A ghost story with excellently crafted characters and a creepy plot. Twelve -year-old Lila Clements has a few challenges for the summer. First is to win back her friends who think she is somewhat of a drama queen. Lila sees something and assumes the worst. She has to change her thinking and summertime is perfect for that goal.

Not so fast. The grandfather Lila has never met died of a heart attack in Ohio. It’s going to be a long drive from the family’s home in Arizona. Dad has not had any contact with Grandpa Clem for many years adding to Lila’s “Why are we even going?” attitude.

Grandpa lived in a scary looking Victorian Inn pictured on the cover. Her parents will have to decide what to do with the property. Meanwhile, Lila has to pause her goal of mending the relationship with those friends.

The trip gets off to a scary start when the family gets in a car accident. Everyone is okay, but now Lila is seeing strange people at rest stops that no one else notices. Then on the day of the funeral she sees Grandpa Clem sitting in his favorite chair. He can also speak and tells her he did not die of a heart attack but was murdered. We soon find out the hotel is a place for ghosts passing onto the afterlife and many of them are making their way back into the real world ready to cause all sorts of problems.

Her parents would never believe this story so Lila and her younger brother Clem along with new friend and neighbor Teddy (who knows a lot about ghosts), must find out who killed grandpa

It’s as page-turning read where the chapter endings always have you wanting to read more. The Inn holds all sorts of creepy surprises especially on that 4th floor. You’ll enjoy getting to know both Teddy who has such a forgiving personality, and skeptical Caleb who would rather be playing video games. Along with Lila, they become a memorable trio. Readers will be pleased that more books are planned in the series.

The Last Resort is a great addition to your Halloween reading or any other time you want a creepy house as the setting.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: September 2, 2025 PAGE COUNT: 240

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: THE LAST RESORT by Erin Entrada Kelly

1. Family, friendships, and grief are intertwined in the story line and provide many opportunities for discussion..
2. Ghosts usually don’t get much empathy but here you will feel sorry for several of the ghosts especially grandpa who wants to enter the after life to be with his wife once again.
3. That cover is a perfect attention grabber urging prospective readers to pick up the book and dive right into the chapters.
4. The awkwardness of growing up with friends who now believe once loved behaviors and ways are babyish is accurately portrayed. This will resonate with many middle grade readers.
5. After you read the book, a QR code will let readers talk with each of the three main ghost characters. If Scholastic has success with this new feature, you might be seeing more books using an interactive extension. You can see how it works in the following short video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Flr3f1lqYbo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Entrada Kelly has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the 2025 Newbery Medal for The First State of Being, 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe, a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, the 2023 NAIBA Book of the Year Award for Those Kids From Fawn Creek, and 2017 APALA Award for The Land of Forgotten Girls, among many other honors. She is also a National Book Award Finalist and author/illustrator of Marisol Rainey and Felix Powell, stand-alone stories for younger readers. Her books are New York Times bestsellers.

Before becoming a children’s author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor in her home state of Louisiana. She received numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing. She has published more than thirty short stories and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Philippines Free Press Award for Short Fiction.

Erin has a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from McNeese State University, an MFA in fiction from Rosemont College, and an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Moore College of Art and Design. She lives in Delaware and teaches in the MFAC program at Hamline University. (Erin’s Author Website)

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