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Liars' Room
This spooky stand-alone from MG horror expert Dan Poblocki is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and Victoria Schwab!
Simon is a liar. Stella and Alex know this about their new stepbrother, so they aren't bothered by his stories about their new house. Wildwyck, a former schoolhouse for misbehaved boys, might have plenty of creaks and shadows, but the twins know that ghosts aren't real. But Simon is getting harder and harder to ignore, as his cries for attention become increasingly dangerous and difficult to explain.
Stella and Alex have to consider . . . could Simon actually be telling the truth? As they look for answers, they learn that the history of Wildwyck is more sinister than they could have imagined. And when a shocking truth is revealed, it's not clear who can be trusted anymore.
Will the three siblings be able to put aside their differences to save their family . . . before it's too late?
Simon is a liar. Stella and Alex know this about their new stepbrother, so they aren't bothered by his stories about their new house. Wildwyck, a former schoolhouse for misbehaved boys, might have plenty of creaks and shadows, but the twins know that ghosts aren't real. But Simon is getting harder and harder to ignore, as his cries for attention become increasingly dangerous and difficult to explain.
Stella and Alex have to consider . . . could Simon actually be telling the truth? As they look for answers, they learn that the history of Wildwyck is more sinister than they could have imagined. And when a shocking truth is revealed, it's not clear who can be trusted anymore.
Will the three siblings be able to put aside their differences to save their family . . . before it's too late?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
15 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Dan Poblocki
27 books645 followersAuthor of The Stone Child, The Nightmarys, The Ghost of Graylock, and the Mysterious Four series,The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, and The Book of Bad Things.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 9, 2022
Poblocki is one of my favorite authors but this wasn’t his best book. The story kept me interested so that was worth 4 stars. The ending could’ve been better.
I knocked it another star because broken homes and homosexuality is being pushed like it’s normal. Common ≠ normal. The homosexual part wasn’t “in your face” but one character referenced another character as gay. This is a young read. That shouldn’t be in here, at all.
If you comment on this, I’m not debating you. You’ll never change my mind anymore than I’ll change yours.
I knocked it another star because broken homes and homosexuality is being pushed like it’s normal. Common ≠ normal. The homosexual part wasn’t “in your face” but one character referenced another character as gay. This is a young read. That shouldn’t be in here, at all.
If you comment on this, I’m not debating you. You’ll never change my mind anymore than I’ll change yours.
August 27, 2022
Dan Poblocki is a good writer. All his stories have well developed characters, a fast-paced storyline, and age appropriate for a good ghost story. This one is no different. There are some subtle hidden twists that keep the reader both engaged and wondering.
March 13, 2022
The ending left me with more questions than answers.
March 22, 2024
It was actually pretty good. I didn't really find it scary though. More mysterious, and that open ending was infuriating as I still don't know what was going on.
July 8, 2022
You never know what year the story takes place by the actions and speech from the characters. I believe the story is in present day but the kids and adults say things that we really don't say today. Mary Downing Hahn is the same way. Authors really need to keep things real. So with that being said I liked this book but it didn't seem as good as his other books.
I wrote down a bunch of notes while reading this book:
First, I had to research the ages of the kids. Alex & Stella, twins, are 12 years old, Simon is 10, and Zachary is 13.
page 2 - "..could trip and split your head open." - Mom. "Mom, that's really gross." -Stella. Really? What decade is this kid living in?
page 4 - Japanese mecha - a robot in anime, like transformers
page 20 - Stella stomps her foot. I don't ever see anyone doing this.
page 54 - My words here - Simon is about to get punched. If not by Alex and Stella; by me.
page 65 - "Lest we forget." -Zachary. Lest, a 13 year old will say lest?
page 74 - "...feeling like a dum-dum." -Simon.
page 84 - Title Alert!
page 93 - Aaaaa Graylock. Such a great book. The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki.
page 117 - "..a pathetic speck of fecality." Is that even a word?
