Gloom Town

A delightfully creepy novel from a Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner imbued with magic and seafaring mythology. Lemony Snicket and Jessica Townsend meet Greenglass House, with a hint of Edward Gorey thrown in.

When twelve-year-old Rory applies for a job at a spooky old mansion in his gloomy seaside town, he finds the owner, Lord Foxglove, odd and unpleasant. But he and his mom need the money, so he takes the job anyway. Rory soon finds out that his new boss is not just strange, he's not even human--and he's trying to steal the townspeople's shadows. Together, Rory and his friend Isabella set out to uncover exactly what Foxglove and his otherworldly accomplices are planning and devise a strategy to defeat them. But can two kids defeat a group of ancient evil beings who are determined to take over the world?

Another delightfully creepy tale from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning author Ronald L. Smith.


Author: Ronald L. Smith
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 02/11/2020
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781328841612
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.7
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 508104 / Gloom Town


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 12/01/2019 pg. 57
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2019
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 01/01/2020
Publishers Weekly 12/16/2019
School Library Journal 01/01/2020 pg. 73

About the Author
Ronald L. Smith is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning author of Hoodoo, The Mesmerist, The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away, and Black Panther: The Young Prince. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. www.strangeblackflowers.com
Twitter: @RonSmithbooks.