Dust & Grim by Chuck Wendig

Release: October 5, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: TBR and Beyond Tours
Find it at: Goodreads , Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Book Depository , IndieBound , Indigo

Miss Peregrine meets The Graveyard Book in this middle grade adventure about rival siblings running a monster mortuary—written by bestselling author Chuck Wendig.

Thirteen-year-old Molly doesn’t know how she got the short end of the stick. She had a neglectful father for upbringing —while Dustin, the older brother she’s never met, got their mother and the keys to the family estate. But now the siblings have both become orphans. And she’s come home for her inheritance. If Dustin won’t welcome her into the family business, then she’ll happily take her half in cash.

There’s just one problem: the family business is a mortuary for monsters, and Molly’s not sure she’s ready to deal with mysterious doors, talking wolves, a rogue devourer of magic, and a secret cemetery. It’s going to take all of Dustin’s stuffy supernatural knowledge and Molly’s most heroic cosplay (plus a little help from non-human friends) for the siblings to figure it out and save the day… if only they can get along for five minutes.

Bestselling author Chuck Wendig’s middle grade debut is equal parts spooky, funny, and heartfelt—perfect for Halloween and year-round reading!

About the Author:

Chuck Wendig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Star Wars: Aftermath, as well as the Miriam Black thrillers, the Atlanta Burns books, Zer0es/Invasive, Wanderers, and the upcoming Book of Accidents (July 2021). He’s also worked in a variety of other formats, including comics, games, film, and television. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his books about writing. He lives in Pennsyltucky with his family.

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Dust & Grim Review:

Holy Ghosts! “Dust & Grim” is a fantastic story of creepy houses, wandering ghosts, vampires, cemeteries, secrets, and more! Once I started reading this book, I would not put it down.

Everything about the tale was just brilliant! From the get-go, we feel like we are beside Molly as she spends time with Dustin and Vivacia. What follows is a plot filled with gripping twists and turns that will engage a reader of any age. There were so many highlights to the tale, as Molly explores the house and hears the walls whisper or meets a ghost when she goes to the woods and meets a spirit. I had NO idea whatsoever in which direction the story would go.

Molly was excellent in the lead. I loved her snarky sense of humor and how she gave the story a light touch that would not scare the younger readers too much. I loved her relationship with Dustin and how she got ahold of him. While the two don’t start on the best note, I loved how the author matured their relationship. The author intrigued me as to what secrets Dustin and Vivacia were holding. Even Uncle Gordo was adorable, even though he only made a brief appearance.

Similarly, the illustrations by Jensine Eckwall also complement each chapter beautifully. As I read the advanced copy of this book, not all the pictures were present. However, I cannot wait to see how the finished illustrations would appear. We also meet new characters like Dave and Marsha and Dregil and Lac, who gave me goosebumps as the story progresses. The author leads the tale to a gripping climax that’s so satisfying.

Overall, I loved everything about “Dust & Grim” and hope there is a sequel to revisit these characters.