So most of the notes are about how the characters speak. I don't understand why authors do this, it's off-putting sometimes. I did like this book and will continue to read one of the best ghost story authors for kids.
I wrote down a bunch of notes while reading this book:
First, I had to research the ages of the kids. Alex & Stella, twins, are 12 years old, Simon is 10, and Zachary is 13.
page 2 - "..could trip and split your head open." - Mom. "Mom, that's really gross." -Stella. Really? What decade is this kid living in?
page 4 - Japanese mecha - a robot in anime, like transformers
page 20 - Stella stomps her foot. I don't ever see anyone doing this.
page 54 - My words here - Simon is about to get punched. If not by Alex and Stella; by me.
page 65 - "Lest we forget." -Zachary. Lest, a 13 year old will say lest?
page 74 - "...feeling like a dum-dum." -Simon.
page 84 - Title Alert!
page 93 - Aaaaa Graylock. Such a great book. The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki.
page 117 - "..a pathetic speck of fecality." Is that even a word?
So most of the notes are about how the characters speak. I don't understand why authors do this, it's off-putting sometimes. I did like this book and will continue to read one of the best ghost story authors for kids.
December 25, 2021
Wonderfully creepy! And, it's set in the Hudson Valley.
April 1, 2023
i loved dan poblocki when i was younger and i recently bought this at my school’s bookfair for my brother so obvi u know i had to read this before i gave it to my brother ‼️‼️ the shadow house is my alltime favorite horror series I DONT CARE if it’s waayyy below my reading level i love it so much the characters, the plot, the plotTWISTS!! so i loved liar’s room too. also felt bad for little bro in the book 😞🤘
March 8, 2024
Oh man, I could see so many of our students at school loving this middle grade mystery thriller!
Definitely had some good creepy vibes and while some parts were slightly predictable (to an adult at least) I think the author put enough of a spin on all those parts to make them great surprises too!
Totally not nice that he made the ending a bit of a cliffhanger! 😂 Really leaves you wondering about the whole book!
Definitely had some good creepy vibes and while some parts were slightly predictable (to an adult at least) I think the author put enough of a spin on all those parts to make them great surprises too!
Totally not nice that he made the ending a bit of a cliffhanger! 😂 Really leaves you wondering about the whole book!
October 5, 2023
"The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe" by Dan Poblocki is one of my favorite horror reads of all time, despite it being a middle grade novel. "Liars' Room" is my second book that I have read by Poblocki, and it just didn't hit the same. It wasn't nearly as scary, the ending lacked luster in comparison, and I really didn't enjoy the characters all that much. Despite this, Poblocki is sill an astonishing author and "Liars' Room" was still a pretty good book.
"Liars' Room" follows three siblings who have just moved into a new house after their parents married one another. The house ends up being a former schoolhouse for "problem boys" called Wildwyck. As strange things start happening, Alex and Stella begin to investigate the house's past while constantly being interrupted by their new stepbrother, Simon. To figure out the mystery, the three will have to put their issues aside and work as a team.
This book alternates between the four step-siblings' perspectives: the twins, Alex and Stella, the younger brother, Simon, and Zachary, the older brother who still lives with his mom in a different state. Alex and Simon were a tad bit stereotypical as twins, with them often "reading each other's thoughts" and wanting to do everything together. Part of their growth though is becoming more of their own people, so that was nice to see. I personally just found Simon annoying, but I did feel bad for the way that his stepsiblings treated him, so I did still feel empathetic of his situation. I found Zachary the most intriguing and we only met him through journal entries. They were interesting to try to decipher why Poblocki included them, and they added depth to the story.
Overall, "Liars' Room" was a decently interesting read that kept me entertained throughout most of the book. I did find myself drifting away at the end; I think it could have been more dramatic and engaging. (Though Zachary's final journal entry was spot on and got me scratching my head.) I wanted to give Poblocki's work another chance after loving the first book I read by him, and I'd say that he has me hooked and wanting to read more of his work in the future. If you are looking for a truly spooky read, "Liars' Room" is rather mild, but it was still an interesting story that delved in the difficulty of moving on and learning to deal with each other's differences.
