Took

July 13, 2015
This spooky mystery from one of the genre’s longtime virtuosos features seventh-grader Daniel and his seven-year-old sister, Erica, who face severe culture shock when their father’s job loss forces them to move from suburban Connecticut to an abandoned farmhouse in rural West Virginia. Readers know from the opening pages, narrated by spell-weaving old “Auntie,” that the family is in for big trouble—more than being bullied at school or the parents’ disintegrating relationship. Danger beckons from the surrounding woods and mountains; when Erica’s beloved look-alike doll, and then Erica herself, vanish in a fashion similar to the disappearance of a seven-year-old girl 50 years ago, Daniel reluctantly ponders the possibilities of his schoolmates’ rumors about a “conjure woman” and her resurrected razorback hog, Bloody Bones. Hahn (Where I Belong) smoothly depicts Daniel’s spiraling evolution from rational thinker to fearful believer, which is supported by interspersed chapters in Auntie’s voice that reveal the dark magic taking place. Satisfyingly frightening, if not quite as gripping as some of Hahn’s others, this will be welcomed by readers with an appetite for scary books. Ages 9–12.

July 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-When Daniel's father loses his job as an executive, his family is forced to move from their comfortable Connecticut home to a run-down house in Brewster's Hill, MA. As if moving to a dilapidated house and leaving behind all his friends is not enough, no one in Brewster's Hill will speak to Daniel or his little sister Erica, except to tell them scary stories about a girl who disappeared from their house and an old witch who haunts the woods with her monster Bloody Bones. Thankfully, Daniel and Erica have each other, and they do their best to ignore the cruel taunting. However Erica begins to withdraw, acting strange and constantly talking to her doll, before she disappears leaving Daniel to rescue her and keep his family from falling apart. Hahn is a master of horror stories, and this is no exception. The story is told mostly from Daniel's point of view but Hahn offers occasional glimpses into the ghost witch Old Auntie's viewpoint, and this helps to build tension. The tone is eerie and ominous, and enhances the pervading spookiness. Bloody Bones' description is haunting and readers will be scared stiff. VERDICT Horror fans and readers looking for a good scare will enjoy this creepy tale.-Ellen Norton, Naperville Public Library, Naperville, IL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
After a family moves to a derelict old house in West Virginia, creepy things begin to happen. Daniel, given substance by his first-person narration, is frustrated. His imperceptive, unobservant, cardboardlike parents fail to understand the difficult situation the move (forced by his father's job loss) has placed his 7-year-old sister, Erica, and him in. Wayward kids at their backward school are bullying, Erica's hearing a creepy voice calling her and taking refuge by focusing only on a new doll, and Daniel is gradually learning of a witch who inhabits the woods and takes little girls from their homes every 50 years-although the exact reason for that interval isn't fully explained. At first he's skeptical, but evidence begins to prove him wrong. With the tale periodically presented from the witch's point of view, the potential suspense entailed by Daniel's disbelief is completely eliminated. After Erica disappears into the woods, doesn't come back, and is replaced by a girl who was taken 50 years ago, Daniel, faced with his grief-stricken parents' disbelief, must confront the witch alone to recover his sister. At that point, the sense of menace rises. A too-neat happy ending undermines the potential for this story to haunt readers' imaginations. A bit flimsy but good for some chills on a dark night. (Horror. 10-13)

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September 1, 2015
When Daniel's father loses his corporate job, the family abruptly leaves Connecticut for a simpler country lifestyle in West Virginia. Daniel and his little sister, Erica, find the dilapidated home, the woods that surround it, and their new school unwelcoming and often frightening. The kids at school tease them with scary tales of a strange old woman; an insatiable man-eating razorback hog; and a little girl who disappeared from their house fifty years before. Daniel does not believe these stories, but Erica becomes progressively stranger, withdrawing from their family and obsessing over her look-alike doll, Little Erica. Told alternatingly through Daniel's first-person narration and a third-person omniscient narrator with a rural dialect that lets readers into the mind of Old Auntie the witch, the story evokes an enjoyably spooky atmosphere. As fall turns to winter, the family starts to unravel until Erica's vulnerability allows Old Auntie to lure her away. Striking allusions to Hansel and Gretel show up throughout, but the plot itself ultimately goes in a different direction, leaving Daniel with the dangerous job of rescuing his sister from the witch's house alone. Ending on a positive if still somewhat unsettling note, this creepy tale skillfully weaves inand honorsthe oral tradition of folklore, legends, and ghost stories. julie roach

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)