Scream Site

June 1, 2018

Gr 6-10-High school freshman Sabrina Sebastian loves journalism. Before sending in an application for a related internship, she searches for a story that will guarantee her success. Her best friend Evelyn tells her about a website that is getting buzz: Scream Site. Users post their own scary videos to win an all-expenses paid trip to California and a chance to work with Hollywood directors the Scarapelli brothers. However, a local girl has gone missing after uploading videos on the site, and Sabrina wants to find out if there is a link between the two. As Sabrina delves deeper into the mystery, her own sister disappears. Familiar tropes mire the plot: the ruined businessman who wants revenge; the naïve girl who needs to be saved; the helpful teachers hiding a dark secret; the abandoned, run-down amusement park as a setting for terror. The villain is obvious from the beginning and experienced readers will see plot holes. VERDICT Lightly recommended only for middle schoolers who have graduated from "Goosebumps" but are not quite ready for gory horror.-Pamela Thompson, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, El Paso, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
An aspiring journalist investigates a local horror website.Sabrina Sebastian is a smart, ambitious high school freshman, determined to get a summer newspaper internship, but her cafeteria exposés and charity fluff pieces for the school paper are too stodgy. Her best friend, the spirited Evelyn, suggests that she write about the gossip surrounding Scream Site, a trendy website for amateur horror videos. Sabrina hates scary movies but is intrigued by rumors that girls have disappeared after sharing videos. Could there be a grain of truth to the terrifying footage of girls screaming for help while evading nefarious pursuers? "This is real. This is real!" whispers one girl into the camera. Sabrina turns up suspicious ties between the website and missing local girls, but her detective uncle dismisses her concerns as unfounded even as Sabrina starts to receive creepy threats. Ireland (Dread Nation, 2018, etc.) maintains a steady pace of reveals as suspicion is cast on Evelyn's crush, an English teacher, and possibly even Sabrina's own uncle. Horror fans may be disappointed that homage is paid to the genre without any real terror, but they will appreciate the jump scares, the untimely blackouts, and the frustration when Sabrina's older sister, Faith, innocently decides that she wants to try to post some horror videos, too. Sabrina and her sister are dark-skinned, and Evelyn is Chinese-American.This mystery shines as a foray into modern investigative journalism. (Mystery. 12-15)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2018
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* Ireland serves up a creepy, fun, edge-of-your-seat story with this slim offering that's equal parts mystery and horror. It explores the frightening scenario of viral videos gone wrong. Sabrina Sebastian aspires to be an investigative reporter and sees big story potential in Scream Site, a popular website known for its spooky viral videos. Sabrina hopes that covering the trend will earn her the internship of her dreams. However, as Sabrina investigates the authenticity of the website, she stumbles upon the possibility that the website isn't fueled by hoaxes, actors, and good camera work. Her sense of foreboding is exacerbated when her sister, Faith, goes missing. Sabrina expresses her fears about Scream Site to the adults around her, but nobody will listen. Uncovering the truth behind Scream Site becomes more than just a path to an internship; it becomes the only way Sabrina can save her sister from becoming the website's next star?or victim. Ireland offers younger YA readers hungering for relatable horror stories an excellent, whirlwind ride. Its protagonist is diverse, as are the world and secondary characters that comprise the book. Furthermore, the fascinating premise is relevant to today's YouTube-centric culture. Some readers may feel the ending is anticlimactic, but, despite this potential shortcoming, the book will be a treasured read for any young horror lover. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
Aspiring journalist Sabrina Sebastian, fourteen, hopes that investigating the horror videos posted on a popular website will land her a summer internship. There are rumors that the people in the videos are not actors and that some have actually disappeared. When Sabrina's sister goes missing, suspicion falls on the adults around them. Despite plot holes and some genre clichis, younger-teen horror fans should appreciate the mild chills.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

June 1, 2018
An aspiring journalist investigates a local horror website.Sabrina Sebastian is a smart, ambitious high school freshman, determined to get a summer newspaper internship, but her cafeteria expos�s and charity fluff pieces for the school paper are too stodgy. Her best friend, the spirited Evelyn, suggests that she write about the gossip surrounding Scream Site, a trendy website for amateur horror videos. Sabrina hates scary movies but is intrigued by rumors that girls have disappeared after sharing videos. Could there be a grain of truth to the terrifying footage of girls screaming for help while evading nefarious pursuers? "This is real. This is real!" whispers one girl into the camera. Sabrina turns up suspicious ties between the website and missing local girls, but her detective uncle dismisses her concerns as unfounded even as Sabrina starts to receive creepy threats. Ireland (Dread Nation, 2018, etc.) maintains a steady pace of reveals as suspicion is cast on Evelyn's crush, an English teacher, and possibly even Sabrina's own uncle. Horror fans may be disappointed that homage is paid to the genre without any real terror, but they will appreciate the jump scares, the untimely blackouts, and the frustration when Sabrina's older sister, Faith, innocently decides that she wants to try to post some horror videos, too. Sabrina and her sister are dark-skinned, and Evelyn is Chinese-American.This mystery shines as a foray into modern investigative journalism. (Mystery. 12-15)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2018

Gr 6-10-High school freshman Sabrina Sebastian loves journalism. Before sending in an application for a related internship, she searches for a story that will guarantee her success. Her best friend Evelyn tells her about a website that is getting buzz: Scream Site. Users post their own scary videos to win an all-expenses paid trip to California and a chance to work with Hollywood directors the Scarapelli brothers. However, a local girl has gone missing after uploading videos on the site, and Sabrina wants to find out if there is a link between the two. As Sabrina delves deeper into the mystery, her own sister disappears. Familiar tropes mire the plot: the ruined businessman who wants revenge; the na�ve girl who needs to be saved; the helpful teachers hiding a dark secret; the abandoned, run-down amusement park as a setting for terror. The villain is obvious from the beginning and experienced readers will see plot holes. VERDICT Lightly recommended only for middle schoolers who have graduated from "Goosebumps" but are not quite ready for gory horror.-Pamela Thompson, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, El Paso, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.