X Marks the Haunt by Lindsay Currie

X Marks the Haunt

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms, when a centuries old crypt key is lost—unleashing a dark force—it’s up to the son of the local crypt keeper to end the haunting for good.
Find the key. Put it back. Get rid of the ghost. It’s supposed to be simple…it’s not.

Thanks to his mother’s job at a local graveyard, twelve-year-old Will Stone has some unique talents. For one, he knows exactly how a burial vault works and why they’re used. For another, he’s great at genealogy and can decode centuries old records. Not your normal every day after school activities, that’s for sure!

But when a centuries old crypt key is lost, his normally peaceful existence at Graceland cemetery is shattered. Trees wither and die. The lake becomes covered with a sinister green slime that threatens to choke out anything living in it. And suddenly, the graveyard’s reputation isn’t the only thing in jeopardy . . . Will and his friends' safety is, too.

Suddenly, Will is forced to consider that the lost key might be an even bigger problem than he originally thought. A dark force has been unleashed within the cemetery gates, and along with his friends Stash, Michelle, and Henry, Will must use his unique skill set to figure out which restless spirit is draining the graveyard of life, and how to end the haunting for good.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Mild horror with a creepy atmosphere, perfect for scaredy cats
• A brand-new look on graveyards, as places of peace and beauty
• Genealogy! In middle grade! Who knew?!
• Squad vibes with the most adorable little kiddos.
• Wholesome parent relationships that let kids be themselves, even when making mistakes.
• A paranormal mystery based on real events and real settings.

Overall

Lindsay Currie is the queen of clean but creepy middle grade horror. Every time I see she has a new book coming out, I jump on it, and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I love the way she layers fiction over real-world places and history, but X Marks the Haunt had something unique that immediately grabbed my attention: genealogy! My librarian heart was so excited at the idea of genealogy being represented in middle grade fiction like this that I couldn’t wait to pick this one up!

X Marks the Haunt is a creepy, atmospheric middle grade horror built around the beauty of a graveyard, with the stark reminder of what happens when loved ones are forgotten.

Currie absolutely didn’t disappoint, weaving a spooky atmosphere that had impressively very little to do with the fact that the book is set in a graveyard. The little squad of newly minted friends is so adorable that I just want to squish them. I also was not disappointed with the real-world setting of this, and certainly not with the heartfelt reminder (albeit fictional) of the poor treatment of the dead in the past. This was a fun, chilling read that I will gladly recommend to both kids and kids-at-heart who are looking for something creepy but not outright scary!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

My Thoughts

Right off the bat, the librarian heart that beats in me is ecstatic over the general setting Currie creates, where graveyards are cozy, beautiful places filled with history and wonder.

In fact, I could probably count on one hand how many times I’ve seen genealogy itself mentioned in middle grade books. It would be an incredibly short list. As someone who is constantly battling to get the youth involved and interested in history, it can sometimes be a challenge.

Welcome to Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum, where X Marks the Haunt takes place. While a lot of people associate graveyards with death and spookiness, Currie presents a much softer side: a place of reverie, peace, and beauty, where the dead are at peace. Or they’re supposed to be, at least. And they were, before strange things started happening and the trees started dying from some mysterious rot.

As someone who has always loved cemeteries and preserving them, I am not only in love with the representation and behind-the-scenes look into maintaining a graveyard, I also found the interesting little lore and tidbits from Graceland to be fascinating. Plus, it’s a grave (pun totally intended) reminder of how conditions were in the past—where the fear of being entombed alive was all too real! Early on in the book, through a school scavenger hunt, Currie weaves a lot of these interesting facts about tombstones and monuments into the narrative, reminding readers how fascinating the past can be.

I have already dubbed Currie queen of the middle grade horror, and even while she praises Graceland for its peace and beauty, she constructs a creepy, atmospheric horror that is mild enough for scaredy cats while still delivering on the haunts.

My absolutely favorite thing about Currie’s horror is the way she humanizes the dead . . . which were, in fact, humans (though sometimes people forget that). Being set in a graveyard itself, Currie takes extra care to remind the reader over and over again that the people interred there had lives very similar to ours, with hopes and dreams and people they loved. And, just sometimes, unfinished business that causes them to haunt people who mess with their graveyard (as they should).

While I wouldn’t say this book is outright scary, it provides just the right creepiness! It also gives the reader some poignant insight into less-than-moral moments in our history that nevertheless had major impacts on society and the way that impacted the dead, such as during outbreaks, when the death tolls are hard to keep up with.

I absolutely love the relationship between Will and his mother. It’s supportive and warm, while still giving him room to make his own mistakes.

Because, let’s face it, children absolutely will make their own unique, spectacular mistakes. No matter how many times you warn them. (Sometimes simply because you warned them.) I absolutely want to see more of this in middle grade! Less orphans, and more supportive parents doing their best to produce healthy kids that are allowed to stumble their own way through life. Because Will is absolutely a good kid, but that doesn’t make him a perfect one. Still, his mother does her best to support him and encourage him when needed, but also give him enough room to be his own person.

It’s not just Will’s mother, either. The adults in this book are so freaking wholesome and supportive, and I absolutely love to see it. Even when Will makes a potentially grievous mistake that he instantly regrets, they give him space to fix it himself and learn from it.

Speaking of relationships I love . . . this quartet of children is utterly wholesome and adorable!

Will has always been best friends with Stash, who is actually his only friend. Until he’s partnered with Henry and Michelle on a class trip to Graceland, and he realizes that maybe his initial snap judgments of them were incorrect. They’re actually kind of—dare he say—cool. But Will isn’t quite sure what it means to make new friends, or even how to extend his sphere of trust that far. Or why Michelle sometimes gives him butterflies when she looks at him. Okay, so there are still some things he’s figuring out. He’s at the right age for it.

It was fun to go on an adventure with this little squad. They compliment each other very well, even as they make mistakes and learn what it means to atone for things and forgive each other. It’s such a wholesome group, with an all-around wholesome message!

Sticking Points

This is obviously a very me thing, but I really neither wanted nor needed the awkward romance subplot.

I am really of two minds when it comes to this. Obviously, the book is written for middle graders, some of whom I assume will be going through their own early crushes and trying to understand what it means. In that aspect, Currie does a great job of a very clean, wholesome romance that is just butterflies and wanting to be around each other—all very wholesome and age appropriate.

But y’all . . . I was here for the ghosties. Even middle grade me would’ve been furious that my wonderfully creepy story was being interrupted by the protagonist mooning over his new female friend, even though I was already at the age where I was having my own crushes. (Because, obviously, my priorities have always been solid.) Adult me certainly didn’t feel the need to shoehorn budding romance into my horror story. Again, this is obviously a me thing, and your mileage may vary!

About Lindsay Currie

Lindsay Currie loves a great mystery, and is the author of a number of award-winning mystery books for young readers. Her titles include THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET (2017, S&S) and SCRITCH SCRATCH (2020, Sourcebooks Young Readers), WHAT LIVES IN THE WOODS (2021, Sourcebooks Young Readers) and the forthcoming THE GIRL IN WHITE (2022, Sourcebooks Young Readers).

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