Scan barcode
A review by findingmontauk1
Don't Call at All by Robbie Myles
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
DON'T CALL AT ALL is the debut middle grade horror book from up and coming Robbie Myles! The story follows young Jessie who feels like he is the only kid in his school w/o a cell phone. He feels outcast & always out of the loop on the latest jokes, trends, memes, group chats, & more. Out of nowhere one day a strange man approaches Jessie & offers him a phone... and Jessie thinks it's too good to be true but he also feels like all of his problems have just been solved! He accepts the phone (which is already set up & catered towards his preferences/contacts) but then starts getting DMs, likes, & more from someone called Ghost. His phone starts to get him in trouble & the thing he thought would make him feel more included ends up alienating him more as weird, spooky things start happening that push his friends even further away. His body starts changing...
I love the "modernization" of MG horror that's going on here. Reading Goosebumps as a kid, one of the things that made them even better was their relevance to what was going on & connection to me & my life. And I think fitting in at that age in school was always a big pressure when I grew up & fear of being on the outside was real then. Wanting to own something that everyone else has at such a young age is an issue that is likely not going to go away. Fitting in & being cool is on the forefront of the minds of many kids. In this case: a cell phone. But as we have all experienced in our lives, getting what you want is not always the answer to your problems. Sometimes more problems begin to arise. I think Myles did a great job at throwing in some life lessons to this book in the midst of the spooky adventure that we get to experience.
DON'T CALL AT ALL reads quickly, has a pretty good build up of some characters for a shorter MG story, and gets to the point. OH! We have friendships/frenemies and a cute doggo, too!
Looking forward to more from the author!
I love the "modernization" of MG horror that's going on here. Reading Goosebumps as a kid, one of the things that made them even better was their relevance to what was going on & connection to me & my life. And I think fitting in at that age in school was always a big pressure when I grew up & fear of being on the outside was real then. Wanting to own something that everyone else has at such a young age is an issue that is likely not going to go away. Fitting in & being cool is on the forefront of the minds of many kids. In this case: a cell phone. But as we have all experienced in our lives, getting what you want is not always the answer to your problems. Sometimes more problems begin to arise. I think Myles did a great job at throwing in some life lessons to this book in the midst of the spooky adventure that we get to experience.
DON'T CALL AT ALL reads quickly, has a pretty good build up of some characters for a shorter MG story, and gets to the point. OH! We have friendships/frenemies and a cute doggo, too!
Looking forward to more from the author!