A fast-paced page-turner that had me hooked on the first page, this book is an excellent choice for a middle grade mystery lover, but is also so much more in terms of heartache and overcoming challenges. Calista is faced with more problems than your average twelve-year-old, but she steps up to the many tasks ahead of her with strength. I highly recommend this book to children 9-12. I was given a free copy for my honest review.

This was such a cute little story. Definitely fits a middle-grade categorization, written for a young audience. The generational healing was lovely and the authors note at the end definitely had me tearing up.

The Tall Lady has "other mother" Coraline type vibes.

The ability to see ghosts, and family curses are super fun concepts.

I love ghost stories. I think ghost stories can be fun and I have read a lot of ghost stories this past year that have received 4 and 5 stars from me. So to say this story wasn't for me wouldn't be quite accurate.
However I have a hard time with the intentional plan to teach occult practices to children by exposing it to them through literature.

As far as storytelling goes, it was well written and easy reading. If it passes a parent's consent, who am I to argue.

Contains an unsupervised seance, summoning dead spirits, murder.

Thank you to netgalley and the HarperColins Children's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful middle grade coming-of-age ghost story with a satisfying ending I didn’t quite expect. I had a lot of fun reading this!

What Stays Buried is a fantastic middle grade ghost story. The Tall Lady ghost kidnaps kids in town and the next target is her little sister, forcing Calista Wynn to put her psychic medium skills to the test. As she gets closer to her 13th birthday, the day when her powers abandon her due to the family curse, Calista is running out of time.

Definitely recommending for acquisition by elementary school library.


Family ties, grieving, friendship, being an outcast, revenge

What stays buried was an absolute fun read. When I requested this ARC, I was going based only on the description and the cover. I had not read any of the author's prior work, though I'd definitely like too now! The storyline sounded fun and intriguing so I figured why not give it a shot?

This book was just the right blend of spooky and heartwarming. Calista is a talented young medium who is preparing for her 13th birthday and the loss of her talents. Every gifted child in her family loses their talents when they turn 13 and Calista is dreading this day - not because she'll be sad that the random ghosts won't be able to seek her out but because she'll lose the ability to speak with her beloved grandmother and father. As Calista tries to come to terms with this, an evil spirit returns to the town and children start to go missing - again. Calista must unravel the mystery and attempt to stop more lives from being lost in the time she has left before her birthday.

I really enjoyed this book - it kept me hooked and reading, finishing it in one sitting.

Thank you to Harper Collins Childrens Books for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review.

Why is it that every single Suzanne Young book makes me cry? and its not even the story its the dialogue between characters that gets me. What stays Buried is a cute spooky read that also ripped my heart out.

I had enjoyed Suzanne Young's Girls with Sharp Sticks series so I was excited to read her young adult novel. It had Ms. Young's writing style and it did what I was expecting. I was glad I was able to read this and thought it was what I was hoping for. The characters were great and it was a joy to read this. I hope this continues as a series.

"Nora kept her comments to herself, looking sad instead. She stacked the dishes in the sink and turned on the water. But this frustrated Calista more. She wanted her mother to speak up on her dad and grandmother’s behalf, even if she couldn’t see them. Calista wanted her to understand what she’d been going through. It was like she didn’t even try."

This was both cozy and not at the same time. A perfect horror mystery thriller for fans of Scooby Doo and Gravity Falls. I was totally into this. The characters are what makes this story truly shine!

What Stays Buried is a haunting and heartfelt book. Calista Wynn can speak with the dead, but she will lose this ability once she turns 13. When children start to go missing before her birthday she must find out what Spirit has a problem with she and her family before it is too late. Recommended for teens who love mysteries. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.