Tales From Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex by Justina Ireland

TL;DR: Fun and genuinely spooky! Think Goosebumps but much more modern.
Source: NetGalley, thank you to the publisher!

Plot: A tale of terror to test a new camper, it follows the story of Tasha as she hunts down the Boo Hag lurking in her new neighborhood before it comes for her grandmother.
Characters: I wouldn’t call them the best characters but they’re pretty good for middle grade spooks!
Setting: I actually really loved the setting. Post-pandemic, and set within a trailer park. It felt like a realistic and believable location.
Scares: I thought this was spooky, very appropriate for the age group. The Boo Hag was genuinely very freaky.

Thoughts:

What a fun ride! The Boo Hag Flex is the first in a new middle grade series that seems like a modernized Goosebumps. It’s set shortly after the pandemic, with Tasha’s mom dying from Covid (or Vovid related complications as it’s not entirely clear). She is sent to live with her father who she has never met or knows anything about. Within days of moving in with her grandmother she begins to see other elderly folk in the neighborhood die. And then she sees it – The Boo Hag. From there she and a new friend go on an adventure to stop the Hag from killing any more folks.

My favorite part of this, but likely the part that might age the book, is the very relative and modern references (such as the Covid pandemic). It felt like a Goosebumps but for kids growing up now. It also dealt with a lot with what it’s like to grow up in uncertain situations, and poverty. Tasha’s dad is (as she says) a deadbeat and she learns to deal with both that and the grief of her mother’s death. It’s nothing overly heavy, but it is present and a topic explored.

Overall this was a great little middle grade. I think any kid in this age will enjoy it and if you’re looking for a spooky middle grade that feels very grounded in the now, you’ll want to pick this up. I really recommend it for kids and even adults who enjoy these type of serialized horror stories.

3.75 out of 5 fun, handmade dresses