Field of Screams is a delightfully spooky middle-grade story

Summer usually doesn’t translate to spooky times yet Field of Screams by Wendy Parris is a great spooky summer release.

Whether you’re the target audience or not, there is something so unique about reading a middle-grade story. While some authors try to dumb things down, a lot of them decide to tell them how it is.

That’s exactly how I felt about Field of Screams. This is a book with a creepy title and cover which doesn’t always translate when it comes to these stories. However, there is something just utterly unsettling about this cover.

Before getting into my thoughts, I’d like to thank the publisher for sending me a digital ARC to read.

Field of Screams by Wendy Parris is a spooky yet fun middle-grade story.

Field of Screams follows Rebecca who is 12 years old and has to spend the summer with her extended family in Iowa. With her being used to Chicago, the small-town farm is a big change for her and it fuels her obsession with ghosts even more.

With Rebecca’s aunt expecting, her uncle working and her mom writing, she’s able to come and go as she pleases. Thankfully, she has her cousin Justin to keep her entertained yet she can’t help but feel unsettled by the house. Of course, her first instinct is to assume that it’s a ghost and everything is starting to add up.

There is a ghostly cat, lots of creaks and unexpected noises in the house, and even, an abandoned house nearby. This is all going on while Rebecca is dealing with her mom potentially finding new love as a widow with Mike. Mike has a daughter, Kelsie, and the two are like oil and water so Rebecca is destined to make the best of her summer by proving ghosts are real.

Oddly enough, the thing that made this book most unsettling was the setting. There was something about it being on a farm and lots of open space that you could picture everything Rebecca was seeing. Every time the setting was mentioned or described, it always added to the creep factor for me.

Aside from the ghostly adventures with Rebecca, she also makes a new friend, Nick, and even ends up learning more about her father from her uncle who is her dad’s brother. With all that being said, I feel like Field of Screams hits that perfect balance of being creepy and unsettling while also being full of heart especially when it comes to familial relationships.

I don’t really have much to complain about when it comes to Field of Screams. I think if you’re either a teacher or are the intended audience, you’ll enjoy it. All in all, I thought it was a lot of fun and I mean the main character and I have the same name. There’s no way I wasn’t going to root for her.

Field of Screams by Wendy Parris is out now where your favorite books are sold.

Will you be picking up a copy of Field of Screams? Let us know in the comments!