The Clackity

Ever since her parents were declared legally dead, Evelyn von Rathe, a copper-haired 12-year-old who experiences anxiety and panic attacks, has lived with her aunt Desdemona in Blight Harbor, “the seventh most haunted town in America (per capita).” No stranger to the uncanny, Evie occasionally helps her aunt, an advice columnist on matters supernatural, when she takes on cases of “otherworldly concerns” around town. But when Desdemona is captured by frightening creature The Clackity, it offers Evie a bargain: she must venture into a nightmare realm to find her aunt, surviving a series of seven eldritch houses, and lure in the ghost of Jeffrey John Pope, a notorious serial killer who used an abattoir for his crimes. With only the magical tattoo of a sparrow for companionship and protection, Evie undergoes a terrifying journey, testing mind, body, and spirit. Adeptly invoking folkloric elements while creating something darkly original, Senf intimately renders Evie’s trials as both internal and external in an atmospheric adventure that will appeal to readers of Neil Gaiman and middle grade horror. Occasional b&w art by Cáceres adds to the book’s eerie feel; human characters cue as white. Ages 10–12. Author’s agent: Ali Herring, Spencerhill Assoc. (June)