"Liars' Room" follows three siblings who have just moved into a new house after their parents married one another. The house ends up being a former schoolhouse for "problem boys" called Wildwyck. As strange things start happening, Alex and Stella begin to investigate the house's past while constantly being interrupted by their new stepbrother, Simon. To figure out the mystery, the three will have to put their issues aside and work as a team.
This book alternates between the four step-siblings' perspectives: the twins, Alex and Stella, the younger brother, Simon, and Zachary, the older brother who still lives with his mom in a different state. Alex and Simon were a tad bit stereotypical as twins, with them often "reading each other's thoughts" and wanting to do everything together. Part of their growth though is becoming more of their own people, so that was nice to see. I personally just found Simon annoying, but I did feel bad for the way that his stepsiblings treated him, so I did still feel empathetic of his situation. I found Zachary the most intriguing and we only met him through journal entries. They were interesting to try to decipher why Poblocki included them, and they added depth to the story.
Overall, "Liars' Room" was a decently interesting read that kept me entertained throughout most of the book. I did find myself drifting away at the end; I think it could have been more dramatic and engaging. (Though Zachary's final journal entry was spot on and got me scratching my head.) I wanted to give Poblocki's work another chance after loving the first book I read by him, and I'd say that he has me hooked and wanting to read more of his work in the future. If you are looking for a truly spooky read, "Liars' Room" is rather mild, but it was still an interesting story that delved in the difficulty of moving on and learning to deal with each other's differences.
July 10, 2024
Two chapters into this book, I opened up a new file in my Notes app and wrote this:
Boy/girl siblings (Molly & Michael / Stella & Alex) move from the city (Baltimore / Brooklyn) with their mom and new stepdad, who brought along his annoying child (Heather / Simon). Step-sibling seems to delight in trying to scare the main characters and get them in trouble. Mom and stepdad (Dave / Charlie) are busy trying to renovate an old building (church / boys’ school) with a graveyard on the property. The kids are expected to occupy themselves outside and the older kids have to try to keep younger step-sibling out of trouble and danger. This annoying child talks about hearing and seeing a ghost girl that no one else sees.
For anyone confused, I was keeping track of how very similar this book was to one of my absolute favorite books from childhood, Wait Til Helen Comes. I was getting increasingly annoyed by Dan Poblocki. I wanted to say, I know the works of Mary Downing Hahn and you sir are no Mary Downing Hahn!
Fortunately, the plot deviated enough to no longer remind me so much of WTHC, but it was hard to come back from that. Perhaps because I was reading this as an adult, but I was imagining a lot more intricate twists in the plot, and had to remind myself that this was a middle grade ghost story, and not to expect too much. Although I’ve read plenty of middle grade ghost stories that truly were scary (Lockwood and Co, anyone?)… The premise was interesting, and maybe it would have worked better as YA with aged up characters and some real scares from the creepy, haunted boys’ school with its cruel past punishments.
I would give Poblocki another try, maybe I was just disappointed in wasted potential, and comparison was the thief of joy in this case. It was a pretty good not-too-scary ghost story, but I’d still steer my young patrons towards Mary Downing Hahn first…
52BC #18: an apostrophe in the title
Boy/girl siblings (Molly & Michael / Stella & Alex) move from the city (Baltimore / Brooklyn) with their mom and new stepdad, who brought along his annoying child (Heather / Simon). Step-sibling seems to delight in trying to scare the main characters and get them in trouble. Mom and stepdad (Dave / Charlie) are busy trying to renovate an old building (church / boys’ school) with a graveyard on the property. The kids are expected to occupy themselves outside and the older kids have to try to keep younger step-sibling out of trouble and danger. This annoying child talks about hearing and seeing a ghost girl that no one else sees.
