Dust & Grim

By: Chuck Wendig

Narrated by: Rachel Jacobs

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

From a best-selling author: Miss Peregrine meets The Graveyard Book in this middle-grade adventure about rival siblings running a monster mortuary.

Thirteen-year-old Molly doesn't know how she got the short end of the stick - being raised by her neglectful father - while Dustin, the older brother she's never met, got their mother and the keys to the family estate. But now the siblings are both orphaned, she's come home for her inheritance, and if Dustin won't welcome her into the family business, then she'll happily take her half in cash.

There's just one problem: The family business is a mortuary for monsters, and Molly's not sure she's ready to deal with mysterious doors, talking wolves, a rogue devourer of magic, and a secret cemetery. It's going to take all of Dustin's stuffy supernatural knowledge and Molly's most heroic cosplay (plus a little help from non-human friends) for the siblings to figure it out and save the day...if only they can get along for five minutes.

Best-selling author Chuck Wendig's middle-grade debut is equal parts spooky, funny, and heartfelt - perfect for Halloween and year-round enjoyment!

©2021 Chuck Wendig (P)2021 Little, Brown Young Readers

Critic Reviews

"A clever, heartwarming tale of funerary rites, ghosts, and the undying power of family." (Holly Black, Newbery Honor-winning author of Doll Bones and The Cruel Prince)

"A one-of-a-kind delight - mysterious, exciting, inventive, sometimes scary, and always funny, Dust & Grim reads like a rollicking ghosts and monsters story, which it is. But just as important, it’s a compelling and tender story about family. Sibling duo Molly and Dustin will find their way into readers’ hearts as surely as they find their way into each other’s." (Trenton Lee Stewart, best-selling author of The Mysterious Benedict Society)

"Sucks you in with a wise-cracking zaniness that soon spirals into a delightful rampaging chaos of swarming vampires, thorny wolves, walking trees, and eldritch horrors. And yet even as the dangers for Molly and Dustin increase and the wise-cracks keep flying, the importance of family both lost and found grounds their story with a profound sense of heart." (Paolo Bacigalupi, best-selling author of The Windup Girl, Ship Breaker, and Zombie Baseball Beatdown)

I wanted to enjoy this more?

First: I have been reading books for kids so that I can give my niblings recommendations. I'm well aware I'm not the target audience.

Second: The writing style itself is just fine! My opinion of this story wouldn't stop me from reading others by this author. And the narrator performance was great.

I'd assumed (based on the summary and cover) that the drama would be simpler and compassionate up front, followed by a spooky adventure. Instead, the drama seems to be a bit front and center?

For me, Molly is not likeable. As an adult I recognize her acting out is a result of trauma and it makes sense. I recognize a child using attitude to hide deeper pain. However, as a reader I couldn't relate to or empathize with her outright hostility toward Dustin-- more broadly, a stranger who didn't cause her misfortunes. She laments that he doesn't like her, but makes him feel bad at every turn??

Ultimately, I couldn't continue this story because I didn't feel like I could be on Molly's side. As a result, I won't recommend this book to any young readers I know.

Dust & Grim

This book makes no sense. It’s all over the place and I can’t even figure out what the storyline is.

Frightening and funny

I absolutely adored everything about this audiobook! It was as frightening as it was funny and I couldn’t get enough of it. The voice actress did a stunning job with the narration and giving voices to the characters. I hope to read/listen more from this author soon.

Excellent!!!

This audio book was wonderfully crafted, engaging, fast-paced, and fun. The narrator was stellar. Enjoyed both the characters and the plot immensely. 5 out of 5. Will read again!

A Great Book for Halloween

Fans of Jessica Townsend's The Trials of Morrigan Crow books and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series will love this YA book filled with all sorts of monsters.