"This Could All Go Bad" by Spencer Hall

Title: This Could All Go Bad

Author: Spencer Hall

Cover artist/designer: Jim Tierney

Publisher: Bloomsbury (May 2026)

ISBN13: 978-1547618118

Recommended audience: 12 years and up

Link to publisher book page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/this-could-all-go-bad-9781547618125/

About Ms. Yingling:

Ms. Yingling aka @msyingling.bsky.social has been a middle school librarian for 24 years and has read EVERY fiction book in her school library. Like her students, she prefers funny and adventurous books, and has some Big Feelings about the #MGLit "dead parent" trope. She has been a Cybils Awards judge, written for School Library Journal, reviews for Young Adult Books Central, and has posted a new middle grade book review every day since 2012 at Ms. Yingling Reads.

What she liked about the book:

"My middle school students are constantly asking for humorous books, but publishers seem to enjoy promoting serious life lessons. This Could All Go Bad was a great mix of both. Jensen and his best friends sneak out at midnight to compete against a team of girls, including Jensen’s crush, in a series of dares. During their hilarious escapades, they also are forced to confront some realistic challenges about life. The characters were charming, the relationships healthy, the pacing excellent, and the adventures varied and funny. The book even made me cry, which is rare! I’ve probably read 20,000 books in the 24 years I have been a school librarian, and this is the best one I’ve read!"

How she discovered this book:

"I generally read books before they are published, and try to look at all of the middle grade E ARCs available through Edelweiss and Netgalley. This book was not on my radar until I saw someone else mention it, probably through a blog round up on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle or Unleashing Readers. It’s possible I saw the cover on Twitter or Bluesky; I tend to scroll quickly through posts looking for covers I haven’t seen, and then get off social media as quickly as possible. When I investigated, several people whose opinions I trust had also posted on Goodreads, and the author had a fun post on Instagram which inspired me to go directly to my public library to get a copy!"