For anyone confused, I was keeping track of how very similar this book was to one of my absolute favorite books from childhood, Wait Til Helen Comes. I was getting increasingly annoyed by Dan Poblocki. I wanted to say, I know the works of Mary Downing Hahn and you sir are no Mary Downing Hahn!
Fortunately, the plot deviated enough to no longer remind me so much of WTHC, but it was hard to come back from that. Perhaps because I was reading this as an adult, but I was imagining a lot more intricate twists in the plot, and had to remind myself that this was a middle grade ghost story, and not to expect too much. Although I’ve read plenty of middle grade ghost stories that truly were scary (Lockwood and Co, anyone?)… The premise was interesting, and maybe it would have worked better as YA with aged up characters and some real scares from the creepy, haunted boys’ school with its cruel past punishments.
I would give Poblocki another try, maybe I was just disappointed in wasted potential, and comparison was the thief of joy in this case. It was a pretty good not-too-scary ghost story, but I’d still steer my young patrons towards Mary Downing Hahn first…
52BC #18: an apostrophe in the title
June 15, 2022
Always fun to read one of Mr. Poblocki's books. My favorite of his is still The Stone ChildThe Stone Child, not only because the story is completely terrifying, but due to a brief power outage that happened while I was reading. A power outage that happened at the exact moment a power outage took place in the book!! I love creepy coincidences like that...don't you?
This one was good, though. Lots of family dynamics mixed in with the spooky, all of which reminded me of a bit of Wait Till Helen Comes. And I mean that as a compliment in the highest regard. "Helen" was the first truly creepy book I read as a kid (I was 11). In fact, it gave me nightmares for a while. Not that this swayed me from scary stories. Just the opposite. Within a year, I had transitioned from Ramona books to those penned by Pike, Stine, and the like. And a shortly after, I'd cracked the spine of my first King book...which I had to sneak-read because my mom thought it wasn't appropriate for a pre-teen (I eventually won the book battle and was soon reading whatever I wanted).
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book (or any of Mr. Poblocki's books) to those brave readers looking to make the jump from "safe" books to nightmare-inducing, skin-crawling horror.
This one was good, though. Lots of family dynamics mixed in with the spooky, all of which reminded me of a bit of Wait Till Helen Comes. And I mean that as a compliment in the highest regard. "Helen" was the first truly creepy book I read as a kid (I was 11). In fact, it gave me nightmares for a while. Not that this swayed me from scary stories. Just the opposite. Within a year, I had transitioned from Ramona books to those penned by Pike, Stine, and the like. And a shortly after, I'd cracked the spine of my first King book...which I had to sneak-read because my mom thought it wasn't appropriate for a pre-teen (I eventually won the book battle and was soon reading whatever I wanted).
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book (or any of Mr. Poblocki's books) to those brave readers looking to make the jump from "safe" books to nightmare-inducing, skin-crawling horror.
February 11, 2024
Liar's Room reminded me of why I love Dan Poblocki. It was a well crafted story with complex characters dealing with their trauma and the trauma of a teenage boy who died fifty years go. I spent 2023 trying to find a book to scratch a very specific itch and was foiled at every turn. Every 'adult' horror I picked up was chocked full of sleaze and without any true thrills or chills. I guess horror is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, but that discomfort shouldn't rely solely on unpleasant sexual imagery, it should be built on atmosphere and dread. Poblocki excels at both. Liar's Room contained twist that I never saw coming and considering pattern recognition is my 'super power' that's impressive.
May 24, 2022
I liked this interpretation of the classic haunted house mystery. It moved quick enough and was definitely plenty spooky for the intended audience 8-12. At first, I was off-put by the way the chapters toggle between character narration--especially since one of the characters' narratives was written in journal/letter format. But as I progressed through the book, the reasons for this writing style became apparent, and it works well enough... though I wonder if a typical 9 y/o reader would be able to stitch all the story facets together without missing some of the detail. Just the same, I enjoyed the book and didn't want to stop reading--and that's a score as far as I'm concerned.
