no surprise that Reggie falls right into the trap. Through a trick of the Pied Piper's magic flute, the world is turned into chaos as rats transform into children. Reggie has to overcome his resentment toward his longtime school enemy and master his anger at the quirky girl he meets on the train in order to solve the mystery of the sinister darkness and the Conductor's magic to get the world back to the way it's supposed to be. But an ancient power is lurking, and it will take more than determination for these three seventh graders to succeed.

This book is scary mostly for its constant references to roaches and rats. I'm not really susceptible to this brand of horror, but it definitely sets the scene for a desperate quest and a lot of character growth. At times, the solutions of the psychiatrist are a bit overly obvious, but I'm glad that Reggie and his co-heroes find ways to solve the puzzles on their own and find a way to be at peace with the loss that had plagued each of them. The characters are well-made, and the foreshadowing was well-placed. I didn't love the tone, personally, but for its genre, this book is cleverly crafted and enticing. I recommend it for kids who want a bit of thrilling adventure as they process bigger things like grief and bullying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book takes the tale of the Pied Piper to a different level. It follows Reggie, Chantal and Gareth on an unexpected and dangerous adventure all because they have lost someone close to them. The book does a good job showing the pain and loss that kids feel when they lose a parent, grandparent or sibling but I also feel like it used that in an inappropriate way by luring them to a place where they were promised to see their loved ones again (and they do) only to realize the are just robots. So they fo through the loss all over again. I also feel that the story dragged. If it didn't hold my attention it won't hold my students.
The narrator was great. I give him 4 stars.
I feel the story could have been much shorter and accomplished the same thing and I didn't like the use of grieving a loved one as a means for being pulled into an adventure at least not in a children's or middle grade book (I almost stopped listening at that point).

An interesting story of a boy that would give anything to see his dad one last time. But when the chance arrives is it a trick? How can he and the others that were tricked escape the underground world of the man with the flute. A spooky scary read with rats and gore.

This is the best reverse retelling of the Pied Piper!

What would you do to see the person whom you loved with all your being one last time? Would you suspend disbelief and disobey every warning about stranger danger you ever received? Would you board a sketchy train and a creepy conductor into the darkness in the hope that you would see your loved one again? Reggie Wong is willing to risk it all on the off chance he will see his dad again, even if it means getting on the train and doing down a dark tunnel despite the warning bells sounding off in his head. Reggie isn't alone on the train though, he meets a persistent new friend Chantal as he decides to get on board; and of course, his arch nemesis Gareth can't seem to stay out of his way either. But things weren't as promised when they arrived underground. Will Reggie be able to team up with his new friend and his sworn enemy to escape the illusion and save the town? Read on to find out!

What I loved most:
The Mysterious Conductor is just the right amount of creepy and filled with riddles and rhymes
The reverse pied piper story - the rats... oh the rats....
The bugs and beetles - I hate bugs, but I found myself cheering for them in this novel
The messages this novel contained about losing a loved one, how grief hits different for everyone, coping ideas for dealing with a loss, hope exists even with sadness and grief

A quiet build rich with descriptions that made me pause and savour the moment. As the dark builds and takes over I was hooked and excited to be ordering this for my library. Grief is handled beautifully as is the building of unexpected friendships, the backstory that was woven into the plot was tight and never slowed the pace and gave the pitch perfect peek into the past through interactions between the characters. What a debut! I know students who are going to love this book.

I would recommend this book to any middle grade reader that likes creepy, suspenseful books. This book does a great job at creating a certain ambiance that sucks you into the story. The creepy twists and turns are perfect for anyone that wants to dip their toe into the genre of horror. I also think that this book did a great job of portraying grief and provided important insights into the various ways that people process grief through these characters. I think that it is important to include characters with anger management struggles or characters that unapologetically see a therapist. I really appreciated the representation in this book that I think many readers will feel a kinship with. I rated this four stars because I did find myself slowing down toward the end of the book and I think that it could have benefitted from being just a little bit shorter to keep the audience engaged all the way through.

I think that the audiobook narrator for this book is engaging and I think that a middle grade audience would really appreciate all of the different voices that the narrator uses to help them keep the characters straight throughout the story.

Thank you to Derrick Chow and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.