I’ve joined up with the IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? kid-lit edition, hosted by Unleashing Readers and MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY hosted by Always in the Middle…
Today I’m featuring THE GHOSTS OF BITTERFLY BAY by Mary Averling, a spooky ghost story with a twist – the main character is a ghost!
Read on for my review of the book, and then make sure you also check out the author’s list of top ten addictions to find out more about her!
The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay by Mary Averling
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers on February 4, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade
Pages: 224
Source: NetGalley, Purchased
Cover Artist: Alla Khatkevich
My rating: 
A ghost must team up with the living girl she’s been haunting in order to defeat a monster out of her nightmares and save her little brother, from the author of The Curse of Eelgrass Bog.
Maudie isn’t your typical twelve-year-old girl—she’s the ghost of one. Along with her best friend Kit and little brother Scratch, she haunts a cottage in the woods, doing her best to scare off the vacationers and forget her old life.
But everything changes when Kit and Scratch go missing. Maudie knows something terrible must have happened, and she’s right: Longfingers—a monster from her own nightmares, with spidery fingers and needle-sharp teeth—has stolen her friends away.
Longfingers makes Maudie a twisted deal: find the key to a door in a mysterious cabin, or she’ll never see her friends again. With nobody else to turn to, Maudie has to beg for help from Gianna, the living girl she’s been haunting. Together, the girls search for a way to thwart the monster and save Maudie’s friends.
But Maudie’s keeping secrets about the cabin and her friends. Unless she finds a way to finally face the truth, she may never be able to rescue her friends from Longfingers’s grasp.
Buy from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop.org
A beautifully-written book about facing the fears that haunt us. This is the second book I’ve read by Averling, and I can honestly say her writing style has fully captured my heart—it’s lyrical and haunting and full of whimsical details and plenty of surprises!
Kids who love horror stories will be mesmerized by the rich, unique worldbuilding and the atmospheric setting (a creepy cabin that shouldn’t exist!). Maudie’s quest to save her brother and her best friend continuously twists and turns into new territories, riveting the reader and leaving them wondering what might possibly come next. But best of all, the story is deeply moving and reminds us that facing even our deepest fears is always better than stuffing them down and hiding them deep, where they fester. I loved every minute of this book!
As a side note, if you haven’t read THE CURSE OF EELGRASS BOG yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. The two books are unrelated, so you don’t have to read Curse first, but I highly recommend you read that one too!
Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy! (But I also bought a copy of my own!)
About the Author
Mary Averling grew up across England and Canada, never far from the woods. She has degrees from the University of Victoria and Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Since she can’t stay away from libraries for very long, she is currently working toward her PhD at Queen’s University, Kingston. She lives surrounded by all the magical, spooky, heartfelt books she can find. THE CURSE OF EELGRASS BOG was her middle grade debut.
Author Links:
Mary accidentally sent me eleven addictions (four was in her list twice. Ooops!), but I just decided to go with it. Just one more fun fact to love about her (and since fun facts is literally on her list, this is perfect!).
Mary Averling’s Top Ten (Eleven) Addictions
- Books
Gotta get the obvious one out of the way first—because of course, I can’t get enough of reading!- Forests
No matter where I am in the world, there’s something about forests that makes me feel calm and rooted. They are always my happy place.- Monsters
Give me your cryptid stories! Your ghosts and ghouls! I adore creepy creatures.- Chocolate
I mean, treats in general. I definitely have a sweet tooth (mmm, cookies …) but nothing gets me smiling like chocolate. Last Christmas I tried a cheddar salted caramel, and you know what? Turns out I even like chocolate and cheese.- Dresses
I love the swoosh and the swish. Pants? Eh. My closet is FULL of dresses.- Road Trips
There’s something magic about long, lazy driving days, blasting music and visiting strange places.- Museums
Unnatural History Museums, anyone? But seriously! Art museums might be my favourite, but I’ve been to puppet museums, and hammer museums, and farmhouse museums, and [continues forever].- Hiking
A long, bright morning walk (especially if it’s along the lakefront where I live) is the bestest. Up mountains, into woods … doesn’t matter!- Fun Facts
The weirder, the better. Tell me about space or cats or peculiar inventions!- Horror Movies
There’s nothing better than hiding under a blanket and getting proper spooked!- Birds
Owls and loons are my favourite, but I couldn’t imagine life without birds.
Thanks so much for sharing,Mary! I am right there with you on forests. Even reading the word “forests” in your list gave me a happy feeling!!
MG posts since my last IMWAYR & MMGM:
- I’ve been terrible about remembering to send my posts to MMGM on Sunday lately, but last week I posted a review of AWAY by Megan E. Freeman.
What I’m currently reading:
Right now I’m listening to This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede (book two in the Last Finestra duology – I really enjoyed the first one!) and I’m reading the upcoming MG manga book Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda.
What are some of your favorite MG horror books? I want to know!
