This urban fantasy middle grade is perfect for fans of curses, mediums, and family secrets. What Stays Buried has one of those perfect titles. Not only does Calista's family have secrets of their own, their town is also sitting on a chest of buried skeletons. From the premise alone, I love the idea of a girl who is facing the loss of her father - twice fold. She's always been able to see the ghosts of her grandmother and father, but as she approaches her birthday, she will lose that ability.

Not going to lie, I teared up as this element developed. For Calista, it's a second loss after their initial death. Above all, What Stays Buried is a story about revenge and justice. It's about the pain of knowledge. Because while we may think we want the answers, what if they only bring us more pain? Questions we can never answer?

This title was a good choice for anyone who loves scary stories. This is both a coming-of-age story as well as a meditation on grief. The main character is relatable and engaging.

I love spooky middle grades. This was such a good story. I cried at the end. This was such a real look at loss. I loved all the characters. They were just perfect. I highly recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc of this in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this. I swapped back and forth between that and the audiobook from my library.

This was SO GOOD. I got it because I had a feeling it was one my daughter would love, as spooky middle grade is her jam, and I ended up head over heels for it. The characters were adorable, the ghosts just the right level of creepy, and the look at loss so emotional.

I love all things paranormal so I was excited when I saw this middle grade book up for review. I've only read a few chapters but I'm having to call it quits for now, due to my own "issues". I know I will love it, I've enjoyed what I've read so far and the story seems really intriguing. But when something came to light, it made me realize I'm just not in the right headspace to continue. I definitely feel kind of silly about it, but what can you do.

I will for sure revisit this book at another time.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and HarperCollins for my thoughts on WHAT STAYS BURIED.

The opening line sucked me in! Then the first chapter. Then the next.

Wow! This book is masterful!

The nuances within the character Calista are fantastic. She's ahead of her age because of her gift to see ghosts. And both of these situations make it so she doesn't exactly fit in with the other kids. But she is still aware of others and so strong and brave that she wants to help. She is the only one who can help the kids who are disappearing. And she rises to the task.

This book has chills, grieving, coming-to-age vibes as so much more. The perfect amount of scary for young readers. And I love having secrets in a book.

I highly recommend this book. Not only is it entertaining, but it's a great place to start a conversation with a middle grade reader on multiple topics. (Because it deals with death, it really is best to have an adult to work through anything that comes up with young readers.)

It's full of family love and strength. Truly, the perfect themes for this age group.

Happy reading!

“Calista was bursting with emotion, but as the waves of pain left and receded, all that was left was love. A love so big, it crossed any reality.”

Calista Wynn is twelve years old and will lose her ability to speak with the dead on her thirteenth birthday. And with only a few weeks left, local children have started going missing. When Calista meets The Tall Lady—an angry spirit with a grudge against Calista, her family, and the entire town—she knows she’s found the ghost responsible for the disappearances.
It’s up to Calista, the only one who can see The Tall Lady, to stop her. If she doesn’t, Calista will not only lose her powers… she’ll lose everyone she has left.

This book is middle grade and just absolutely precious. Calista is such a sweet young lady but also possesses so much strength for her age. She is a protector, she speaks to ghosts, and she is working tirelessly to break the curse and keep those that have passed on (but that she still has the ability to see) in her world. She is a bit awkward due to her gift and doesn’t quite fit in with her peers, but she prevails.

This is a story about death, coming of age, grieving, healing, and the acceptance of what we cannot control. The more I read middle grade, the more I want to read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Children’s Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say other than BRAVO!! This novel had me feeling so many emotions and even made me cry! Spine chilling and emotional, with fantastic fully developed characters to boot. Absolutely amazing!

One of the things I loved the most about this book are the relationships between the characters. I found the way the Wynn family is so united really heartwarming. Those last few chapters were beautifully wholesome and almost brought me to tears —and that's something, because I don't easily cry over a book, I keep a stone face most of the time.
Also, I really liked that the meanings of life and death were handled in such a meaningful and wise way, and I must say it caught me by surprise to find something like that in a middle-grade book.
If you like ghosts and coming-of-age stories, you should definitely check this one out.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What Stays Buried is what middle grade books are all about!
At it's core, it's a story about familial love. Suzanne Young beautifully handles the subject of grief in a way that is easy for a younger audience to digest.

I loved this book as an adult and I could totally see my childhood self loving this book too. In ways, it reminds me of Coraline -- spunky young girl trying to save her family from an evil female figure. I was even picturing in my head Edwina looking a bit like the Other Mother and Mac looking like Coraline's dad. I would LOVE to see What Stays Buried as a movie adaptation

Love Suzanne Young's other books and this MG book is another wonderfully written story! Just enough creepiness for young readers, but still enjoyable for me as an Adult! The cover is also really neat!

