Published: 2020
Series: N/A
Author: Abby Howard
Illustrator: Abby Howard
Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Short Stories, Comics, Young Adult, Fiction, Anthologies, LGBT, Supernatural
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 9-12 (Grades 9-10, 11-12 featured)
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: The Crossroads at Midnight
Triggers: Gore, Death, Drowning, Murder, Chronic Loneliness
Review By: Sara Tripp
Publisher’s Summary:
A masterful collection of tales from the faded border between our day-to-day world and the horrifying unknown on the other side of midnight.
An old woman living alone on the edge of a bog gets an unexpected — and unsettling — visitor, throwing her quiet life into a long-buried mystery. An isolated backwoods family stumbles into good fortune for a time with a monstrous discovery in the lake behind their house, but that time is running short. And a misfit little girl, struggling to make friends, meets an understanding soul one day at the beach: but why will he only play with her alone at night? All these lonely souls — and more — have reached out into the darkness, not knowing what they might find.
Around the dark edges of reality lurk unknown beings with unknowable intentions — ordinary objects can become cursed possessions, entities who seem like friends can become monstrous, and those who seem monstrous can become the truest companions. In this collection of evocative, unnerving slice-of-life horror, five stories explore what happens when one is desperate enough to seek solace in the unnatural, and what might be waiting for us at the Crossroads at Midnight.
Review:
Mixed thoughts… at first I had total “Goosebumps” vibes. Short mysteries that were great scary campfire stories to give you a laugh and a spook! I then started to notice a theme that in all of the stories one of the characters was very lonely and didn’t have friends or family. Many of these characters end up dead. I got an unease feeling as a teacher. I wouldn’t want a student struggling with loneliness to read these stories and get any dark ideas. I think these could be fun stories for the right reader. Use caution when considering this for your students.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- English Language Arts (ELA): This collection serves as an excellent study of contemporary gothic literature, modern folklore tropes, and the architecture of comic/graphic anthologies. Educators can analyze how short story pacing and visual art panels work together to build suspense, mystery, and atmosphere.
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): The overlapping themes of isolation, friendlessness, and alienation across the five narratives provide a deep entry point for discussing the psychological impact of intense childhood and adolescent loneliness.
- Extension Activity / Library Application:
- Targeted Reader Advisory & Mindful Recommendation: Because the narratives trace characters seeking dangerous comfort from unnatural sources due to extreme alienation, school librarians should handle student recommendations with proactive care and sensitivity, matching the book intentionally with high school horror fans who can contextualize its darker themes.
- Graphic Novel Creative Writing Activity: Students can participate in a creative writing workshop to draft a short story or comic strip that takes an ordinary object or environment and shifts its tone to creepy or monstrous, practicing the “slice-of-life horror” narrative structures modeled by Howard.
- Diversity & Representation: The anthology highlights diversity and inclusion by incorporating queer (LGBT) representation within its cast of characters, breaking standard horror archetypes. By centering on misfits, isolated outcasts, and individuals rejected by mainstream society, it gives voice to a spectrum of identities and lived experiences, examining how profound social neglect drives marginalized people toward the supernatural boundaries of their world.
Readalikes:
- Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
- A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll
