The Last Resort
Talk to ghosts. Crack the puzzles. Solve the mystery!
Erin Entrada Kelly
Readers rate it 2.5 (2 on Hardcover)
- Published
- 2025
Content report card
What's inside
Violence
Fighting, weapons, death
Language
Swearing, crude humor
Sexual content
Romance intensity, nudity
LGBTQ+ themes
Presence of characters or themes
Scary or mature
Horror, trauma, heavy themes
Substance use
Alcohol, drugs, smoking
What it offers
Positive messages
Kindness, courage, honesty, resilience
Positive role models
Characters who model good judgment and growth
Educational value
History, science, culture, how the world works
A note for parents
This middle-grade fantasy mystery from a Newbery-winning author combines ghost lore with themes of self-acceptance and friendship, making it engaging for the target age group. The supernatural elements (ghosts, haunted inn, murder mystery) create moderate scariness and tension but remain appropriate for upper elementary and middle grade readers. The protagonist's character arc about being less 'dramatic' and her efforts to solve her grandfather's murder, along with positive relationships with her brother and new friend, emphasize resilience and courage. Parents should note the scary car accident and murder mystery plot may unsettle sensitive readers, though nothing is graphically violent.
Analyzed by AI · 1 hour ago
Parent age guide
Is “The Last Resort” right for your kid?
Ready from about age 10.
From about 9, okay with a grown-up nearby.
For younger readers
- Scary or mature content is moderate (3/5) — a bit much at 9; fine with a grown-up nearby.
- Suggested for ages 10+.
Based on this book's content report card and typical guidance by age. You know your reader best.
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From the publisher
The next evolution in storytelling from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal Winning author Erin Entrada Kelly! Twelve-year-old Lila has two goals for the summer: 1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic" 2. Stop being so dramatic But then Lila's estranged Grandpa Clem dies, throwing a wrenc... The next evolution in storytelling from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal Winning author Erin Entrada Kelly! Twelve-year-old Lila has two goals for the summer: 1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic" 2. Stop being so dramatic But then Lila's estranged Grandpa Clem dies, throwing a wrench in her plans. Now she'll have to spend the summer in Ohio while her parents decide what to do with Grandpa Clem's creepy Victorian Inn. It's supremely unfair. How can she show off the "new and improved" Lila from so far away? Even worse, strange things keep happening. En route to Ohio, the family gets into a scary car accident. No one's hurt, but the remainder of the trip is... odd. At every rest stop, Lila sees people in weird old-fashioned clothes. People no one else can see or hear... Lila convinces herself it's just her overactive imagination until the day of the funeral when she spots an old man sitting in her grandfather's favorite chair. She does a double take -- it's him, Grandpa Clem. He tells Lila that he didn't die of a heart attack: he was murdered. Possibly by someone who wants to control the inn. Because it's not a normal bed & breakfast: it's a portal between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. A hotel for ghosts passing onto the afterlife. With the help of her skeptical brother, Caleb, and their new ghost-obsessed neighbor, Teddy, Lila -- the girl who's vowed to be less dramatic -- must uncover her grandfather's killer AND stop the evil spirits desperate to make their way back into the human world. Enter the world of The Last Resort! Ghosts from the story will emerge from the pages of the book, allowing readers to talk to spirits from the past and help solve the mystery!
Shelved under
- Juvenile Fiction
- A mix driven
- Strong Character Development
- Unloveable Characters
- Diverse Characters
- Adventurous
- challenging
- tense
- Fantasy
- Young Adult
- Ghosts
ISBN 9781546132431 · Scholastic Press