Books like 'Surrender the Key'
Readers who enjoyed Surrender the Key by D.J. MacHale also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy horror mystery supernatural action / adventure paranormal ghosts children friendship magic
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The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsFive months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts law-enforcement magic paranormal action-adventure alternate-history -
The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsAfter leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment...Categorized as:
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The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations...Categorized as:
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The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines...Categorized as:
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Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty, Lale Günseli Bayır
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSerafina's defeat of the Man in the Black Cloak has brought her out of the shadows and into the daylight realm of her home, Biltmore Estate. Every night she visits her mother in the forest, eager to learn the ways of the catamount...Categorized as:
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Serafina and the Splintered Heart by Robert Beatty, Битти Роберт
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe storms are coming.... Something has happened to Serafina. She has awoken into a darkness she does not understand, scarred from a terrible battle, only to find that life at Biltmore Estate has changed in unimaginable ways. Old friends do unthinkable things and enemies seem all around...Categorized as:
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The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsWhen the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career...Categorized as:
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Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsJust before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie...Categorized as:
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Her Evil Twin by Mimi McCoy
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIs Anna's new BFF really her evil twin? Nothing is as it seems in this thrilling, bone-chilling new Poison Apple book!Anna's new friend, Emma, is everything Anna wants to be -- fearless, effortlessly fashionable, and always up for doing something new and fun. The girls even look alike, and soon they're fixing their hair the same way and sharing clothes.But Emma is also kind of a troublemaker... -
The Thief Knot by Kate Milford
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGhosts, a kidnapping, a crew of young detectives, and family secrets mix in this new standalone mystery set in the world of the best-selling Greenglass House, from a National Book Award nominee and Edgar Award–winning author.Marzana and her best friend are bored. Even though they live in a notorious city where normal rules do not apply, nothing interesting ever happens to them...Categorized as:
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Dark Days by James Ponti
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMolly’s up against the undead—and the fate of Manhattan is in her hands—in the third and final book of the Dead City trilogy, which Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins says “breathes new life into the zombie genre.”Molly and the Omegas fight to contain the storm unleashed by Operation Blue Moon...Categorized as:
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The Strangers by Jacqueline West, Lexy Fridell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOlive thought she'd uncovered all the house's secrets. She was wrong.It's Halloween night when strangers come to Linden Street...and something dear to Olive goes missing... -
Lost Lullaby by Jason Segel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"Coraline meets Monsters, Inc. in this delightfully entertaining offering from actor [Jason] Segel and co-author [Kirsten] Miller." --Publishers Weekly, on book one in the series Stay up late with the hilariously frightening middle-grade novel Nightmares! The Lost Lullaby... -
The Crossbones by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPart text, part video, all chills and thrills -- Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek returns! Strange things happen in Skeleton Creek...and when they do, Ryan writes them down and Sarah captures them on video. Now, the spookiness is spreading, and the mystery is going to take them far beyond Skeleton Creek-into places both unexpectedly sinister and spine-chillingly haunted...Categorized as:
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The Raven by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPart text, part video, all spine-tingling mystery. Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek returns to thrill. Strange things happen in Skeleton Creek - and when they do, Ryan writes them down and Sarah captures them on video. They've solved old mysteries. They've followed clues all over the country and underground. They've investigated secret societies. They've found their answers. Or so they thought...Categorized as:
children ghosts law-enforcement paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
The Second Spy by Jacqueline West, Lexy Fridell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn Olive's third adventure, what lurks below the house could be as dangerous as what's hidden inside . . . Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. Or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, though, she realizes two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back... -
Among the Stars by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMay Bird has always been a bit. . . different. While most of her classmates were riding their bikes, she was running around the West Virginia woods, dressed as a warrior princess with her hairless cat at her side... -
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe chilling second book in the innovative series from bestselling author Patrick Carman. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam...Categorized as:
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The Black Reckoning by John Stephens
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe final book in the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy that began with "The Emerald Atlas," which the "New York Times" called "a new Narnia for the tween set... -
The Haunted Howl by Eric Luper
