An adequately eerie and frightening middle-grade book. Classic Tremblay. What's real? What's not? And all of the gray in-between.

soooo creepy. It gave me creepy Coraline energy that i didn't like but got sucked into. the use of fungus was well done too. I really enjoyed this! Def had it haunt me well after I finished.

Casey Wilson has been dealing with a lot of issues following a traumatic incident during the pandemic lockdown that resulted in cyberbullying. But his issues with self-esteem and confidence, with transient tic disorder, anxiety, and the mental processing skills necessary to break down larger issues into solvable smaller ones will pale in insignificance to what arrives when his family receives an unexpected visitor.

The call comes on a landline, an ancient, rotary phone his parents have kept for reasons even they cannot explain. A man on the other end asks if Casey’s friend can come by, and they agree because why not? However, the friend arrives in a burlap sack and turns out to be a clay mannequin that can move. Casey’s parents agree he can stay for the final days of summer, and that’s just the start of strangeness.

Morel is not a mean kid though he is certainly unusual. Morel cannot speak, has to draw his facial expressions on his clay head, and is burdened with plenty of rules: no food and no beds being chief among them. However, the longer he stays at Casey’s house, the more human he will become. And the more he changes, the more Casey and his parents will start to change as well.

Though this friend is not some kind of monster, Casey soon realizes that Morel is nevertheless a threat. Friends share, after all, so Morel seems to have no compunctions about borrowing things … including elements of Casey’s humanity. If he hopes to return his family to normalcy, Casey will have to understand what is happening and why, and he will have to hang on to everything that makes him Casey. Otherwise, the wrong boy may well be taken away when the strange man returns …

Paul Tremblay has made a career out of literary horror and speculative fiction works for adults. His forthcoming novel Another is a change of pace, an eerie shadow story written for middle-grade readers. It’s got all the strengths of his adult fictions—cool ideas, sympathetic characters, nods to influential works that came before, a terrific sense of creeping dread and atmosphere, and conflicts that avoid traditional “good versus evil” dichotomies, all delivered with some top notch prose. It also eschews some of the writing flourishes that adorn his adult fiction, paring the sentences down to simple story delivery vehicles. From the start, it’s an engaging delve into strangeness. While the author falls in love with some of the science behind fungi and other topics relating to his surreal and possibly supernatural intrusion (leading to a few too many uses of spelling bee words like hyphae), the book nevertheless gives its readership an enjoyably spooky read with real stakes and a few moments of authentic (age appropriate) terror. It’s the sort of book I look forward to handing to my daughter in a couple of years.

The book is one that grapples with the theme of identity by the very nature of its threat. Here we get a Kafkaesque narrative surrounding an unwanted metamorphosis triggered by unknown and (at least initially) seemingly unknowable forces. However, it’s a middle grade book, which means the character gets a fighting chance. Hope is never completely snuffed out; enough remains to keep us turning the pages. The story and its desperate finale might lend itself to a week’s worth of nightmares for the young and impressionable, but it’s not complete doom and despair.

Adult readers will also find plenty to enjoy in the pages. And Tremblay fans may see this as a younger reader flipside to the author’s novella In Bloom or some of the short fiction the author has written about growing things turning terrifying. Tremblay’s interests don’t always dive into horrors with a botanical origin, but there is certainly no shortage of them in his works. Another is one more example of this interest.

All told, Tremblay’s middle-grade offering delivers an eerie, surreal read that blurs the lines between the real and unreal in evocative and enjoyable ways. A shiver-inducing story that’s perfect for the target readership with an interest in creepy yarns about intersections between the known and unknown as well as readers of any age who enjoy an unsettling brush with the dark.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Another was a creepy story about Casey who is dealing with anxiety while navigating through the pandemic. He is lonely and has a new friend coming over. The new friendship evolves into something more sinister as the days go on.

