
Reach for this book when your middle-schooler is looking for a thrill that tests the strength of their friendships and their ability to face fear head-on. As the second installment in the Small Spaces quartet, it follows friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian to a secluded, snow-bound ski resort where the atmosphere turns from cozy to claustrophobic. It is a masterclass in atmospheric tension, exploring how isolation and internal doubts can be just as scary as the ghosts in the hallways. While the book leans into genuine horror elements, it remains firmly grounded in the loyalty of its protagonists. It is an ideal pick for children aged 9 to 13 who enjoy the adrenaline of a ghost story but benefit from seeing characters use logic and teamwork to overcome their terror. Parents will appreciate the way the story validates children's intuition and emphasizes that bravery isn't the absence of fear, but the willingness to act despite it.
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Sign in to write a reviewCharacters are trapped in a blizzard and face life-threatening supernatural threats.
Ongoing themes of grief regarding the loss of a parent.
The villain uses the characters' own doubts and secrets against them.
The book deals with the history of an orphanage where children were mistreated, which is handled with a secular, historical lens. Themes of grief (Ollie’s mother’s death) are foundational and handled with deep empathy and realism. The resolution is hopeful but acknowledges that trauma leaves scars.
A 10-to-12-year-old who feels like an outsider or has experienced loss and finds comfort in stories where the 'misfits' are the ones with the power to save the day.
Read the 'ghostly voices' scenes (roughly midway) to gauge your child's threshold for suspense. It is atmospheric and may cause bad dreams for highly sensitive readers. A parent might notice their child becoming more anxious about the dark or asking 'what if' questions about things they see in the shadows. This is the book to help them process that imaginative fear.
Younger readers will focus on the 'monster' and the 'scary ghosts.' Older readers will pick up on the nuanced dynamics of the trio's friendship and Ollie's evolving relationship with her father and her grief.
Unlike many MG horror novels that rely on campy tropes, Dead Voices utilizes high-quality literary prose and genuine atmospheric dread, making it feel like a 'grown-up' horror novel tailored for a younger perspective.
Following the events of Small Spaces, Ollie, Brian, and Coco travel with their fathers to the Mount Hemlock Resort for a winter getaway. A massive blizzard traps them inside a creepy, old orphanage-turned-hotel. As the power flickers and the heating fails, the children begin to hear voices and see apparitions. They soon discover that the 'smiling man' is back, using a vengeful ghost from the building's dark past to hunt them. The trio must solve the mystery of the resort's history to survive the night.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.