Gr 5–8—Calista can speak to ghosts, but a family curse means she loses the ability on her 13th birthday. When a
vengeful spirit begins abducting children, Calista must defeat it to save her sister and break the curse. An eerie and
emotional story with vivid scares and heartfelt depictions of grief.

What Stays Buried was a fun, emotional paranormal book that I would have definitely loved as a kid. Calista Wynn, soon to turn thirteen, will lose her ability to speak with ghosts, something that will have a huge impact on her for reasons that are explained in the book and for which I don't want to give away. It added an emotional impact for which I wasn't prepared, as I was expecting simply a ghost story, a paranormal adventure, but this little emotional side story added a lot of depth to the story that I loved.

Calista was a fun character to get to know and I loved her spunk and her protective nature as her little sister started to gain her own powers. With a curse on the family stretching back decades, Calista knew she was going to lose her powers when she turned thirteen, something that was terrifying, especially as a new case lands in her lap just weeks before her birthday. I love how Calista is unsure of herself, but enters each situation at full speed, knowing she has to protect her family and her friends, no matter what. When children begin disappearing, and she starts seeing those children as ghosts, she fears the worst. Knowing she can't work alone, she teams up with an unexpected ally, and I loved how the friendship develops throughout the story. The characters were fun, with a depth to them I wasn't expecting and I enjoyed getting to know them all.

The plot was interesting and flowed very well. I thought it was intricate considering this is a juvenile fiction novel, and it was definitely on the scarier side. My favourite genre is horror, so I am a bit biased when it comes to that genre as I never think it is scary enough, but I do think the young reader will find it scary, with ghosts appearing, demon possession, children being kidnapped, a curse, and murderous ghosts. Some of the settings were downright creepy, including the marsh. Some people do get injured, but because it's not the humans doing the injuring, I do think young readers will be more understanding of the events and why things are happening. The story flowed very well, and it was never boring; in fact, I read the book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.

Verdict
What Stays Buried was a lot scarier than I thought it would be, but that was what I loved about this book. However, I wasn't a fan of the ending as I am one for emotional endings even if I did enjoy the emotional way the whole ghosts thing resolved itself. I thought that was enough, but it continued right to the end, something I thought was out of step for the rest of the book which was actually spookier than I thought it would be, to my pleasant surprise. I know some reviewers took issue with the unsupervised summoning of dead spirits, something to do with occult practices, but I don't care about any of that. Gosh, how many people tried to summer Bloody Mary in the mirror when they were ten-years-old and had to hide under their blankets for a week? That is the fun of reading this stuff, so enjoy!! ( )

Full Review: https://readingbeyondthebookcover.com/what-stays-buried-by-suzanne-young/

Rating: 3.5/5

In What Stays Buried, readers are taken on an emotional journey. There’s this perpetual knowledge that the Wynn family is cursed, which is why Calista’s abilities will be gone after her thirteenth birthday. The understanding behind why this happens is revealed as the story develops, providing more backstory to the origin of the curse. This is where most of my interest lies in this book.

Aside from the pacing, the story is well-written plot-wise and has surprising moments of creepiness. *Cough* *cough* the Tall Lady and her minions. I never want to come across a spirit like her.

This book would be a great selection for a children’s reading group or book club, perfect for reading aloud by the campfire or in your reading nook by flashlight. If you aren’t ready to read it now, put it on your reading list for books to read during the Spooky Season. ( )