This was very creepy and made the hairs on my neck stand up. It’s unusual, unsettling, and uncanny. It feels like this generation's Coraline. I'm not used to reading middle-grade so I feel like my rating scale needs to adjust for the intended demographic.

I have no complaints. It was well written, the characters were fleshed out, the setting of the pandemic was a nice touch but it was just a backdrop and not too much. It was interesting to read about the pandemic from the POV of a young person. It had some heart to it and there is an underlying moral to the story. It's creepy but not too scary. I would definitely recommend this to middle-grade readers

This was such a fun middle grade horror! I was invested in Casey's story, and loved the family dynamics and the growth the parents exhibited throughout the story to show their true love for their son. Casey's relationship with his sister was so heartwarming.

Somehow this was one of the creepier things I've read lately, and it's a middle grade horror. I think it'll be a great read for anyone, but especially for the younger audience, who can relate to the loneliness of what school in the lockdown era during the pandemic was like. This book did a great job at diving into that, and was also a really great look at mental health struggles within the younger generation.

It was also, like I said, incredibly creepy. Some parts were genuinely unsettling and had me nervous for what was to come. I know I would have eaten this up as a kid, and I think Paul Tremblay should absolutely keep exploring middle grade horror.

Classic Tremblay: disorienting, eerie, and psychologically sharp. This one messes with perception in a big way—you’re never sure what’s real, who to trust, or if the horror is in the hallway or in the mind. Morel is deeply unsettling, and Casey’s unraveling is slow but painful to watch. If you like ambiguity, dread, and creeping madness, Another will scratch that itch…and then keep scratching.

Another is a stellar addition to Tremblay’s oeuvre and a standout in middle‑grade horror. It delivers a haunting, emotionally charged narrative about identity and family that lingers long after the final page. Younger readers ready for subtle scares will love it, and adult fans will appreciate Tremblay’s signature psychological depth—not to mention it might just give them goosebumps.

Middle grade horror might be where its at. This was such a fun and easy read but still creepy and unsettling. Very age appropriate but chilling. Feels like "baby's first psychological horror" with a side of rot. Captures the fear of being a kid and realizing your parents are just people, they cannot save you from everything. Interesting world with just enough unknown to leave you weirded out. I have gotta read Tremblay's other works after this. I do hope he does more middle grade stuff though, I think the weird kids are gonna love it (weird kids rise up!).

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

tw: depersonalization, parental neglect, if you don't like mushrooms or infections maybe sit this one out, pandemic mentions

Another by Paul Tremblay is a tense middle grade novel that never feels like it's talking down to its middle grade audience. The book follows Casey, who is eLearning online and has an unfortunate incident on Zoom, which leaves him with no friends. When his parents get a rotary phone and it rings, the person on the other line says they have a friend for Casey. However, when that friend shows up, he seems to be anything but a friend.

This book was riveting in every sense of the word. It has very similar creepiness to books like Goosebumps or The Thief of Always and I would have absolutely devoured this book when I was a child. That said, I do believe that young adults and adults would enjoy this book as well, specifically if you are a fan of Paul Tremblay.

Harper Collins Children's books
Another by Paul Temblay

Casey is a young 5th grader who has no friends at school and feels misunderstood by well..everyone. His parents worry about him so when a parent of " a friend of Casey " asks if it ok to come over to play , Casey's dad is thrilled and says yes! Never even wondering who it could be. Casey wonders. When a boy, or a thing looking like a blob of clay slightly resembling a boy shows up, Casey's parents still don't wonder , nor ask questions when the father informs that he doesn't eat or speak.
What follows is odd, strange but honestly a bit slow.
I don't think it would keep this ages attention as it didn't keep mine.

It's cute, not scary but has good creep value.

