The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Molly and Kip are siblings traveling from Ireland in order to find work. After leaving (or escaping as Molly knows it) the two set off across the English countryside in order to find work as servants. They find work in the home of the Windsors. As they approach their new home the feel something isn't quite right. The townspeople of have worn them numerous times to turn around and find work elsewhere. Not knowing if there is anything else the two head into the 'sourwoods' and arrive in front of a crumbling estate that is intertwined with a massive black tree. Work begins and the two feel there is hope on the horizon. This hope dwindles as Molly drifts off to sleep in her basement bedroom and hears a "thump, thump, thump" coming from above...

The Night Gardener is a great scary story for those readers that aren't too sure about scary stories (aka me). The book is set in a great time period, the late 1800's. It's a time of horse drawn carriages, when story tellers are still popular (remember there are no television sets), and dark mystery. Auxier does a great job of mixing these elements in throughout the story (Molly even asks the family's doctor about using leeches at one point). He has also created an amazing set of siblings that show such devotion and courage towards one another. I hope that my siblings may look to me as Kip looks up to Molly. This scary (but not too scary) book is located in the Tween section. If you are brave enough to give The Night Gardener a try you'll be lucky enough to notice that Oxford's copy has been signed by the author!

Enjoy!
-JAC

Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll

Don't go into the woods. There are things waiting there. Strange things. Monstrous things. Hungry things. Things waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting traveler foolish enough to wander off the path.

Artist and writer Emily Carroll's Through the Woods is a collection of five deliciously creepy stories about things that happen to those who dare to venture into the woods. 

A young woman trapped in her house during a snowstorm does the only thing she can: Wait for the thing that took her sisters to return for her

After marrying a wealthy man, a new bride learns too late the awful truth her husband's last wife. A fate that will soon be hers as well?

Two brothers enter the woods to stop a monster that has been terrorizing their village. One brother comes out. The monster is not what the reader first believes.

Two young women make a living fooling people into thinking they can communicate with the dead (they can't really). Then one of them really does become haunted. 

A young girl, home from school for the summer, visits her brother and his pretty new fiancee in their pretty new home. Then the girl wanders into the woods...and learns the horrible truth.

The girl walked safely through the woods at night. It was lucky the wolf didn't find her. Or did it?

Through the Woods is shivery, creepy, and lots of fun to read. The illustrations are gorgeous and vivid. Pick it up and read the stories all in one sitting, or savor them one by one. Either way, you've got a treat in store.

And maybe next time you're faced with the choice of taking the shortcut through the woods, you'll think twice and take the long way around. Because there are things in the woods. Strange things. Monstrous things. Hungry things.

Waiting to pounce.

On YOU! --AJB

Down A Dark Hall, by Lois Duncan

When Kit is accepted into the ultra-exclusive Blackwood Academy, she is thrilled! But upon arriving, things start to feel "off". Kit is only one of four students, the place itself is creepy (that constant feeling of being watched), and there are rumors that the school is haunted. Plus there are no cell phones or any of the usual connections to the outside world...so Kit feels completely cut off and isolated.

Then, one by one, the students begin displaying sudden and extraordinary talents that weren't present before their arrival at Blackwood. Lynda can create beautiful paintings, Ruth can solve complex math equations, Sandy can compose poetry, and Kit experiences an unusual boost in her previously awkward musical abilities. The teachers won't explain it, and school's creepy headmistress vaguely credits Blackwood's unique environment. This is partly correct. Kit learns that those who run Blackwood are using the students (hand-picked for hidden psychic abilities) to channel the restless ghosts of artists, writers, and musicians who died before their time. Problem is, all the previous hosts have gone insane. Or worse. Can Kit and her friends escape Blackwood before it's too late? Or are they doomed to the same fate as those who came before?

Lois Duncan's Down A Dark Hall is one of the author's creepiest titles! Originally published in 1974, the new edition has been updated for 2014 and includes, among other changes, mentions of advancements in technology (cell phones, computers, flat-screen TVs, etc.). Unfortunately, these new inclusions make the story feel awkward and inconsistent (there is an instance where two characters are discussing a song on a CD being played...but a few paragraphs later, the media source is referred to as a 'tape'). 

Down A Dark Hall has been picked up by Lionsgate to be adapted into a movie (no release date set as of this blog's publication). My advice is to grab the book NOW before it becomes so popular there is a mile long wait list to get it. --AJB

Mary: The Summoning, by Hillary Monahan

First-time author Hillary Monahan's Mary: The Summoning explores the famous urban legend of Mary Worth, a.k.a. "Bloody Mary." Paranormal fiction of recent years has turned nightmare creatures like vampires, werewolves, and spirits (oh my!) into glittery, romantic figures meant to make readers swoon rather than scream in terror. Not this book, though. Mary: The Summoning is straight-up horror, reminiscent of the Fear Streetesque stuff I used to scare myself silly reading when I was a teen in the 1990s. 

There is a right way and a wrong way to summon the vengeful ghost of Bloody Mary. And Jess, Shauna, Anna, and Kitty do it all wrong. Jess, as it turns out, secretly wants to do more than just see Mary. She wants to speak with her. There's much more to this story, but no spoilers.

Unfortunately, this lapse of judgement releases Mary (and all of her rage) from her mirrored prison. Once out, Mary attaches herself to the girls, particularly Shauna. Now Mary is popping up in all sorts of shiny surfaces and terrorizing the teens at every turn. No place is safe from Mary's wrath. As the girls search for a way to put Mary back behind the mirror where she belongs, they unravel the horrifyingly tragic story of Mary Worth, a young woman from the 1800's who died under horrible circumstances. There is blood, there is horror, there is death... 

And there is a cliffhanger.

Yep, In true Horror Story fashion, Mary: The Summoning is apparently only the first in a series of books involving Bloody Mary. But don't all worthy horror story villains deserve a sequel or two? (Freddy, Jason, Chucky... even that creepy kid from The Ring got a second shot to scare audiences)

Hopefully the rest will be as horrifyingly good as this one. --AJB

Chilling Reads

The nights are still chilly enough to curl up with your favorite warm blanket. So why not add a chilling book to the equation? OPL's Teen Department has plenty to choose from!

Suspense writer Dan Poblocki offers readers The Nightmarys (plus two other spine-tingling books): People who anger Abigail are suddenly finding that their worst, most private fears are coming true. But if there's a connection, why is Abigail being haunted too? It's up to Timothy to find out...IF he's brave enough, that is!

The Monstrumologist, by Richard Yancy, details the life of 12-year-old orphan Will Henry and his apprenticeship to a man who hunts monsters for a living...often with terrifying results. This first installment kicks off this excitingly scary series that's perfect for fans of Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak.

The Moth Diaries, by Rachel Klein, is one of theose books where the reader must draw their own conclusions based on first-hand information that may not be entirely accurate. Is Ernessa really a vampire? Or just an innocent (albeit odd) girl with whom the anonymous narrator develops a dangerous obsession? You judge! Uncommonly suspenseful!

Katie Alendar's Bad Girls Don't Die is more of a stereotypical haunting story, but it will still keep you awake long into the night: Something is very wrong with Alexis' little sister Kasey, who is exhibiting increasingly bizarre and dangerous behavior. Can Alexis get to the bottom of this before it turns deadly?

Want more? Look for the "Horror" and "Suspense" spine stickers. Or ask the on-desk librarian for recommendations. --AJB