What Waits in the Woods

January 15, 2015
A camping trip turns deadly for a group of friends as a cackling stalker creeps among the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. City girl Callie Valasquez agrees to go camping only to impress her new, popular girlfriends, Lissa and Penelope. After moving from Chicago to upstate New York, she's hoping to foster new friendships like the ones she left behind. Inviting her new boyfriend, Jeremy, doesn't hurt either. As the group surrounds a glowing fire, Lissa relates the tale of the Skinner, a murderer who committed atrocities in the very woods they sit in and was never found. Of course, it isn't long before things begin to go awry. Jeremy and Penelope topple off a bridge into a river, losing their supplies and barely making it out alive. Then a charming stranger appears, offering to help. But can he be trusted? As the group falls apart, and trust begins to crumble, a watcher in the woods creeps in. Callie and her friends teeter on the cliched, with Lissa acting as the over-the-top alpha and Callie as the frightened new girl finding her footing. But Scott weaves palpable tension and masterfully ramps it up toward a truly thrilling conclusion. Cinematically paced, it's tough to put it down. Readers will be kept up late, shocked to discover the depth of the darkness that lies in the woods. (Suspense. 12-18)

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January 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-Callie is the new girl, so when her new friends invite her on a camping and hiking trip, she can't say no, even though she has never been camping. The trip starts out fine, although a few spooky stories and her lack of outdoor experience have Callie on edge. Things begin to go south when the group gets hopelessly lost and it becomes obvious that there is someone following them. When the group meets a solo hiker who claims to know how to get to a trail and a cabin, they agree to follow him. Yet things continue downhill as their food dwindles, their trust of one another and their mysterious guide wears thin, and whatever is stalking them is closing in and threatening their lives. Most chapters end on a cliff-hanger, and entries from the stalker's "Recovery Journal" are interspersed throughout, so readers know that there is a killer but don't know the identity. Scott builds constant tension, and the novel's events unfold like a horror movie. There is some violence and a high body count, so this title is not for the faint of heart. This is a fast-paced thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.-Ellen Norton, White Oak Library District, Crest Hill, IL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
Grades 8-11 Callie Velasquez is a recent transplant to upstate New York from Chicago who reluctantly agrees to go on a four-day camping trip with two of her new friends. The only thing making the trip bearable for the decidedly not-outdoorsy Callie is her boyfriend, who comes along. After a terrifying accident, the teens become lost in the woods, where they quickly begin to turn on each other. A handsome older camper, Ted, crosses their path and offers to lead them to his cabin, but can he be trusted? A series of macabre discoveries, including bloodied dolls and twisted stick figures, plus the echoing maniacal laughter of an unknown stalker keep the terrified campers on edge. Scott alternates between Callie's viewpoint, her fear and desperation to leave the woods growing with every moment, and diary entries recounting the events from the perspective of an unknown mental patient. With the taut pacing of a horror movie, plenty of gruesome twists, an angsty romantic triangle, and a deeply creepy ending, this one is sure to satisfy teens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)