In the summer of 2006, I was getting ready for my first year of high school. I was growing into an older teen and leaving the world of childish things behind. Grady Burton, main character of child actor-turned-author Adam Cagley’s 6-6-06, is much of the same… except for the supernatural destruction he and his friends both cause and prevent that fateful June.
Inspired by the characters he loves most. Driven by the music he can’t put down. Only Grady, a thirteen year old pop-culture-obsessed outcast, stands in the way of an elderly, eight-legged conspiracy and the end of days in this coming of age horror-comedy that’s equal parts Lost Boys, Slither and Evil Dead.
Adam Cagley, Amazon
Right off the bat, I fell into a pit of nostalgia with references I had actually lived through at the same time as Grady. 6-6-06 obviously takes place in 2006, where emo bands ruled the radio and Hot Topic was morphing from a metal band mecca into a shrine for Jack Skellington. I can smell the Abercrombie and Hollister stores emanating from these pages as characters spend their days with their various cliques going to the mall (because what else can 13- to 15-year olds do during Summer break?). Cagley absolutely nailed the time period with this book.
Where my childhood nostalgia changes into part “icky fear” and part “parental responsibility” is when Grady and his rag-tag group of misfit friends concoct a prank that goes horribly wrong, landing them spending their days with grandparents at an HOA-led retirement community — that happens to be run by a Aranea, a monstrous queen spider.
What I think 6-6-06 does really well is taking readers on a ride that mimics a lot of things: Grady’s growth into a full-fledged teenager, our own memories looking back as now-adults, and even the horror movie survival techniques the friends constantly reference. 6-6-06 is a pretty simple story to grasp and doesn’t lack that spark of action to keep you invested. Though some of Grady’s internal monologues may be a bit much, more than I assume a teen nowadays would actually say, it’s a sweet representation of childhood that reminds you of how imaginative and carefree we all once were. Some chapters have you empathizing with the teens, like when the parents chastise them one minute and baby them the next. Other parts have you squirming as eight-legged mutant creatures take over elderly hosts’ bodies while spewing all sorts of gross liquids from their orifices. It simultaneously feels like an episode of The Haunting Hour with plenty of additional PG-13 violence and gore. But nothing compares to the most horrifying aspect of the book: the HOA members. *shudders in mortgage bills*
I’m honestly not sure who exactly 6-6-06 was made for. It has concepts and ideas that teens would be interested in. It also plays well with Millennial nostalgia, so adults would find it an enjoyable read as well (which I did). Perhaps that is the point — a massive mutant spider infestation bringing together the generations over Summer break. It’s a constant back-and-forth that may muddy the waters for some, but provide some much-needed closure on a chapter of your life that you never knew you needed.
6-6-06 not only is a great representation of a time period I feel doesn’t get enough love, but a fun story with danger, surprises, sorrow, laughs, and an evil entity hell-bent on taking over the world one community at a time.
Check out more from Adam Cagley on his website and Instagram. Pre-order 6-6-06 here!
