Fatal Glitch: Camp Zero by Erin Entrada Kelly, Eliot Schrefer and illustrator Jeannette Arroyo has one of the more creepy beginnings in a middle grade novel. Of course, what made me want to read it, though it has been calling my name for ages (it has been out since July 2026 but I was able to still find an online reader), was a black and white illustration that had a humanoid body, with multiple eyes being, that I found researching the title. So, I guess I should have realized it would be creepy. I guess I just didn’t think right out of the gate. 
We follow Sophia, a young girl who is not the hero of our story. That’s not a spoiler as if you are paying attention to what she is saying (a lot of times repeatedly) you realize she is an unreliable narrator and isn’t a nice person. What she doesn’t realize, and you should, is that unless she has one major character redemption arc, she isn’t going to have her Happily Ever After. We also follow several other “candidates” (as they are called) as they are at a camp that takes “playing games” to a new level. Sophia will do anything (and she means anything) to win at this game. We see the spooky, the really spooky and the pee your pants spooky (or if you are aged 10 to 14 you might be in that last category. And younger people can read, but there might be a few sensitive situations they would not be comfortable with). 
The publisher’s description says it is Black Mirror meets Goosebumps. I would say for sure Goosebumps, but no idea about Black Mirror (which I have never seen/heard of so I’m not sure). It might be a bit above Goosebumps, but for sure if you like that thriller-horror element, this will be up your alley.
Camp Zero is a standalone title, with Fatal Glitch: Let’s Play a Game (book two) the next in line and another solo read. I started it, but might not finish (depends on how many lunch times I have to read in as it’s another online copy, but available to purchase). It starts off similarly, but the image (the humanoid creature) looks different. And speaking of images, there are a handful of black and white illustrations throughout book one (assuming that two will follow in the same thread) that give you highlights of the story. Sadly, the mechanical vultures were not as cute as I hoped.
