Pumpkin gore from Brent Michael Kelley

 

Pumpkin Guts

Brent Michael Kelley
Horror
Oct 1, 2026
Mystery Potion Books, 265 pp
Ebook 5.99

Buy on Kindle

About the Book

Hiding out from the Icelandic mafia in the middle of nowhere, Lia Rail finds herself offered up as the annual Halloween sacrifice to an oversized pumpkin-monster called Jack o’ the Patch. After a narrow escape, Lia is pursued by a growing horde of Jack's pumpkin-minions. Monstrous worms, bats, and spiders will tear the town apart until their master gets his victim. As the creatures flood the town and close in, Lia’s survival depends on making friends and giving them a reason to trust her. She'll have to do it quickly, too, before Jack o' the Patch himself comes down from the mountain to destroy the city in search of his prize.

My review

A mythic curse travels the oceans to America…or is there a real curse in Squatter’s Notch? A little backwater in Wisconsin is as good a place to hide as any for a young quirky lass named Lia Rail. She’s running from the mob due to some serious misunderstanding, and realizes she’s jumped from the frying pan into the fire. It’s Halloween, which has an unusual reputation in Squatter’s Notch. Lia, who’s been in residence long enough to make both friends and enemies, finds herself on the wrong side of the fence when the sweet little old lady she does odd jobs for has one final and unfortunately fatal request. A sightseeing drive up the cliff takes a sinister twist, and Lia runs again, this time convincing Notchians to defend their town from the evil Jack even while he takes their neighbor’s souls.

Squatter’s Notch will enchant the reader with its fun cast of police, townsfolk, gas station owners with a heart of gold, and self-sacrificing firefighters who jump into the fray to save a school full of children from the mad Jack o’ the Patch on a rampage of terror. Lia stays true to herself while reaching out to her enemies and showing the people of Squatter’s Notch they can work together in an attempt to overcome their terrible curse. Some gore and possession, but overall, a good time read.

About the Author

Since 2011, Brent Michael Kelley has had six books published. Those works include the first three novels of an ongoing dark fantasy series following Chuggie, the embodiment of Drought on a monster-filled world called Mag Mell (Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater, Chuggie and the Bleeding Gateways, Chuggie and the Prisoner Gods). Also included is a YA comedy-horror called Keep Away From Psycho Joe, a dystopian future-sports novella Cruce Roosters, and a short story collection Doomsday Furnace. Brent lives in northern Wisconsin with his wife, son, and two weird dogs, whose names are S'mores and Lil' Smokey.

Soccer to the Max MG by Bibi Belford

 

Soccer to the Max
Bibi Belford
 
Ten16 Press, September, 2026
Middle Grade, 195 pp

About the Book

Sandburg has big summer plans. Win the 3v3 Tournament trophy, then escape for a long-awaited vacay on his grandparents’ ranch. But when he’s left behind at soccer camp while his family visits his sister’s doctor, everything unravels. He really wants to follow his dad’s advice, “Do better to be better,” but as disappointments pile up, it seems like me-first is a better option. That decision sets in motion a disastrous chain of events that even Zander, his amazing superhero-loving roommate, can’t prevent.

My Review

Suprises are usually excellent or not-so-great; it turns out many of the surprises in almost-fifth grader Sanburg Zaproski’s summer are of the not-so-great variety.

Soccer camp would have been the coolest thing for Sandy, if it hadn’t meant missing the family annual vacation to Grandpa’s Texas ranch. Meeting new kids and working on soccer skills would have been completely awesome if Sandy hadn’t drawn the fearsomest opponent in soccerdom, the one who strikes fear in every kid’s heart because of his height and abilities. A head taller than every kid his age, Sandy, who’s tasked by his father to see with empathy eyes, starts to look deeper at the people around him. Lessons at camp come as another unwelcome surprise when he realizes he’s not as good of a player as he thought he was. Sandy has a lot of growing up to do, and once he realizes that other kids have similar quirks and fears, he’s slowly learning to be more forgiving.

Until it comes to his younger cousin, Max. When Sandy gets home from camp, squirrely squirt Max seems to get all the attention and praise and treats that Sandy used to get. When Max turns out to be the surprise last-ditch choice to play in a very special soccer tournament Sandy and his friends Zoya and Cole have entered, it’s up to Sandy to find Max’s superpower and decide whether to use it to help the team.

Belford’s wonderful young characters beautifully take the story and run with it. Sandy frequently addresses the reader, drawing us deep into his opinionated actions, sometimes blaming us and sometimes calling out excuses for his behavior. We’re learning and growing social skills right alongside him. When Sandy gets upset at the unfairness of life, he lets us know with a sentence like, “Steam that could roast corn escapes from the top of my head.” When his family tries to surprise him, he says, “I try to remember how to smile. Lift the corners of my lips…stretch them out towards my ears like a guard dog’s muzzle before it bites an intruder.”

Filled with many wonderful quotable quotes, like “chuck in the bucket and move on,” and “an ant has no quarrel with a boot,” as well as wonderful vocabulary words Sandy teaches his audience, like “intimidation,” Soccer to the Max is a delightful story for both the entertainment and character lessons. Highly recommended for any age.

About the Author

Bibi Belford is the author of books for middle grade readers: CANNED AND CRUSHED, THE GIFT,
CROSSING THE LINE, and ANOTHER D FOR DEEDEE. Bibi starting writing books because her students told her they couldn’t find books they liked. She wants her books to challenge kids to make a difference in their world and be everyday heroes. She lives in a high rise building in Chicago, Illinois and when it’s nice writes on her balcony. She enjoys reading, gardening, beach-bumming, and making her grandchildren laugh. Bibi works part time substituting at Bennett Academy and as an educational consultant and trainer. She also volunteers two days a week at a CPS public school. Some of her credentials include:  B.A. English, K-8 Illinois teaching certificate, Reading endorsement, ESL endorsement, and a Masters of Bilingual Literacy. She is a member of CWA – Chicago Writers Association, SCBWI-Illinois, and has served as a panelist and speaker at the UW-Madison Writers’ Institute.