The Devils You Know

Gr 8 Up—What happens when a family-friendly historical attraction turns out to be a house of horrors? Five Wisconsin teens find out the hard way on a field trip when they get trapped inside The Boulder House, an architectural marvel built by local resident Maxwell Cartwright Jr. in 1936. There he housed supernatural oddities from around the world, not to show them off but to infuse the house with evil. He sought revenge against the residents of the town, whom he blamed for his father's suicide. When the time is right, the house comes alive and captures people, strengthening its power. The five teens, goths Gretchen and Dylan, mean girl Ashley, self-assured Violet, and star athlete Paul, diverse in class, culture, and sexual orientation, are met with a demon. He challenges them to try and get out of the house alive; if they fail, they will be added to its collection of tortured souls. The author subverts the teens' stereotypical identities; eventually they confront what may be scariest of all—having their carefully constructed facades torn away and their secrets revealed. The well-paced narrative ratchets up the tension as the creatures the protagonists confront—violent dolls, crazed clowns, armored, ax-wielding knights, and more, all intent on killing the teens—get increasingly terrifying. The ending succeeds in being both satisfying and disturbing.