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCleo and Evan have a secret. A collection of books so dangerous they are locked up tight. A friend has vanished inside the pages of one of them. It's up to them to find the key that will set her free. THE CURSE OF THE FULL MOON MUST BE BROKEN!On a dark and stormy night, Cleo and Evan are haunted by a disaster...Categorized as:
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The Final Formula Collection by Becca Andre
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen magic returned almost two decades ago, it found a modern world rooted in science, and those beliefs colored the way new abilities manifested. This New Magic is in sharp contrast to Old Magic, which has always been around, hiding in the dark and forgotten places. Addie isn’t magical, but she can wield power with the best of them... -
The Women in the walls by Tim McGregor
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the detective she's fallen for needs help, a reluctant psychic must put aside her feelings to help him unravel a horrific crime. HAMILTON - Trying to maintain a normal life, psychic Billie Culpepper struggles to block out the dead souls that haunt her every move but her attempts to suppress her ability only serve to isolate her even more... -
The Ghost of Midnight Lake by Lucy Strange
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom award winning author Lucy Strange comes a thrilling ghost story about a strong willed heroine who will follow even the most restless spirit in order to untangles the dark mystery of her own past.It's 1899. The Earl of Gosswater has died, and twelve-year-old Agatha has been cast out of her ancestral home - the only home she has ever known - by her cruel cousin, Clarence...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts law-enforcement paranormal abuse action-adventure audiobook -
Recess Is a Jungle! by Jack Chabert
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSam, Antonio, and Lucy get trapped in a monstrous hedge maze! Will they ever find their way out?This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina... -
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Gilda Joyce: The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Gilda Joyce's mother announces her engagement to a man from St. Augustine, Florida, Gilda is appalled. She hasn't even given him the "Joyce Family Application" yet! But as the wedding preparations get under way, Gilda realizes she has much bigger concerns. Why does her soon-to-be stepdad keep calling Mrs. Joyce by his ex-wife's name? And why is Mrs...Categorized as:
children ghosts law-enforcement paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
WildSpark by Vashti Hardy, Cecelia Ramsdale
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA year after the death of her older brother, Prue Haywood's family is still shattered by grief. But everything changes when a stranger arrives at the farm. A new, incredible technology has been discovered in the city of Medlock, where a secretive guild of inventors have developed a way to capture spirits of the dead in animal-like machines, bringing them back to life...Categorized as:
children ghosts law-enforcement magic action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic is the sequel to the hilariously scary New York Times bestselling novel Nightmares! by multitalented actor Jason Segel and bestselling author Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on! Charlie Laird has a dream life. 1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium... -
Time Windows by Kathryn Reiss
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Miranda moves with her family to a new house in a small Massachusetts town, she discovers a mysterious antique--a dollhouse. Through the windows, she is shocked to find what seem to be living people in the tiny rooms, and gradually she realizes that scenes from the lives of the big house’s past inhabitants are being replayed there...Categorized as:
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Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAllie Nichols is being pursued by a ghost. Her friend Karen calls Allie a liar and doesn't want to hear stuff like that. But her old pal, Dub, listens eagerly as Allie tells him about the voice that guides her down a steep cliff side, the girl she imagines who begs, Help me, and a terrible nightmare in which that girl falls to her death...Categorized as:
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Captivada by Jacqueline West
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWith no way into the McMartin house's magical paintings, and its three guardian cats reluctant to help, Olive's friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere. So when Rutherford, the new oddball kid next door mentions a grimoire--a spellbook--Olive sees a glint of hope. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts magic paranormal action-adventure alternate-universe animals -
Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome back to the irresistible world of Greenglass House where thirteen-year-old Milo is, once again, spending the winter holidays stuck in a house full of strange guests who are not what they seem. There are fresh clues to uncover as friends old and new join in his search for a mysterious map and a famous smuggler’s lost haul...Categorized as:
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The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsDiana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren’t allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts law-enforcement paranormal action-adventure book children-books -
Ghosts Don't Ride Bikes, Do They? by Andrés Miedoso
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDesmond and Andres are in for a bike-riding adventure in the second book of the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol chapter book series!Welcome to Kersville, a town with a spooky history and a collection of ghosts and spirits who are major mischief-makers. Most kids spend their days without ever seeing or dealing with a ghost, but some kids get stuck with a haunt... -
Just South of Home by Karen Strong
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCousins Sarah and Janie unearth a tragic event in their small Southern town’s history in this witty middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Stella by Starlight, The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, and As Brave as You.Twelve-year-old Sarah is finally in charge...Categorized as:
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Ghost of a Chance by Susan Maupin Schmid
