This book was fine but nothing ground-breaking. I enjoyed it well enough, but I probably won’t go out of my way to recommend it.

Read 7/31/24

This was fun. I love the graphic presentation in the form of a journal. This would be great for kids who prefer graphic novels or even who are weary of reading.

This is a terrifying YA story, similar to many creepy short films that you see on Netflix or other major platforms. It is well executed and highly terrifying, in the best way.

I'm not sure how well the journal style works for a horror type novel. It doesn't capture atmosphere especially well. And with the art style I was expecting a little more humor. It's quick and easy to understand but not much else.

Told in the style of Jeff Kinney's popular Wimpy Kid diaries, this fun book features creepy spirits and dental heroics. The moral is . . . if your school has an attic - stay out of it!

This book was a spooky delight! With a very creepy and uncertain atmosphere, The writing style is whimsical and pairs nicely with the illustrations. The story has good pacing, and the twist at the end? So effective! I didn't see it coming. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a spooky read that's a lot of fun, and feel like the middle grade audience will absolutely obsess over it.

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai is an engaging and whimsical graphic novel that celebrates the joy of reading and the adventures books can inspire. Through charming illustrations and clever storytelling, Lai explores the journey of a young reader who encounters various characters and plots, showcasing the magic and wonder of literature. The book cleverly addresses themes of imagination and creativity, making it an enjoyable read for both children and adults. It’s a delightful reminder of the transformative power of stories and the thrill of diving into new worlds.

Not a graphic novel as I had hoped, but rather an illustrated journal. Very creepy and a bit too gory for me (but I am not a fan of horror books). I don't think this is a good fit for most elementary age kids.

Hannah and her friends were just having fun up in the school’s attic when they tried to communicate with spirits. Little did they know that something would be there and crawl its way into the pages of Hannah’s journal. What started out as a game has turned into something dire that Hannah tries to fix.

I originally asked for an ARC of this because I loved the idea of a haunted journal and what that would look like. Remy Lai didn’t disappoint in captivating my attention on the first page and keeping it throughout. The artwork is very Coraline-y, so I feel like a lot of readers will enjoy it from that alone.

The story itself is simple but still holds lessons to be learned.

This would fit right alongside those readers who enjoyed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as well as Goosebumps. This will no doubt lure our horror seeking youths but I think adults will also get a kick out of this as well.

*Thank you Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Hannah has a journal where she records her terrifying encounter with a vengeful spirit that she invoked by playing a silly game with three of her friends. Hannah tells a harrowing story of a seemingly inescapable curse taking over her life. Can she find a way to break the curse before it’s too late?

The reader is along for the journey as Hannah details the events of the curse and the scary happenings as it unfolds with malevolent consequences. This book is formatted like a ruled notebook with sketchy illustrations and handwritten entries detailing Hannah’s daily events, conveying an escalating sense of dread to readers. Younger readers will enjoy the creepy-crawly, completely relatable type of horror with some humor thrown in. Remy Lai makes some interesting choices that keeps this story from being predictable, and it only adds to the fun. Though short, the pacing is good, leading to an ending that is surprising, but satisfying. Hannah is spunky and likable without being unrealistically perfect as she tries to figure out how to save herself without putting loved ones and those around her at risk. Looking for a short and gratifying middle grade horror book that makes great use of its unique format? Check out Read at Your Own Risk.

I loved the creepy art style and the journal format. This is definitely great read for a horror loving kid. I just found the ending twist fell a bit flat, but I enjoyed it overall.

Happy Spooky Season 🎃👻
The other day I saw comment about how adult horror readers exist because they got engaged at a young age. I've always been a coward, yet I loved R.L. Stein and Adventures of the Bailey School Kids. Now my niece and nephew are reading middle grade books and I'm excited to pass some creepy tales to them too.

I've been diving into some of these myself after receiving recommendations and recently finished READ AT YOUR OWN RISK by Remy Lai. It was engaging and creepy, but also empowering for kids. The story centers on a girl who is cursed after a Ouiji game in the schools haunted attic. The book is her notebook where she journals her curse. The illustrations are fantastic, unsettling a chaotic, elevating everything.

