Empty Smiles — Content Guide for Parents
Found in this book
- ViolenceSupporting
- Scary contentCentral
Not found
- Religion
- Race & culture
- Profanity
- Climate
- Sexual content
- Gender roles
- Gender & orientation
Content themes
Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.
Get the full theme breakdown in the app
Summaries and source quotes for every theme.
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Religion
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
It’s been three months since Ollie made a daring deal with the smiling man to save those she loved, and then vanished without a trace. The smiling man promised Coco, Brian and Phil, that they’d have a chance to save her, but as time goes by, they begin to worry that the smiling man has lied to them and Ollie is gone forever. But finally, a clue surfaces. A boy who went missing at a nearby traveling carnival appears at the town swimming hole, terrified and rambling. He tells anyone who'll listen about the mysterious man who took him. How the man agreed to let him go on one condition: that he deliver a message. Play if you dare.
Game on! The smiling man has finally made his move. Now it’s Coco, Brian, and Phil’s turn to make theirs. And they know just where to start. The traveling carnival is coming to Evansburg.
Meanwhile, Ollie is trapped in the world behind the mist, learning the horrifying secrets of the smiling man's carnival, trying everything to help her friends find her. Brian, Coco and Phil will risk everything to rescue Ollie—but they all soon realize this game is much more dangerous than the ones before. This time the smiling man is playing for keeps.
The summer nights are short, and Ollie, Coco, Brian, and Phil have only until sunrise to beat him once and for all—or it’s game over for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is Empty Smiles appropriate for a 7-year-old?
Clowns hunt children at night to turn them into dolls, and in the finale some adults are knocked out and the mothers fight. The book is a carnival horror story with evil clowns, a shape-shifting villain, kidnapped children turned into dolls, and chase scenes reviewers call terrifying.
Does Empty Smiles have violence?
Found (Supporting): Clowns hunt children at night to turn them into dolls, and in the finale some adults are knocked out and the mothers fight.
Does Empty Smiles have scary content?
Found (Central): The book is a carnival horror story with evil clowns, a shape-shifting villain, kidnapped children turned into dolls, and chase scenes reviewers call terrifying.
Does Empty Smiles have religion?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Empty Smiles have race & culture?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Empty Smiles have profanity?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Empty Smiles have climate?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Empty Smiles have sexual content?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Empty Smiles have gender roles?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Empty Smiles have gender & orientation?
Not found in the sources we checked.
