A review by laurenabayne
The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes

4.0

I think that middle grade writers of horror are some of the most impressive writers. It is incredibly difficult to write genuine scares for children - adult horror stories can lean into the worst of humanity, but that's not necessarily appropriate for middle grade readers. Cervantes does a wonderful job of making a compelling hero (who has his fair share of trauma, but it's realistic for kids) and a worthy villain, filled with classic horror tropes and scares with some Latinx twists (the jaguar is probably my favorite part). It helps to have a creepy song.

I think kids who like being scared will find this one to be actually scary; it won't feel cheap to them. Kids who hate being scared shouldn't read this one; this has some solid nightmare fuel. I'm glad that this is a nominee for the Mark Twain award in Missouri, it adds some great balance to the list!