Series: n/a
Author: Wendy Parris
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Middle Grade; Horror
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Press; August 1, 2023
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Synopsis from Goodreads...
A new pulse-pounding supernatural mystery about twelve-year-old Rebecca, who has always wanted to hunt ghosts . . . until she meets one.
Paranormal enthusiast Rebecca Graff isn't happy about being dragged to Iowa to spend the summer with family she barely knows. But when she tracks a ghostly presence to an abandoned farmhouse, she starts to think the summer won't be a total lost cause! The trouble is no one believes her. Then Rebecca finds a note stashed in a comic belonging to her late father--a note that proves the same spirit haunted him when he was twelve. Suddenly she feels a connection to the dad she pretends not to miss, and she is determined to uncover the story behind the haunting. But the more Rebecca discovers, the scarier the ghost becomes. Soon she is in a race to piece together the puzzle and recover a family legacy before it is lost forever and a horrible tragedy repeats itself.
It’s been a minute since I picked up a middle grade horror novel, but when I saw that Field of Screams was about a paranormal enthusiast and abandoned farmhouses—and the cornstalks on the cover reminded me of Small Spaces—I was instantly interested. Field of Screams is, of course, a very different story from Small Spaces. But what the two books had in common was a good balance between the themes—family, loss, grief—and a spooky atmosphere/happenings tied to a local mystery that found its roots far closer to home than the characters ever expected.
The story follows Rebecca, as she and her mom head to Iowa for the summer. It was the perfect setup, because it quickly removed the characters from familiar places and into the virtual unknown. The setting wasn’t inaccessible per say, it was rural and had a lot of large farms, but it was utilized well. Particularly in regards to the way that the environmental challenges heightened the sense of isolation, tension, and general creepiness.
And, from what I got from Rebecca’s perspective, most of the aforementioned was less than ideal, which was understandable (sometimes the phrase “be careful for what you wish for,” is actually sound advice). But, I liked how the story dealt with her character under circumstances that were best described as stressful and terrifying. Her hope for finding the uncanny; the frustration over missing summer with her best friend; the discontent over being stuck with family members who were almost strangers; and feeling alone and unheard. It was good stuff.
Field of Screams was spooky, but the story was also endearing (thanks to the characters) with an ending that was heartwarming. So, if you’ve liked books like Small Spaces by Katherine Arden and the Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown, then Field of Screams should be on your radar.
Wendy Parris grew up in the Midwest loving books and hoping to glimpse a ghost. After graduating from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in radio/television/film, she acted in Chicago storefront theaters, performed improv comedy, and freelanced in public relations. Now she writes spooky novels for kids. A member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Wendy has been published in the Illinois chapter’s Prairie Wind quarterly. She lives with her family near Chicago in an old house that is probably not haunted. FIELD OF SCREAMS is her debut novel.
