The Clackity

By: Lora Senf

Narrated by: Kimberly Woods

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Reminiscent of Doll Bones and Small Spaces, this “delightfully eerie” (Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows) middle grade novel tells the story of a girl who must rescue her aunt by entering a world of ghosts, witches, and monsters to play a game with deadly consequences.

Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor—the seventh-most haunted town in America—with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn’t have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her.

There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie reluctantly embarks on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls. Will she ever find Des, or is The Clackity planning something far more sinister?

©2022 Lora Senf. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Delightfully eerie, The Clackity is full of chills aplenty and so much heart. I fell in love with Blight Harbor and Evie, even as they gave me goosebumps!”—Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

“A wonderfully surreal and sinister journey, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.”—Kurt Kirchmeier, author of The Absence of Sparrows

“The Clackity is a spooky story with a charming main character and a cast full of ghosts, witches, strange houses, and some villains you will not be able to forget. An empowering story about overcoming grief, fear, doubt, and finally learning to trust yourself, wrapped in a chilling tale with some strong Coraline vibes. Senf has crafted what is sure to become a modern classic with Evie’s empowering and triumphant adventure.”—Ally Malinenko, author of Ghost Girl

Highly recommend for fans of Gaiman's Coraline

Senf did a masterful job crafting a tale that is compelling and terror inducing. The comparisons to Gaiman's Coraline are accurate, though I would hazard that Senf took it a bit further adding more scares more trials and tribulations than the beloved Coraline. I love the main character Evie and the cast of characters that surrounded her, both good, and the decidedly not good. Senf's ability to create an immersive world maybe feel like I was part of the story, witnessing the scenes along with the protagonist. The story narration was superb. Highly recommend.

A Good Read for young and old

An interesting story with potential and intriguing opportunities for future books. The book touched on dealing with anxieties within one self.

Creative Creatures 

I love every character in the book and the way their ends meet. The books gives a beautiful mix of Coraline and Alice in wonderland.

Good creepy story

A fun scary story for younger readers, but also enjoyable for adults. A good entertaining tale of a young woman who uses her wits and her courage to deal with a dangerous situation.

Brilliant

Wonderfully written and perfectly spooky. I love the imagination put into every little detail. You can’t help but love the aunt/nice relationship and little bird too.