Published: 2020
Author: Lindsay Currie
Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts, Fantasy, Fiction, Supernatural, Childrens
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 5-8
Number of Stars: 5-Stars
Goodreads Link: Scritch Scratch
Triggers: Divorce
Review By: Jackie Buzzard
Publisher’s Summary
A ghost story about a malevolent spirit, an unlucky girl, and a haunting mystery that will tie the two together.
Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She’s a scientist, which is why she can’t think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she’s made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he’s gone.
Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad’s ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her. Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something…and Claire needs to find out what before it’s too late.
Review
Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie is a spine-tingling and exceptionally fast-paced middle-grade mystery that will easily captivate readers in grades 5-8. The story introduces us to Claire, a science-minded protagonist who completely rejects the paranormal, making her an incredible foil for the chilling haunting she undergoes after reluctantly helping with her father’s ghost-themed bus tour in Chicago. When a mysterious boy with sad, dark eyes disappears from the back of the bus, Claire finds herself targeted by a restless spirit, plagued by disembodied whispering, eerie scratching sounds, and the persistent appearance of the number 396.
What makes this novel brilliant is how it functions as a cleverly entwined story of a girl solving a supernatural mystery while simultaneously navigating the authentic, grounded complexities of middle school life. Claire is a typical middle school girl dealing with changing peer dynamics, boys, the threat of losing her best friend, and the casual embarrassment of her father’s eccentric job. Her scientific outlook makes her easy to relate to, and her sheer persistence makes it incredibly easy to root for her as she tries to balance her normal life with an active haunting. Currie’s pacing is phenomenal, maintaining a high level of suspense that will keep reluctant readers thoroughly engaged and wanting more.
An especially enjoyable and valuable aspect of the interwoven narrative is the integration of real Chicago history. As Claire tries to decipher what the ghost wants, she uncovers genuine historical tragedies. This educational backdrop lends itself beautifully to further student inquiry without ever feeling preachy or breaking the book’s spooky momentum. While the story touches upon sensitive personal themes like parents going through a divorce, it handles the emotional weight with grace. Ultimately, this is a masterful story of perseverance, historical discovery, and friendship that I highly recommend to school librarians and educators looking to expand their spooky mystery shelves.
Classroom & Curricular Connections
- Social Studies / Local History: This novel serves as a brilliant gateway for exploring regional history and real-world historical tragedies, encouraging students to look into how major past events shape local lore and community identity.
- ELA / Plot Interweaving & Motif: An excellent resource for instructing students on how authors successfully blend subplots—such as a supernatural haunting and middle school friendship shifts—while tracking motifs like repeated numbers to build suspense.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): Highly applicable for lessons regarding communication during changing friendships, coping with family transitions like divorce, and relying on critical thinking and logic when facing overwhelming fears.
Readalikes
- The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn
- Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
- What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie
