The Bargaining

Gr 8 Up—After fights at school and the accidental death of her best friend (and worst enemy), Penny needs some time away, or at least her parents think she does. The teen's mom dumps her two states away with her dad and stepmom, April. April has a grand plan to renovate an old house in some remote woods over the summer and expects Penny to go with her. While it's not an ideal situation, Penny goes along with it only to discover that things are not as they seem in the North Woods. No one willingly sets foot in the area and Penny is sure she hears voices and laughter and she keeps seeing things. Is it ghosts, long lost children, or something far more sinister? If Penny confesses what is going on in the Carver House, will anyone believe her, or will they think she's lost her mind? A pervading sense of creepiness drives this book. It's possible to get lost following some of the plot lines and there is not a real resolution. Readers never learn what plagues the Carver house and the North Woods, but chances are they won't care. The scary parts are truly terrifying, akin to old school Stephen King novels, not to be read before bedtime. Give to teens who claim they aren't afraid of things that go bump in the night.—Heather Webb, Worthington Libraries, OH