What is X Marks the Haunt about?
A group of tweens discover a spooky mystery inside the Graceland Graveyard, and must solve it to save the treasured historic trees and the Arboretum status within it. The trees have not only historical significance but a deeply personal one too.
A young ghost wants to right a terrible wrong, and the friends must discover who the ghost is, what the wrong is, and how to fix it.
Plot summary of X Marks the Haunt (no spoilers)
12 year old Will Stone loves that his mum is the manager of a sprawling historic graveyard, even though he doesn’t tell anyone at school about it. The only person who knows he enjoys hanging out there after school, is his best friend Slash.
When a school trip is planned for this very cemetery, Will gets his mum to sign the permission form while she’s busy so she doesn’t notice where it’s going. The last thing he wants is extra fuss on the day he visits with his class.
Sure enough, he is busted on the day and the class bully gives him a hard time about it. Before Will knows it, he’s agreed to something he shouldn’t – after hours and in the graveyard grounds.
Things don’t go to plan and not only is an important key lost, something ‘other’ is disturbed in the process. To his horror, Will begins to be haunted, sparking a mystery that goes back to the 19th century. He and his friends team up to follow the clues, disengage a bully and solve the mystery.
My thoughts
X Marks the Haunt is a great middle-grade spooky read. The setting is based on a real historic graveyard / cemetery which grounds the novel, making the story more believable. The friendships built through initially wrong choices are heart warming, and the continuing mystery engaging.
The way a bully is handled is great for tweens to read, and so is the determination to work out a wronged ghost’s problem. Learning about the diseases of the 19th century that are unheard of now due to scientific progress (antibiotics and vaccinations) is also welcome.
The eye catching cover will appeal to fans of Goosebumps and other creepy reads.
Characters
Will Stone knows he’s not the run of the mill 12 year old. Most don’t spend their time after school at a graveyard, dreaming about being a genealogist. He enjoys working through all the files, working on mysteries he finds within them. His best friend Stash is the only one who knows his mum is the Manager of Graceland Cemetery and he wants to keep it that way.
Will doesn’t really have any friends beside Stash and soon enjoys having two new kids to hang out with. It’s extra nice that he has a little bit of a crush on one of them too.
Writing Style
Main character Will Stone tells the story in chapters in 1st person, present tense directly to the reader.
FAQs
What age is it for?
8-12 years
Where & When is it set?
Chicago Illinois US in the Graceland Cemetery & Arboretum / The Present
What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?
1st person / Present tense
Is there any Violence?
No. But there is verbal bullying and mention of past bullying.
What genre is X Marks the Haunt?
Middle-Grade Horror
Themes
Being yourself, Sticking up to Bullies, Friendship, Doing the right thing, Problem Solving
Is it part of a series?
No
But if you like spooky books, you might like these?
Click here
Author
Lindsay Currie
Publisher
Random House US
(2026, Random House US, Bullies, Bully, Courage, Friendship, Ghost, Growing up, Middle-Grade Horror, Tween Read, Mystery, Revenge, Secret, Problem, Haunting, Creepy, Spooky, Graveyard, Wolves, Genealogy, 19th Century diseases)