July 7, 2026 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Carter John is often in trouble, even though he doesn't mean to be. His teacher, Mrs. Williamson, doesn't understand that he has gotten taller, and his voice is deeper, so he just seems louder. He is also struggling with the fact that there is no recess in middle school, and he can't burn off his excess energy. His best friend, Gianna, sticks up for him. Her former best friend, Amanda, calls her "babyish" and makes fun of everything from her clothes and school supply choices to her smaller size. When Carter John and Gianna get to work together on a project about a historical figure, they are excited, and head to the public library to do research. They don't like the library as well as their school media center, because it is dark and purported to be haunted. They think about doing a report on Ron McNair, but Carter John gets kicked out for being loud. He runs into more trouble at school, and when he is serving a short detention in Mrs. Williamson's room, there is a fire, caused by a mysterious girl he has seen around. He puts it out, and gets blamed for it, although he knows he didn't do it. Mrs. Williamson warns Gianna's parents that Carter John is a bad influence on Gianna, but Gianna's parents understand the relationship that the two have. The mysterious girl shows up more and more, and her voice echoes with threats against anyone who crosses the two friends. They find out more information about their local library, which was called the Promise Branch library and was segregated in the 1950s. When it was desegregated in 1965, local people weren't happy, and a man set the branch on fire, trapping a young Cora Belle inside and killing her. Cora Belle was an avid reader who was frequently denied service because she was Black, just like Ron McNair. Carter John's grandparents introduce him to Cora Belle's relatives at church, and he finds out more about the history of the library. Fire follows him, and Amanda accuses him of setting a fire in her front yard. When Cora Belle shows up in Carter John's bedroom, she wants him to burn down the library, but he doesn't want to, knowing that having a library is beneficial. He goes to the library at night and has a confrontation with her. Luckily, Gianna comes to help out, and the parents believe the kids. There is a memorial made for Cora Belle, and her ghost is put to rest.
Strengths: I love the combination of horror and history, which Hill always does well. It amazed me how recent the history seemed, with the new branch of the Thompsonville library being built in 1965 and having issues with racism during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. There is information about Ron McNair and the Challenger Disaster as well, and Mrs. Hammond, the school librarian, talks about being a student when that happened. The book also addresses the way that students who may be neurodivergent are sometimes treated by teachers who don't fully understand the way they operate, and Carter John's experience with being reprimanded may resonate with middle school students. Gianna's struggles with Amanda will as well, since friendships often undergo changes in this age group.
Weaknesses: This wasn't very scary. Cora Belle wasn't as threatening as the ghosts in books by Dan Poblocki or Mary Downing Hahn, and the fires focused attention on Carter John's behavior more than the history. It didn't quite make sense for Cora Belle to want to burn down the library, since she was a big reader. There were several things that didn't come together as much as I would have liked.
What I really think: It would have been interesting to have a historical note about historical instances of segregated libraries. This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Hill's The Forgotten Girl or The Girl In the Lake, or other historically connected spooky stories like Ireland's Ophie's Ghost, Cummings' Trace or Davis' The Lonely Below.
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