September 17, 2023
I had to read the book during daylight hours only. A family moves to an old boys school and is fixing it up. The blended family has some challenges in getting along, especially since the twins think that Simon, the 5th grader, is a liar. The plot definitely is suspenseful and you wonder what is going on. I guess I am a dummy because I don’t really understand the ending at all. I think kids will like this if they like a good ghost story. No swears and no violence, but mention of abuse in the past (locking kids in dark rooms). 5th grade and up.
November 18, 2024
This book was so good! It got me out of a major reading slump. This is a well written book that keeps the reader interested with little twists and turns throughout the story. I did see most of them coming, but that's okay. Also it has good major plot twists that are believable and I think that's what made them so good.
Just a note, if you like neat endings that explain everything and leave you feeling satisfied, this book might make you frustrated.
Overall I love this and definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a clean spooky story that keeps you on your toes 👍
Just a note, if you like neat endings that explain everything and leave you feeling satisfied, this book might make you frustrated.
Overall I love this and definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a clean spooky story that keeps you on your toes 👍
September 23, 2021
The Hill and Kidd families move to Wildwyck in hopes of getting united. Simon Kidd, however teases his step siblings with his ghost stories about their new house. The Hill twins, soon, start to ignore him but later they realise that the most effective lies are the ones that have a seed of truth inside them.
The plot is good. Zachary's mysterious diary entries add a bit more spook and mystery to the plot. Each chapter (except the last few ones) are packed with thrill and mystery.
The plot is good. Zachary's mysterious diary entries add a bit more spook and mystery to the plot. Each chapter (except the last few ones) are packed with thrill and mystery.
tried-gave-up-maybe-later
March 16, 2022I have waited a year for this book...but can't read it because of the font choice in the diary portions...I can't see well enough :-(
{And no, I hate ebooks...blech! I will just do without...whaaa!}
{And no, I hate ebooks...blech! I will just do without...whaaa!}
December 21, 2022
This book took a while to spark my interest. I kept reading it because it’s Winter Break and I needed something to read. I’m glad I stuck with it. The book did get more interesting, and I can’t wait to read more about the adventures at Wildwyck.
February 18, 2024
Very scary, I felt like I was in the house with the family. The ending was great and left me sitting on the edge of my seat. I am so glad that I got this book. One of my favorites but it was a very simple read
April 13, 2025
This could have been a great “scary” story for kids. Unfortunately, the author’s decision to add one sentence on page 215 in support of his apparent LGBTQ+ agenda means I cannot add this title to our Christian school library collection. What a shame!
January 11, 2026
Quite obviously a children's book but obviously I love mystery and had to read. And might I say this is the best well written children's mystery book I've ever read. The plot twist is really good and the write clearly knows how to pull the reader in.
May 14, 2021
Wow, dats really creepy..
sometimes I felt like I was on a swing - with a thrill at my heart for some moments I believed every single word about ghosts..and then here I was.. blaming the kids.
sometimes I felt like I was on a swing - with a thrill at my heart for some moments I believed every single word about ghosts..and then here I was.. blaming the kids.
January 22, 2022
Reminded me of Wait Till Helen Comes. Loved it!
April 26, 2022
Another great read from Poblocki!
June 15, 2022
Interesting twist and turns. Love the family dynamics - very realistic. Not quite sure I like the way it ended...No real closure. Sequel?
It will go into my 6th grade classroom library.
It will go into my 6th grade classroom library.
June 22, 2022
Eerie enough without being too scary for middle grades. Interesting ending chapter will leave readers to solve one more mystery.
September 3, 2022
The first book by this author that had a truly spooky ending. Good scary book for middle grade readers!
February 5, 2023
The ending left me confused more than satisfied. Would make my students more angry than wanting to figure out the true diary writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2023
I was happy when I finished this one. I loved the cover, but the story and characters just didn't cut it for me. Maybe my middle grade readers will like it more than I did.
December 29, 2023
My students might like it, but for me it was just okay.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews