Taking place in 1987 is six middle school boys that are paperboys. Their manager Kevin cons the boys into selling subscriptions in a weird neighborhood. They are split into groups of two going from house to house trying their best to sell but each house is weirder than the last.

Even the manager Kevin has an encounter.

This gives you a Stranger Things vibe. It’s not scary but just fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher Harper Perennial.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic copy of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
“Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighbourhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin” by Dan Kois has a “Stand by Me” vibe, where stories within a story intersect to create a haunting, coming-of-age tale that would make Stephen King proud.
It is a cold winter’s evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1987. Six middle school boys have gathered together with one aim in mind- to go door-to-door and sell newspaper subscriptions. The pair that sells the most will be rewarded with a meal from Burger King, which is what brings Sigmone, Mark, Joel, Ryan, Nishu and Al to the “most haunted neighbourhood” in Milwaukee. As the boys pair off, they all begin to have paranormal experiences that will have them forgetting all about their newspaper and just trying to survive the night.
“Hampton” starts off with all of the boys, and their manager, a young adult named Kevin, meeting at Kevin’s van, where they discuss their sales plans and pair off, each group heading to a specific part of the neighbourhood. After this, each pair gets their own (rather lengthy) chapter, where their experiences in their section of the community are as varied as they are terrifying. Kois’ writing talent is evident in the multiple interconnected stories, which are not only spooky and haunting, but also manage to flow together with a connected plot and ending. This is most definitely not an easy feat to do and Kois does it with style.
All six of the boys, three groups of two, are very different, not only in their economic backgrounds but also their schools and friendships groups. They are innocent and awkward but likable and their pairings are perfectly matched to their personalities. Readers learn who the boys are as they form friendships with each other, rallying around a common goal. There is a coming-of-age aspect to “Hampton” that was completely endearing.
“Hampton” has werewolves, witches, trolls and a wide selection of other creepy, paranormal ghouls and ghosts. Each chapter deals with one of these, and as much as I enjoy the paranormal, I was unable to pick a favourite. “Hampton” will remind readers of Paul Tremblay or Grady Hendrix, as well as the aforementioned King, with the writing style showing similarities to Stranger Things or The Twilight Zone. That being said though, Kois stands out as an individual and deserves all the accolades. “Haunting” is an unpredictable and delightful read that I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did.

Ended up not being my thing, unfortunately. Great premise and fantastic cover, but fell flat once they got to the neighborhood.

Weird, fun, and crazy in all the right ways. This read a little more Middle Grade horror to me, which is actually fine because I do love some MG! I think this could make for quite a fun adaptation to screen, too.

Creepy. Atmospheric. Characterization. This author knows what he’s doing and I will be keeping an eye out for his work in the future.

Never been a paperboy, never been to Milwaukee, wasn't alive in 1987 -- and yet! The feeling of nostalgia was fun, as were the adventures. A little dark, not scary. Had a nice time with this one.

Hampton Heights was such a great read. I loved the character development and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author.

Told over the course of one hair-raising and incredibly scary night in 1987, six paperboys must confront a slew of monsters as well as their own personal demons in a haunted Midwestern neighborhood. This tender horror-comedy is full of camaraderie, bravery, vulnerability, and how we all confront the terrifying situation that is growing up. Dan Kois' character's read as authentically likeable and the well-crafted dialogue combined with the atmospheric style of the story really ground it. Unlike anything I've read in quite a long time! Dare I say this book was unputdownable?!

A truly creepy and atmospheric period piece. I’ve spent a lot of time in Milwaukee, and reading this book transported me right back to the neighborhoods in winter with the corner bars. I loved that the ensemble of characters had their own distinct voices — rather than blending together through similar writing style and prose, Kois’ characters each felt individual and unique.

Kois latest is a coming of age story that reminded me of Steven King’s The Body in many ways. I enjoyed the adventures each pair went on and how they were designed as lessons, if you were paying attention.

I’m not really what I was expecting going into this read but it was a pleasant surprise despite being very different to what reads I normally go for.
I would necessarily call this a horror but more of a strange, quirky, interesting and very unique read.
Well written & easy to absorb with great characters, it reminded me a lot of Stranger Things mixed with The Goonies, both of which I love.

I had high(ish) expectations for this book, but to tell the truth, it mostly just bored me. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, as this type of cis boy-centric nostalgia-fest was something I appreciated in my own youth but have long fallen out of love with.

This was a fun little read. It felt very nostalgic and had the right vibes. Was not scary though, more weird than anything. Still a fun little book of you're looking for this vibe

This book was fantastic. Now I want Burger King hahaha!
I really liked how each group of kids had their own chapter and the spooky stories had some how intertwined with events from their life.
Hoping for a sequel. Maybe?

I think I’m going to need some time to process this one. Six Pre-teen boys head out on a mission to make some
Money and score some Burger King by selling newspaper subscriptions in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. They pair off and experience run ins with several horrific creatures. There are interesting nuances in their experiences that tie into race, social class and sexuality. I could totally see this as a fun indie horror film.
I was hooked the whole way through and it really has me thinking. The setting matched the vibe of the book perfectly.

Well, this was a weird little book in the best possible way! As a Milwaukeean, I was exceptionally excited to read about a book set in my hometown, and this was just the ticket for spooky season. The setup made it truly feel like I was reading fairytales or fables, and kept me turning the pages even if there were some chapters i was less into than others. If you’re looking for a unique spooky season read, this is it! I was thrilled to include this novel in my yearly Instagram Spooky Guide @maryreadsandmakes.

Dan Kois' "Hampton Heights" is a delightfully weird fable of a night in a Milwaukee neighborhood that goes awry in ways you could never imagine. The storytelling style makes this short novel feel like a fairy tale, and each of the sections is quite fun and surprisingly deep. Any book about Milwaukee that has this much specificity gets some easy bonus points from me, and I had a great time reading it.

I like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

... Well. It's an interesting book, but what does it all mean? I like horror movies, and I love movies that have stories that have a wrap around beginning and ending. Think of the 2009 film Trick or Treat. Cult an pop-culture classic now (shown by merch in Halloween stores). The stories were simple, great, and wrapped together so well.

This? The stories are half-baked s0-and-so moments that just don't really hit to pay off the beginning and end of the book. Sure. Takes place in a town with a weird street that these boys have to push their newspaper subscription to. But, the pay-off is boring and feels lost in translation half the time. When the werewolf character showed up, it stopped feeling like a horror story and something like 'the joys of youth are lost to old age' stuff.

Blame it on me expecting something like Trick or Treat with a Goonies-esque vibe. This wasn't it.

This book was a delightful surprise. Even though pieces of it were hokey, overall it came together in a nice set of vignettes that came together like a mashup of Stranger Things and Paper Girls. Would've even enjoyed it being longer, which I don't often say.

This started out great and then fell flat for me. It’s labeled as horror but it’s not scary, just strange. I loved the late 80s setting and vibe, with kids on the paper route encountering something spooky, but it never went beyond that. There was so much potential for a truly horrific experience but, aside from a few fart jokes, there wasn’t enough there to really carry the story.