A review by amdame1
Gloom Town by Ronald L. Smith

3.0

Twelve-year-old Rory and his mom live in Gloom Town. Despite working all the time, she can barely pay the rent, so when Rory sees an ad for a valet at Foxglove Manor, he decides to apply for the position, even though he doesn't know what a valet is. Things at Foxglove Manor are super creepy and Rory discovers that his new boss is hiding some mysterious secret. When Rory tries to figure out exactly what's going on, things go terribly wrong. Luckily he has best friend Isabella by his side.
I liked that the relationship between Rory and Isabella stays solidly in friendship land. Other than that it is a solid fantasy/magical realism. It never truly drew me in but I can see where it would have appeal for students.