It Happened to Anna
By: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror
Number of Pages: 224
Published: august 6, 2024
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Dates Read: September 8, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Parental abandonment, grief, mental health, toxic relationship, bullying

Sadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a ghost who doesn’t allow her to make friends. The moment she tries, light bulbs begin exploding, chilly gusts of wind blow through even closed hallways, and accidents begin to happen. Last year, Anna finally made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her, Sadie knew it was her fault. Which is why she’s keeping to herself at this new school in Idaho. At least until she meets the mysterious cool girl Mal and the ghost doesn’t bother her for once. But Mal wants Sadie all to herself and she’ll do anything to make sure that happens.

I really, really enjoyed Tehlor Kay Mejia’s We Set the Dark on Fire duology and was super excited when I heard about their middle grade horror novel.

I believe Mejia’s did a wonderful job at catching the loneliness and depression that Sadie was in due to the ghost haunting her, and how much she craved the connection of friendship. Mejia uses a supernatural lens to talk about toxic friendships; what it looks like, what it feels like, and what one can do if they find themselves in one. I was very proud of Sadie when she (finally) began to figure out what was happening and that how she was being treated was not right.

Overall, this was a great middle grade horror read – scary, but nothing super crazy for the age group. It brings up a lot of conversation around social skills and friendships and what ultimately, at the end of the day, is a healthy one for each person.