It Watches in the Dark (Eek! #1)
by Jeff Strand (Author)
Prepare to be scared silly in this creepy middle-grade novel! Twins seek medical help in a remote village after their father is in a canoeing accident...only to discover the scarecrow that stands watch in town may have a stronger hold over the residents than expected. Perfect for fans of R.L. Stine, Dan Poblocki, and Mary Downing Hahn.
Twins Oliver and Trisha love going on adventures with their dad. Canoeing and camping on the Champion River will be their best trip yet! But when they capsize in rapids, their father is knocked unconscious. Alone and without cell phone reception, their only choice is to continue down river for help.
Hours of paddling brings them to an old dock, and a narrow path leads them to a small village. The townspeople are kind and helpful, but strangely focused on the giant scarecrow in the village square. "He watches over us," the twins are told in whispers. "He keeps us safe."
An old woman warns the twins not to spend the night in the village. Not if they ever want to leave. But with the sun soon to set and their father not well enough to be moved, how can they escape? More importantly, can they survive?
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Publishers Weekly
When their father is injured during a rafting trip meant to celebrate their 12th birthday, twins Oliver and Trisha happen upon a remote village with a disturbing ethos in this menacing thriller by Strand (How You Ruined My Life). After the vulnerable family arrives at the edge of Escrow, a disquieting if initially welcoming community home to a 50-foot-tall scarecrow that citizens believe will protect them from "whatever might cause us harm," unconscious Dad is immediately whisked away to a suspiciously bare infirmary. An innocent transgression and incessant questioning about their father's condition land the kids in hot water with the mayor, who orders them to sit still and "bask in the protection of the scarecrow." Here, the folk-horror-inflected tale takes on a supernatural bent as the hulking protector begins speaking to Oliver and Trisha, taunting the petrified tweens with gruesome threats and forcing the duo to consider what it will take for them and their father to escape the clutches of the scarecrow and its severe and dedicated constituents in this darkly comic, Goosebumps-esque tale that wields enough grisly chase scenes to lend substance to a lean plot. Characters default to white. Ages 10-14. (Apr.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Kirkus
Folk horror for younger folk.
Review quotes
"Sure to spike curiosity in young readers" — Youth Services Book Review
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
Horror fiction
Horror tales
Villages
Scarecrows
