Jinxed! Reading Recommendations

By: Shanleigh Klassen

Prepare yourself for our upcoming November JINXED theme, with these six adventurous middle grade books featuring curses, spells, and hexes that will have you thanking your lucky stars.

Our upcoming featured title is an atmospheric standalone fantasy set in a swampy locale, full of incredible characters, unbreakable bonds, and lots of adventure. This will be the perfect next read for fans of The Accidental Apprentice, Serafina and the Black Cloak, and The Mirrorwood.

**Curious to know what book we’re featuring next month? Check out our SPOILER PAGE HERE!**

Good luck!


Freddie vs. The Family Curse by Tracy Badua

Freddie Ruiz is cursed. While other people may have bad days, Freddie and his family have had bad generations. He’s learned to lay low and keep himself out of trouble — which means no fun, no friends, and definitely no risks. But when he discovers a century-old amulet from the Philippines that’s supposed to bring good fortune, Freddie thinks his luck is finally about to change. He couldn’t be more wrong because the spirit of Freddie’s cranky great-granduncle Ramon is trapped in the heirloom, and the evil spirits responsible for his death have returned with a vengeance. Now, Freddie has thirteen days to break the curse, or Freddie will join Ramon for an untimely afterlife in the amulet.

 

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend. Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him.

At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong. One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.

 

Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall

Eleanor has just moved to Eden Eld to live with her aunt and uncle, and with her 13th birthday just around the corner, she hopes this year will be a fresh start. But then she begins to notice “wrong things” all around Eden Eld, and a book of fairytales she's never heard of almost willingly drops in front of her, as if asking to be read. Eleanor and her new classmates, Pip and Otto, are the only others who see these wrong things, and they also all happen to share a Halloween birthday. Bonded by these odd similarities, the trio uncovers a centuries-old pact the town has with a mysterious figure known as Mr. January, and this year, he is back to collect his payment . . .

 

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega


For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.

Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late.

 

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

In the eerie town of ‘Allows, some people get to be magical sorceresses, while others have their spirits trapped in the mall for all eternity. Then there’s Beetle, who’s caught in between. She’d rather skip being homeschooled completely and spend time with her best friend, Blob Glost. But the mall is getting boring, and B.G. is cursed to haunt it, tethered there by some unseen force. And now Beetle’s old best friend, Kat, is back in town for a sorcery apprenticeship with her Aunt Hollowbone. Bu then Kat’s mentor sets her own vile scheme in motion and if Blob Ghost doesn’t escape the mall soon, their afterlife might be coming to a very sticky end.

 

The Curse on Spectacle Key by Chantel Acevedo

Frank’s family never stays in one place for long. His parents renovate unusual buildings and turn them into homes, which means the family moves — a lot. So when his parents announce they’re moving to Spectacle Key, Florida, to live in a lighthouse for good, Frank is thrilled. But Spectacle Key isn’t the perfect forever home they'd imagined. The lighthouse is falling apart there are knocks on the door, and there’s even a creepy doll that seems to move on its own. Then one day while exploring, Frank meets a girl in old-fashioned clothes, with no memory of who she is. What she does know, though, is that the island is under a curse — and she needs Frank’s help to figure out how to lift it.


Subscribe with code JRBLOG15 to save 15% off any new subscription purchase.

Click HERE to subscribe to OwlCrate Jr now!