The Gathering

June 1, 2016
Five unhappy children think their troubles are over when they step inside a mysterious house--until the house refuses to let them leave.The kids have one thing in common: misery, caused by a variety of neurodivergent symptoms. Poppy, a white orphan living in a group home, has only one friend in the world: the dead girl she sees behind her in every mirror. In Japanese-American Azumi's disturbing dreams, she relives the loss of her sister in the Aokighara forest and is terrified that she is losing herself as well. Not only can no one hear the overwhelmingly beautiful music in white Marcus' red head; no one understands his desperate need to play. And as their acting career abruptly ends, brown-skinned twins Dash and Dylan are losing their grip--Dash is having nightmares about failing to save his brother, and when Dylan isn't feeling invisible, he is having flashbacks to a trauma he can't quite grasp. All five receive different letters offering to make their dreams come true, but when they all arrive at Larkspur, nothing greets them but endless rooms and masked, murderous ghosts--it's one thing to survive being different, it's quite another to survive a haunting. Although the choice to equate neurodivergence with the influence of hauntings is questionable, Poblocki's meticulously crafted narrative is chilling and reminiscent of the best Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? terrors. A thrill for any reader who knows the only thing more frightening than an unopened door is being locked behind one. (mobile app) (Horror. 10-15)

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August 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 Five different children find themselves at Larkspur House under unusual circumstances. Poppy leaves her orphanage after her great-aunt, Delphinia Larkspur, invites her to her home. Marcus, a talented cellist, receives a full scholarship to the prestigious Larkspur Academy. Azumi travels to Larkspur boarding school to get far away from the Japanese forest in which her sister disappeared. And child actors Dylan and Dash are given lead roles in a horror film by Larkspur Productions. Of course, Larkspur House is not at all what it seems, and when strange things begin to happenthe kids find dolls resembling them, and children wearing animal masks begin to appearthey begin to explore, and the more secrets they discover, the more mysterious and terrifying the house becomes. Poblocki, long known for his creepy fiction, ups the ante in his latest with an interactive app (unavailable for review) accessed by scanning eerie illustrations to reveal more secrets about the house. Fans of spooky tales won't be able to look away, especially with two more volumes to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)