Famed horror writer Paul Tremblay takes on the middle-grade novel in Another.
Casey is doing hybrid school, especially since his physical tics started due to the stress from COVID. Not many of his friends visit, so he is surprised when his dad says he has someone coming for a sleepover. When he meets Morel, he is like no one Casey has ever met. The boy can’t talk. His skin seemed to be made of clay, and, in fact, it doesn’t even look like he has a face! But Casey’s parents act like nothing is weird and allow the boys to spend several nights together, and over that time, Casey sees that Morel begins to look a lot like him…
The basis of the story is great. There is a certain creepiness as you watch what Morel and Casey become. To fade away to the point where your parents don’t even know you (especially when you are lucky enough to be in a stable home) is terrifying. Or it can bring up trauma for those who have been taken from their parents (for good or bad, it doesn’t matter). But what I truly liked is that it took on the COVID pandemic from a kid’s perspective. How they felt anxiety, and how that might show up for them.
But here’s the thing. The story is too long and bloated. The key to keeping the younger reader’s attention is to keep them engaged. Passage of repetition and boring everyday stuff won’t do that. Cutting down pages to the most important info or giving more detail into the things the kids like (I’m not big on vomit, but they are) helps a lot. Overall, this shouldn’t have been 256 pages. If I was bored, I know middle-graders would be.
Another is a good story, but long in the tooth.

I received an ARC for review; all opinions are my own.

Just as creepy and quality as the other major middle grade horror classics. ‘Another’ would EAT as a stop motion animated film… I just got creeped out thinking about it actually. 4.5 stars.

I am a big fan of Paul Tremblay, so I was excited to read this book. Although it is aimed at a middle grade audience, it was still very good and interesting. Some of the moments and descriptions were more on the surreal side, which doesn't always work for me, but I enjoyed this novel.

This book is the author's first Young Adult novel and is considered horror, although not to any extreme. Preteen Casey has a surprise "friend" appear at his house. Morel looks like a clay doll and cannot talk, eat, or sleep. During his stay, weird events happen to Casey and his family. An antique rotary phone seems to be the source of the horror that is happening. Young people will enjoy this thriller that does not offer much violence but does present lots of suspense. Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and Quill Tree Books for providing an ARC.

4.25 stars.

Another by Paul Tremblay is a chilling little throwback that totally gave me R.L. Stine vibes in the best way! While YA isn’t usually my go-to these days, I really enjoyed this one.

The story follows Casey, a lonely middle schooler navigating the awkwardness of adolescence—made even harder by the isolation of the pandemic. With few friends and a growing sense of disconnect, Casey is introduced to someone new: Morel. Except Morel isn’t exactly human—he’s more like a clay mannequin at first. Weirdly, Casey’s parents don’t seem too worried. But as Morel starts to become more lifelike, things get creepier fast… and the question becomes: what’s the price of letting him in?

This is the perfect intro to horror for younger readers who are ready for something eerie but age-appropriate. Creepy without being too intense, and filled with the kind of unsettling atmosphere that lingers.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Another hits shelves on July 22, 2025.

seems like i’m the only one who didnt enjoy this… i read horror movie earlier this year and hated it but figured i would give tremblay another try. i fear i’m removing his books from my tbr bc he’s 0 for 2 with me right now. the story was interesting but the execution just wasn’t there for me. i wanted more of an explanation as to what morel was and why he was there in the first place. who was that man? i have more questions than answers.

"Another" will appeal to a whole new generation of Readers with this bright, fresh, creepy-as-heck book. A little Roald Dahl, a little R.L. Stein, but quintessentially Paul Tremblay in tone, this book explores the anxieties and fears of every kid; being ridiculed by peers, coping with learning difficulties, navigating that seemingly impossible maze towards self-discovery, and answering the question "Who am I really?". Oh, yeah, and all the while a doppelganger masquerading as a friend is stealing that identity. A whip-smart accomplishment for Tremblay and a solidly excellent read that I recommend enthusiastically.

Am I the dumby who didn't realize this was a junior fiction novel? Yes. However, I was still very entertained by it as a grown adult.

This was book was not for me. And in Tremblay fashion the ending….he always leaves you hanging. This book is definitely middle school level…..