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

When I say bawled…..I BAWLED at the end of this in the middle of work and now I need eye drops to make sure nobody can tell I was crying! I adored this book on so many levels and it reminds you how differently people grieve. There was a perfect amount of mystery and suspense but not too scary for my middle graders out there! I can’t wait for what else this author has for us!

This was a scary and fast-paced book, with ghosts, mediums, exorcisms, and a thrilling ending. I loved this book and hope to read more scary books by Suzanne Young. I will recommend this to my patrons who like scary books. I thought some of the characters were less dimensional than the main character, and there wasn't as much backstory as I would have liked.

Ultimately, this will be an enjoyable read for tweens who are looking for something scary. I will recommend this in my library.

This is a good ghost story for middle grade readers. The pacing was a bit uneven, with some parts dragging a bit and others wrapping up too quickly. The writing is good and likely to pull readers in. Due to the topic, it may be a good idea for parents to read first, especially as there is summoning of spirits, etc.

I love the concept and themes of family, grief, and fear of loss that drive the story. Some points were lingered on too long and others seemed to wrap up too quickly making for an uneven pace, which made it hard for some of the emotional bears to resonate. Overall, I’ll recommend this to kids who are looking for a good scare, because the author doesn’t shy away from creating truly frightening scenes.

Speaking to the dead is something that Calista is used to. Her father dying didn’t mean goodbye as she knew his ghost would be waiting for her at home to help continue to guide and support her. Yet she is almost at her 13th birthday. A day she has been dreading. Upon turning 13 Calista will lose all her abilities to see ghosts. Yet something is happening in her town. Kids are missing and visiting her as ghosts in the night. Can Calista figure out what is happening to the ghosts before she loses her gift for good?
This book is perfect for any kid who loves the supernatural and loves to read spooky books. The level of fright in this book is not crazy overwhelming but the perfect amount for any budding reader. I really enjoyed story and how it flowed. The tie to Calista’s family history was beautifully done and I enjoyed watching Calista come to terms with losing her gift and learning that it is okay to fell everything instead of keeping everything inside all the time. This will be such a fun book to recommend and I am looking forward to suggesting it real soon.
Thank you so much to Harper Collin’s Children’s books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

What Stays Buried is a gripping, spooky, adventurous story about a girl named Calista. Children go missing, and it’s up to Calista to find them. Will Calista’s ability to talk to the dead help her?

I enjoyed the characters and the entire story overall. I recommend this story to readers of all ages!

Twelve-year-old Calista Wynn comes from a long line of mediums, though her abilities will suddenly leave her the day she turns thirteen. A curse has prevented the Wynn family members from coming fully into their powers, which is happening for Calista at a most inopportune time. Children are inexplicably disappearing from her town of Meadowmere, and Calista is the only person who can tap into the spirit world to determine their whereabouts. Evil forces from beyond the grave are behind the disappearances, and Calista must use what skills she has to rescue the missing children before time runs out.

This captivating novel features a well-written horror story geared toward mature middle grade readers. Excellent pacing and an intriguing narrative keep readers engaged in the mystery unfolding before them, while the elements of danger and general spookiness appropriately respect the maturity of the book’s intended audience. As many other middle grade stories tend to do, this one has an element of internal growth embedded into the story, but Calista is more than a child who is becoming a teenager. She is her town’s last hope for answers in a situation that is feeling more precarious by the day.

Paranormal elements are infused throughout the plot, incorporating both benevolent and evil characters, and these are interwoven in such a way as to make the book both believable and complex despite its departure from the known world. With each new danger, Calista must lean on her departed grandmother and father for guidance, though it is ultimately up to her to remove danger from her world. The stakes grow higher with each passing chapter, and though the rest of the town initially doubts Calista’s abilities, its residents ultimately must rely on what they do not understand in order to feel safe once more. Creepy and unsettling, this is a novel that is especially well-suited to middle grade readers with an interest in horror and the paranormal.

What Stays Buried is a story about love, family, and grief mixed with a little bit of supernatural. Calista is a twelve- almost thirteen year old who has the ability to speak to the dead. She has her powers until midnight on her 13th birthday. When local children start going missing, Calista suspects an evil ghost called the Tall Lady is taking them. She is faced with hunting down the missing children as the clock runs out on her powers. This story is so good. It's full of love, and family. The supernatural aspects are so perfectly blended in as well. I seriously loved this story!!

This is a very engaging book, right from the first page. A coming of age tale that has just the right amount of suspense and tension.
Would definitely recognize for the young adult reader.