Last Laugh

by K. R. Alexander

Overview

What's scarier than a collection of clown dolls in a secret locked room?

How about... those clown dolls coming to life. And hunting you down.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781339012155
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

K. R. Alexander is the pseudonym for author Alex R. Kahler.

As K. R., he writes creepy middle grade books for brave young readers. As Alex -- his actual first name -- he writes fantasy novels for adults and teens. In both cases, he loves writing fiction drawn from true life experiences.

Alex has traveled the world collecting strange and fascinating tales, from the misty moors of Scotland to the humid jungles of Hawaii. He is always on the move, as he believes there is much more to life than what meets the eye.

You can learn more about his travels and other books, including Darkroom, Vacancy, Gallowgate, The Collector, The Fear Zone, and the Scare Me series, on his website: cursedlibrary.com.

Editorial Reviews

2023-10-07
A boy is haunted—and hunted—by possessed clown dolls.

Victor’s older sister, Sarah, mocks him because he’s afraid of their grandmother’s creepy collections of figurines and other odd objects. Sarah’s terrified of clowns, so when Victor, Sarah, and their younger sister, Genevieve, must spend the night at their grandmother’s house alone, he breaks one of the few rules—don’t go in Grandma’s room—to borrow a clown doll and hide it under Sarah’s pillow. The doll vanishes, kicking off a string of strange events. Could Sarah have caught wind of the prank? Or is there actually an army of animated clown dolls after him? What starts off as a series of blink-and-it’s-gone doll spottings quickly escalates into nonstop harassment; soon, the dolls also begin targeting Victor’s sisters and his friend Gareth. Victor goes to his grandmother for help, only to find she’s unconscious from a mysterious ailment—Victor knows it must be connected to the clowns, raising the stakes for him and his loved ones. Although the setup is somewhat contrived, the fast pacing and short chapters ending with ominous final lines quickly get readers to the good stuff. The book also makes clever use of design, breaking up sentences across multiple lines at key moments. The big climax and denouement are followed by a delightful twist. Victor and his siblings have olive skin and dark curly hair; Gareth is Filipino.

Solidly executed, with fast and frequent frights. (Horror. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews