Just Beyond: The Scare School

When Jess, Josh, and Marco discover a weird robot creature roaming the halls of The Scare School, they aren’t sure if it is a large insect or just a bizarre bot. Little do the three of them know that this weird creature will only be the beginning of a terrifying adventure. In a split-second decision, the three children decide to jump into a swirling vortex, landing them in another dimension. Now, Jess Josh and Marco must figure out where they are and how to escape before it’s too late.

In this new graphic-novel series for middle-graders, Just Beyond: The Scare School, readers will be whisked into a science-fiction terror complete with alternate dimensions, a human-eating robot, and a school that traps its students. Middle-grade readers will instantly relate with the three main earthly characters, while the name of the school alone will make them want to read the story. However, with its dual first-person narratives and confusing storyline, readers might be left questioning a few aspects of the plot. Hoping for a true Goosebumps in aesthetic and effect, I found this storyline to fall flat, yet I am optimistic that the next book in the series will deliver.