Whispering Pines (Whispering Pines #1)

Perfect for reading under a blanket with a flashlight.

A thrilling novel perfect for fans of Stranger Things and stories filled with mystery and suspense.

Gr 4-8--Twelve-year-old Rae Carter arrives in Whispering Pines, CT, determined to appear normal. No asking people if they believe in aliens and no mention of her dad's disappearance from a secret government lab. The fact that her neighbor Caden Price's family are ghost hunters doesn't help her, nor do the strange disappearances of children. Even worse, when children do reappear, their eyes are missing. After Rae's new friend vanishes, Rae, Caden, and their friend Vivienne decide to investigate. Caden has his own experience with the supernatural; he accidentally trapped his magic-hungry brother Aiden in another dimension. Add in a suspicious green energy plant and the feeling that supernatural creatures dog their every step, and the result is a spooky story with mystery elements. The chapters alternate between Rae and Caden in third-person limited perspective. Both children are such underdog loners that readers will feel immediately sympathetic, especially as Rae and Caden's families don't seem to support them emotionally. The chilling preface where the eye-snatching demon hunts its prey, as well as other unusual settings, enhance the book's dark tone. One might wish this series opener--ending on a cliffhanger--didn't have quite so many different story threads, but perhaps they will be untangled in future installments. VERDICT Like "Goosebumps," but for an older audience, this book seems custom made for kids who like a good scare. A high appeal horror suitable for middle grade and tween readers. Recommended for most libraries.--Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT

This horror series starter weaves a tense narrative within an atmospheric small town. When Rae Carter, 12, moves with her mother and older sister from Sunnyside, Calif., to Whispering Pines, Conn., she sees an opportunity to reinvent herself, leaving behind last year's identity as the "conspiracy freak" who believes her father's mysterious disappearance was orchestrated. But their new town is uncanny: bottomless sinkholes, a family of mediums and exorcists across the street, a rash of children whose eyes have been stolen by inexplicable means, and an enigmatic, supposedly benevolent company called Green On! monitoring the whole town's energy--as well as the eyeless children. Befriending neighbor Caden Price, who's haunted by his missing brother, and chatterbox Vivienne Matsuoka, whose giant ever-present backpack poses another mystery, Rae delves into Whispering Pines' deadly secrets. Hoping to thwart the "serial eye snatcher" before they claim another victim, the trio must face challenges both mundane and supernatural. Though the genre-blurring inclusion of aliens alongside ghosts and monsters threatens to destabilize the various elements, Lang and Bartkowski (the Mystic Cooking Chronicles) effectively develop their heroes and setting while crafting an unpredictable, unrelenting adventure. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (Sept.)