If you're looking for a horror book to introduce a young reader to the genre, or want to relax with a quick read on a busy day, I recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really fun spooky story! The illustrations are fun and it has a fun writing style. I would recommend this to young horror fans! Thank you to Remy Lai, MacMillian Children's Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really unique and fun experience reading this. I like how it is told from the perspective of a journal. It kinda had some Pallbearer's Club (Paul Tremblay) vibes, too, particularly where it pertains to red ink on the pages. IYKYK. I loved the body horror elements in this with the blood and bugs and all the icky. It's a great middle grade intro to figuring out if body horror will end up being an interest or something that is a complete turn off. Just a pretty fun story with a good message in the end.

Seventh grader Hannah Lee and her friends skip an assembly to go to the school’s supposedly haunted attic, where they attempt to contact the spirits. Soon after, Hannah realizes she’s unwittingly released an evil curse. Now she must contend with bad luck such as accidentally being skewered by a scalpel during science class. Hannah suspects that Leon Star might know what’s happening and seeks help; unfortunately, he tells her she doesn’t have much time before she’ll succumb to the curse. Hannah writes her troubles in a mix of doodle scrawls and diary entries. Even the pages of her notebook aren’t safe from the malevolent spirit, who often interrupts her musings and responds in red ink. Readers will find much to enjoy in this fast-paced but extremely macabre tale. Body horror abounds. The diary’s pages become spattered with blood as Hannah’s teeth fall out. When she sees her dentist, he tells her that her gums are overrun with silverfish. She is upset and can’t stand to think the silver fish are causing her to lose teeth. Will she be able to get the evil spirit to stop doing it? She tries very hard to break the curse but will she?

The author has made narrative and visuals work together. In the cartoonish illustrations. It made me enjoy the story very much. I liked Hannah as she is a great character showing the reader she was not going to give up on breaking the curse.

This is just perfect for spooky season. Read At Your Own Risk had elements of Scary Stories in The Dark. When Hannah and her friends decided to play a dangerous game of trying to contact ghosts, everyone goes sour. After everything is done, for some reason Hannah is the only one being haunted by an entity. The ghost communicates with her through her notebook. Now she will have to break the curse before it takes a darker turn.

The illusions were so eerie and unique, it reminded me of Coraline in a way. Thanks to her journal we get to know the ghost and how it disturbs Hannah. It is perfect for kids who are starting to read spooky books.

This was a fun diversion from adult reads and is something I can see my daughter devouring in the coming years. Horror meets graphic novel - reminded me a bit of Tom Riddle and the diary he left behind but spookier. Definitely will be remembering this in the future!

3.5 ⭐️
This story was CREEPY! I loved the body horror and how this diary literally sucked the reader in, but I would have loved more story to support the creepiness. I feel like learning more about the curse, the kids who were previously haunted, or the origin of this spirit and the game that brought them out would have added so much more and made the things happening to Hannah even more impactful. This is surface-level creepy and a great introduction to horror for middle and high school readers.

Read at Your Own Risk is a fun (If you can say scary is fun), quick horror read for kids who enjoy spooky, gross-out scary stories and fun comic art. Reminiscent of a “Dairy of a Wimpy Kid” layout, which made it both easy and fun to read. There were hidden messages (like be nice to friends, and listen to adults, etc).

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the advanced copy!

As a fan of Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, I would have devoured this book in my youth! Just enough creepiness to be a bit disturbing without crossing the line of being too intense for middle grade horror readers. In fact, I think it could have gone a bit further when I compare it to the horror I was reading as a middle grader.

The illustrations and aesthetic vibe of this book give Diary of a Wimpy Kid gone dark. I personally feel the story landed more amongst upper elementary due to the number of illustrations versus written word. In this way, I could see it appealing to middle graders who prefer graphic novels to prose. As an adult reader I was craving more story, but my middle grade daughter enjoyed it while feeling like it was just enough. She enjoyed being able to finish the book in just over an hour but didn’t feel like it challenged her much.

My biggest rave about this book is how it comes with a fun call-to-action at the end, encourage readers to write their own story/stories. I felt it was a fun way to get the imagination fired up. Some reviewers stated that they wished the author would have expanded on the original ghost’s story, but both my daughter and I enjoyed the element of the unknown. In fact, with the call-to-action at the end, I feel the unknown within this book sets up a great avenue for readers to come up with their own fictional tale(s).

I would recommend this book to young readers who enjoy paranormal and low-grade body horror, and who may find themselves struggling with books that are heavy on the prose.