Id say this book is focused on Jakes coming of age story and the other characters stories much more than the ghost story elements, but there are some creepy moments in the story as well. I have to say that it did leave me wanting to roast some smores over aq campfire, but I had to settle for chocolate chip cookies! The book does have some Stranger Things vibes given the 1980s setting and kids going up against the unknown, though there is much less actual confrontation of the supernatural. It had the feeling of ghost stories being told around the campfire (even before the characters actually do tell a story around the campfire). This was a fun, quick read with a little air of creepy mystery. Calvin seems to be the master of the ghost story, telling tales steeped in local lore and urban myths which leave Jake and the reader questioning what is lurking behind these tales. When Jake makes some new friends, Calvin initiates a Saturday Night Ghost Club and takes them around to some potentially haunted settings to encounter the supernatural. He spends much of his time with his uncle Calvin, an eccentric man who lives for conspiracy theory and stories of the occult. Jake is a 12 year old kid in need of friends, ditched and picked on by his former best friend. THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB tells the story of Jake Baker, a kid growing up in 1980s Niagra Falls. It was billed as being in the vein of Stranger Things and Stand by Me which made me excited to pick it up. THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB by Craig Davidson was the August book pick for the Grim Readers Book Club. Review #3 Audiobook The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
I can\’t think of any of my reader friends that wouldn\’t find this a great read. Don\’t let that \”horror\” label be the signpost that you steer by and avoid this book. I know some will dismiss this with \”I don\’t read horror\” or somesuch, but this is so much more that that – a tale of youth and how friends come and go throughout your life, the importance of family as it plays out through your life, and the dynamic nature of memory. To call this book It-lite would be a total disservice, as Ghost Club is considerably lighter on the horrors, pays full-freight on the nostalgia and camaraderie of youth, but both books cross the goal line at different speeds in different cars.
This book landed solidly on my best-of list (not just of 2019, but best-of) and will be one I\’ll revisit on a regular basis. Davidson more than delivered on the promise. Before diving in, I read comments that brought out allusions to Stranger Things, Stand By Me, and other tales that harken back to the days of youth when nothing seemed out of reach, everything seemed possible and friends were forever, and I\’ve heard that before with other books so I went in with my guard up. The characters were rich, the voice warm and engaging, and the tale layered with nostalgia. This book is one of the few gems that comes along once in a long stretch, even if those miles between are filled with milestones of good books.
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