ALA Booklist (Mon Nov 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Rafa is a storyteller who can come up with the scariest stories to send chills down anyone's spine. He knows that his stories are fictional, so he is never frightened about anything except his mom, Nikki, who has been in and out of his life. But a new kind of fear brews when Ms. Martin warns Rafa about the upcoming blood moon and tells him to refrain from telling any scary stories. Rafa initially disregards her cautionary advice, and while they sit in a tree house under the blood moon, he tells his friends a story about the Caretaker, a being who takes children. Strange things begin to happen, and it seems like his nightmarish stories are coming to life. It's up to Rafa to stop the Caretaker before it takes its next victim. Award-winning author Cervantes is back with a story that will captivate horror fans. Cervantes' storytelling is a balance between earnest and eerie that will have readers at the edge of their seats.

Kirkus Reviews

A boy tells one scary story too many and must find his way to a happy ending-or else.Eleven-year-old Mexican American Rafael Fuentes loves writing horror stories. It comes easily to him despite his struggles in school because much of his life has been a different kind of scary story, one full of neglect and instability. For the past two years since their mom was sent to prison, Rafa and his younger sister, Brianna, have lived with their loving abuelos. But now Rafa is dreading his mom's upcoming early release. One day, neighbor Ms. Martin warns Rafa that he should not, under any circumstances, tell a scary story during the upcoming blood moon. But Rafa's storytelling has brought him social acceptance, so at his friends' urging, he tells one of his most frightening tales yet. Soon after, strange, unsettling things start happening. Rafa thinks his spooky story has something to do with this, and he tries to craft a new, happy ending for his story. With the support of his friends and help from a magical jaguar, he faces down the evil threat. Featuring excellent pacing and seamlessly centering a diverse, well-drawn community, Cervantes' latest deals with the complicated issues that arise from having an incarcerated parent and provides ample creep factor for young horror fans without ever losing sight of the fact that maintaining hope is key.The power of words lies at the heart of this heartwarming story. (Horror. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Thu Oct 03 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A tween with a penchant for crafting creepy tales must reckon with ghosts from his past and present in this haunting read. Mexican American 11-year-old Rafael Fuentes is dreading his mother’s early release from prison. While living with his abuelos for the last two years during her incarceration, he’s managed to cultivate a stable environment for his younger sister Brianna, and he worries that his mother’s return will disrupt his established peace. When his neighbor Ms. Martin ominously warns him to not tell scary stories tonight during the blood moon lest he awaken a restless spirit, Rafa believes she’s just another adult trying to control him. But after regaling his friends with his most terrifying yarn yet, about a specter who lures kids to their deaths in the local pond, strange things start happening: jaguar claw marks appear on Rafa’s door, and he begins receiving sinister countdown texts and having ghostly visions of missing youths. Via sometimes choppy prose, Cervantes (Letty Out Loud) delivers a frightening adventure; Rafa and Brianna’s close sibling dynamic, and his strained relationship with his mother, are the emotional center of this supernatural page-turner. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)