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsInside an enchanted castle, there’s a closet—a closet with one hundred magical dresses that only Darling Dimple can wear. Each one disguises her as somebody else. It turns out that Darling needs disguises. A thief is on the loose! Someone is causing an uproar among the servants—moving things around, stealing clothes from the laundry, and even pocketing Princess Mariposa’s jewels... -
The Loch Ness Punster by Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the seventh and final installment of the popular 43 Old Cemetery Road series, twelve-year-old Seymour Hope has inherited a castle in Loch Ness, Scotland. It could be the perfect summer vacation spot for Seymour and his parents, Olive C. Spence and Ignatius B. Grumply. But Iggy wants nothing to do with the castle...Categorized as:
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Echoes by Michael Bray
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeven years have passed since the fire at Hope House. Despite surviving, the lives of Steve and Melody Samson have changed for the worse. Steve has become a virtual recluse, while Melody is consumed by guilt, and sees in their son a constant reminder of the man Steve used to be... -
Ghost in the Attic by Dori Hillestad Butler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA brand-new young chapter book series from Edgar Award winner Dori Hillestad Butler! After successfully solving the mystery of the ghost in the library, Kaz and Claire land the first case for their detective agency--a haunted attic in a neighbor's home! With a little help from Grannie, Kaz and Claire discover that what appeared to be something spooky has a much simpler explanation...Categorized as:
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Disney Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume III Grim Grinning Ghosts by Amicus Arcane
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTales from the Haunted Mansion, Volume III: Grim Grinning GhostsAs told by mansion librarian Amicus ArcaneThe eerie Amicus Arcane has returned from beyond the grave to share more spooky stories from inside the Haunted Mansion. What frightening fictions does this once-living librarian hold in store? And will you, foolish reader, be brave enough to listen to them all without going mad..Categorized as:
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An Unexpected Guest by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsKrewe Special Agent Jon Dickson and Kylie Connolly met under tough circumstances, but despite that, they discovered it seemed they were meant to be.Now, moved into a condo in the D.C... -
Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur T. Bradley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKendra Levin, while at Viking, acquired world rights to Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by middle-grade author Fleur Bradley, pitched as in the tradition of The Westing Game with a touch of Clue. Aneeka Kalia will edit. Five murder suspects are invited to the haunted Barclay Hotel, and it's up to the tag-along kids JJ and Penny—and a ghost—to figure out who committed the crime...Categorized as:
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Archimancy by J.A. White
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe first book in a middle grade series that introduces three friends and their quest to unravel the secrets of Shadow School, a strange middle school in New Hampshire, from the acclaimed author of Nightbooks and the Thickety series, J. A. White. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Neil Gaiman, and Adam Gidwitz.Cordelia Liu knew Shadow School was going to be different...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook boarding-school book -
Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA thrilling mystery set against a stark landscape and the inspiration of Nome's real-life dog hero, Balto.Twelve-year-old Tee didn't think she believed in ghosts . . . until a walk in the woods around her new rural Alaskan home changes her mind. She and her beagle, Henry, are stalked by a wolfish, decidedly spooky shadow. There's something out there - and it's not of this world... -
The In-Between by Rebecca Ansari
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door, who won’t stop staring at him.So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction...Categorized as:
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Les aventures de Johnny Dixon: Le crâne du sorcier by John Bellairs
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Johnny Dixon and his friend Professor Childermass discover an old heirloom clock, the terror begins. The professor suddenly vanishes, and Johnny is left to solve the mystery--alone.Inside the clock Johnny discovers a miniature room, a room exactly like the one in which a murder took place long ago. And from the inside the little room Johnny pockets a tiny skull with magical powers... -
Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen her best friend, Wendy Choy, qualifies to compete in an international piano competition in Oxford, England, irrepressible Gilda Joyce finds a way to get an invitation herself—as a page-turner. Wendy settles into an exhausting practice schedule, made worse by strange nightmares, while Gilda finds herself falling in love with a British boy...Categorized as:
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Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEach day, sixth-grader Rusty feeds a dog that's left chained in the frigid weather with no shelter, food, or water. When he realizes the dog has been injured, he tries to have Animal Control help - but when that fails, Rusty and his friend Andrew unchain the dog and take it... -
The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhat if the monsters from your favorite horror books were real?Eddie Fennicks has always been a loner, content to lose himself in a mystery novel by his favorite author, Nathaniel Olmstead. That’s why moving to the small town of Gatesweed becomes a dream come true when Eddie discovers that Olmstead lived there before mysteriously disappearing thirteen years ago... -
The Dagger in the Desk by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA thrilling new case for London’s most talented psychic detection agency—from the global bestselling author of the Bartimaeus Sequence.In London, a mysterious and potentially deadly ghost is stalking the halls of St Simeon’s Academy for Talented Youngsters. It lurks in the shadows, spreading fear and icy cold – and it carries a sharp and very solid dagger..Categorized as:
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The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDoes an abandoned asylum hold the key to a frightful haunting?Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances...Categorized as:
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