The Clackity

Title: The Clackity

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Format: Book

Publication Date: June 28, 2022

Grade Level: 6th-8th

Category: Horror

Lora Senf's debut novel The Clackity is a middle grade horror fiction about how twelve-year-old Evie Von Rathe makes a deal with a sinister creature in order to save her aunt Desdemona from the ghost of a serial killer. The Clackity is the first book of the Blight Harbor trilogy and has been positively received by readers and critics alike, and has recieved a wide range of awards and honors, including but not limited to making the Texas Lone Star Reading List, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, and the Golden Dome Book Award Master List. Because the books enjoys such high acclaim, I thought it would be well worth reviewing. For this review, I will be evaluating the book by Character, Setting, and Plot elements.  

 

Character. The protagonist of the story, Evie, is dynamic and complex. Evie is a very anxious twelve-year-old, but her love for her aunt forces her to confront her anxieties and fears in order to save her. She is also curious, headstrong, and determined to solve the mystery of how her parents disappeared (a mystery that remains unsolved by the end of the book). By the end of the story, Evie has gained self-confidence and the tools to overcome her fears. The antagonist, the Clackity, has mysterious motivations that do not become clear by the end of the book. Perhaps his character will gain complexity in the sequels. Besides Evie and the Clackity, most of the characters in the book act as rather flat stereotypes, helping Evie on her journey through providing a useful item, warning, or clue.

 

Setting. The Clackity takes place in Blight Harbor, a fictional town in the Pacific Northwest that is the seventh most haunted town in America. But when Evie's aunt Des is kidnapped, she must travel to the dark, whimsical, and eerie Land of the Black Sun. The setting itself provides a challenge for Evie, as she has to make her way through seven haunted houses to find Des. Lora Senf does an excellent job of fleshing out the setting and using it to create a creepy mood.

 

Plot. The plot hooks its audience in from the get go. The readers immediately come to care about Des, author of a paranormal newspaper column and Evie's guardian since her parents disappeared. So when Des is kidnapped by the ghost of a serial killer, readers are emotionally invested in Evie's mission to rescue her, even if she must strike a deal with an untrustworthy creature to do so. Evie moves from haunted house to haunted house within the Land of the Black Sun, each house taking about a chapter each, so readers feel like the plot is moving at a brisk pace. And the conclusion in which Evie rescues not only Des but the spirits of the serial killer's other victims feels well earned. 

References:

Senf, L. (2022). The Clackity. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.