Books like 'Bye-bye, Blue Creek'
Readers who enjoyed Bye-bye, Blue Creek by Andrew Smith also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy mystery horror realistic magical-realism lgbtq children male-mc law-enforcement
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Dark Days by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsMeet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.Oh yes. And dead.Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by the Faceless Ones. If his bones haven’t already been turned to dust, chances are he’s insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement low-fantasy action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age -
![Leave the Window Open by Victoria E. Schwab]()
Leave the Window Open by Victoria E. Schwab
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA free story from Wesley’s POV, set a few hours after the end of The Unbound... -
![The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy]()
The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe third bone-breaking, belly-busting adventure in the series that puts the “funny” back in, um, funny series...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement low-fantasy action-adventure audiobook book comedy -
![Resurrection by Derek Landy]()
Resurrection by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe skeleton detective is coming back to life...again! It's the tenth, triumphant novel in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and it will rearrange your world.Skulduggery and Valkyrie are back in the tenth instalment in the best-selling Skulduggery Pleasant series - an incredible and unexpected treat for the legions of fans around the world...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement lgbtq low-fantasy action-adventure audiobook book -
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![Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater]()
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.Ronan Lynch is a dreamer...Categorized as:
friendship lgbtq low-fantasy magical-realism male-mc action-adventure audiobook book -
![A Mind Full of Murder by Derek Landy]()
A Mind Full of Murder by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA bone-shaking new trilogy begins – the latest adventure in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant seriesSIX YEARS AGO, THE UNIVERSE ENDED.When it restarted, blinking back into existence, it brought with it a darkness that remains hidden from the mortal population.A week ago – fuelled by unimaginable hatred and unstoppable rage – a masked sorcerer killed one of those mortals. Then he killed another... -
![Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement realistic action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan]()
Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsBook 11 of The Saga Of Darren Shan. Darren's going home. Back to where everything started. The town's changed a lot in the years that he's been away -- but then, so has Darren...Categorized as:
children friendship low-fantasy magical-realism male-mc 21st-century action-adventure audiobook -
![Midnight by Derek Landy]()
Midnight by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSkulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back in their most gripping story yet, as book 11, Midnight, picks up where Resurrection left off – and runs.For years, Valkyrie Cain has struggled to keep her loved ones safe from harm, plunging into battle – time and time again – by Skulduggery Pleasant’s side, and always emerging triumphant...Categorized as:
children law-enforcement lgbtq low-fantasy action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Demon Dentist by David Walliams]()
Demon Dentist by David Walliams
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThis New York Times bestseller from David Walliams, the UK’s #1 bestselling children’s author and “the heir to Roald Dahl” (The Spectator), launched his books stateside in a big way!Walliams makes going to the dentist a wacky adventure with his signature humor—this is one dentist appointment you don’t want to miss.Something strange is happening in Alfie's town...Categorized as:
children friendship low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Re-Vamped! by Sienna Mercer]()
Re-Vamped! by Sienna Mercer
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe secret is out--cheerleader Olivia and vampire Ivy are twins!ow that Ivy and Olivia have told their friends that they're twins, they have to come clean to their adoptive parents. But Ivy's dad doesn't even want to meet Olivia!When the vampire officials realize Olivia knows the truth about vampires, they demand that she pass three tests to prove she's worthy of sharing the secret... -
![Dark Days by James Ponti]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement action-adventure audiobook book children-books contemporary -
![The Creakers by Tom Fletcher]()
The Creakers by Tom Fletcher
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAt night, this mischievous bunch peeks out from under your bed. When you hear that creak . . . creak . . . THE CREAKERS are there! Discover a hilarious and eerie middle-grade story by a UK star...Categorized as:
children friendship action-adventure audiobook book children-books contemporary fiction -
![Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement male-mc realistic action-adventure book children-books -
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![Fangtastic! by Sienna Mercer]()
Fangtastic! by Sienna Mercer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOlivia is a vegetarian. Ivy is a vampire. And they're twins?!?Ever since Olivia discovered that her long-lost twin sister, Ivy, is a vampire, she's been soaking up everything Ivy will tell her about Franklin Grove's vampire community. It's all top secret, and Olivia's sworn that she'll never tell another soul. But now, nosy tabloid reporter Serena Star is snooping around... -
![Pet by Akwaeke Emezi]()
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA thought-provoking and haunting novel about a creature that escapes from an artist's canvas, whose talent is sniffing out monsters in a world that claims they don't exist anymore. Perfect for fans of Akata Witch and Shadowshaper . There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught... -
![Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans]()
Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsMurder most fowl? In this sardonic and campy YA thriller, an anxious, introverted nonbinary teen birder somehow finds themself solving a murder mystery with their neighbor/fellow anime lover, all while falling for a cute girl from their birding group . . . and trying not to get murdered... -
![The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly by Rebecca Ansari]()
The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly by Rebecca Ansari
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCharlie O’Reilly is an only child. Which is why it makes everyone uncomfortable when he talks about his brother. Liam, his eight-year-old kid brother, who, up until a year ago, slept in the bunk above Charlie, took pride in being as annoying as possible, and was the only person who could make Charlie laugh until it hurt.Then came the morning when the bunk, and Liam, disappeared forever...Categorized as:
children friendship low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
![The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst]()
The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSophie loves the hidden shop below her parents' bookstore, where dreams are secretly bought and sold. When the dream shop is robbed and her parents go missing, Sophie must unravel the truth to save them. Together with her best friend—a wisecracking and fanatically loyal monster named Monster—she must decide whom to trust with her family’s carefully guarded secrets...Categorized as:
children friendship low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure animals audiobook book -
![Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff]()
Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA haunting ghost story about navigating grief, growing up, and growing into a new gender identityIt's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare... -
![Long Lost by Jacqueline West]()
Long Lost by Jacqueline West
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist. When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress...Categorized as:
magical-realism children realistic law-enforcement low-fantasy middle-grade fantasy mystery -
![Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book -
![The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage, Lauren Fortgang]()
The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage, Lauren Fortgang
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe eagerly anticipated followup to the Newbery honor winner and New York Times bestseller, Three Times LuckySmall towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are -- no matter how many murders you solve.When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn't realize there's a ghost in the fine print... -
![Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire]()
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsWelcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you've already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again. It isn't as friendly as Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. And it isn't as safe...Categorized as:
children friendship lgbtq low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure audiobook boarding-school -
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![Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate The Magic of Reading & Writing YA by Emily X.R. Pan, Nova Ren Suma]()
Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate The Magic of Reading & Writing YA by Emily X.R. Pan, Nova Ren Suma
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThirteen Short Stories from Bold New YA Voices & Writing Advice from YA IconsCreated by New York Times bestselling authors Emily X. R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma, Foreshadow is so much more than a short story collection...Categorized as:
lgbtq magical-realism action-adventure anthologies contemporary dystopia fiction horror -
![The Five O'Clock Ghost by Dori Hillestad Butler]()
The Five O'Clock Ghost by Dori Hillestad Butler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKaz and Claire are back for a timely mystery in this adorable series by Edgar Award winner Dori Hillestad Butler! Kaz and Claire are called in for another ghostly mystery, and this ghost is always right on time. When Claire's friend tells the young detectives about his five o'clock ghost, Kaz wonders if it could be his own missing brother, Little John... -
![The Secret Room by Dori Hillestad Butler]()
The Secret Room by Dori Hillestad Butler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNow that Kaz can finally pass through walls without feeling all “skizzy,” he can go explore Beckett’s secret room at the back of the library... -
![Just South of Home by Karen Strong]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement low-fantasy magical-realism realistic action-adventure black-mc -
![The Ghost Backstage by Dori Hillestad Butler]()
The Ghost Backstage by Dori Hillestad Butler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKaz and Claire’s new detective agency is a success! Their latest case, though, is proving to be the hardest yet. When Claire’s classmate says he saw a ghost backstage while rehearsing the school play, Kaz goes to school with Claire to investigate... -
![Ghost in the Attic by Dori Hillestad Butler]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement action-adventure book children-books contemporary fiction -
![The Ghost at the Fire Station by Dori Hillestad Butler, Aurore Damant]()
The Ghost at the Fire Station by Dori Hillestad Butler, Aurore Damant
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith a lot of searching and a lot of luck, Kaz has found his dog Cosmo, his little brother Little John, his grandmom, and his grandpops... -
![Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo]()
Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA tightly woven blend of myth, magic, and the ties of a found family.Ghosts that speak in smoke. Spirits with teeth like glass. A parasitic, soul-eating spirit worm has gone into a feeding frenzy, but all the Jong-ro Police Department’s violent crimes unit sees is a string of suicides. Except for Kim Han-gil, Seoul’s only spirit detective. He’s seen this before...Categorized as:
lgbtq law-enforcement magical-realism low-fantasy fantasy urban-fantasy paranormal horror -
![The Raconteur's Commonplace Book by Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars]()
The Raconteur's Commonplace Book by Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNothing is what it seems and there's always more than one side to the story as a group of strangers trapped in an inn slowly reveal their secrets...The rain hasn't stopped for a week, and the twelve guests of the Blue Vein Tavern are trapped by flooded roads and the rising Skidwrack River. Among them are a ship’s captain, tattooed twins, a musician, and a young girl traveling on her own...Categorized as:
children law-enforcement low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas]()
The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Cuban American boy must use his secret ability to communicate with animals to save the inhabitants of his town.All Nestor Lopez wants is to live in one place for more than a few months and have dinner with his dad.When he and his mother move to a new town to live with his grandmother after his dad’s latest deployment, Nestor plans to lay low...Categorized as:
children friendship low-fantasy magical-realism realistic action-adventure animals anthropomorphism -
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![Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel]()
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...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement realistic action-adventure animals book children-books -
![The In-Between by Rebecca Ansari]()
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:
children friendship law-enforcement low-fantasy magical-realism male-mc action-adventure audiobook -
![Breathing Lies by Jessica Sorensen]()
Breathing Lies by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Avertonson brothers and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. They're also twins, but where Foster is all light, Kingsley is darkness and danger. I've been in love with Foster for a while, but the night I finally get the courage to tell him how I feel is the same night I nearly drown. Foster saves me, though. At least that’s what I’m led to believe... -
![Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison]()
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... -
![Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret]()
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...Categorized as:
children friendship realistic action-adventure animals book children-books contemporary -
![Malamander by Thomas Taylor]()
Malamander by Thomas Taylor
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter... -
![Terms May Apply by Keith A. Pearson]()
Terms May Apply by Keith A. Pearson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat would you give for a wish to come true? Your left arm? Your most cherished possession? Your last crumb of integrity?Kyle Hammond is suffering a surprise birthday party he really didn’t want. As he blows out the candles on his cake, he makes a token wish. Three days later, to his utter astonishment, that wish comes true... -
![Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison]()
Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsZany Gilda Joyce brings all of her psychic and investigative skills with her as she sets out to investigate a mysterious death at a Catholic girls' school...Categorized as:
children law-enforcement low-fantasy magical-realism realistic action-adventure audiobook book -
![The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts]()
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsKatie, who has supernatural powers, attempts to start a new life in another town with her mother. The attempt succeeds until Mr. Cooper asks Katie too many questions...Categorized as:
children friendship low-fantasy magical-realism realistic 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
![Skeleton Creek #1 by Patrick Carman]()
Skeleton Creek #1 by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe first book in the breakthrough series from bestselling author Patrick Carman, featuring text and technology in an innovative new way. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek . . . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement male-mc realistic action-adventure book children-books -
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![Demon Road by Derek Landy]()
Demon Road by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe mind-blowing new supernatural thriller from bestselling author DEREK LANDY, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant.Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor-sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America...Categorized as:
children lgbtq low-fantasy magical-realism action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
![The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson]()
The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBookish puzzles, phantom mysteries, and evil curses await as Elizabeth returns to Winterhouse in The Secrets of Winterhouse, the second book in Ben Guterson's magical series.Back at the Winterhouse hotel for another holiday season, Elizabeth and Freddy dig deeper into the mystery surrounding Riley S... -
![The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret]()
The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him--only then will he be at peace...Categorized as:
children friendship law-enforcement action-adventure audiobook book children-books contemporary -
![Blink Once by Cylin Busby]()
Blink Once by Cylin Busby
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWest is a high school senior who has everything going for him until an accident leaves him paralyzed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness, West is terrified and alone. Until he meets Olivia.She's the girl next door-sort of... -
![We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride]()
We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThey Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones...Categorized as:
magical-realism friendship low-fantasy young-adult fantasy mental-illness contemporary fiction -
![Passenger by Andrew Smith]()
Passenger by Andrew Smith
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBest friends Jack and Conner can’t stay away from Marbury. It’s partly because of their obsession with this alternate world and the unresolved war that still wages there. But it’s also because forces in Marbury—including the darkest of the dark, who were not revealed in The Marbury Lens—are beckoning the boys back in order to save their friends . . . and themselves...
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