The book of bad things

In Poblocki's latest screamfest, a spate of ghostly sightings, grotesque deaths, and disappearing corpses coincides with the arrival of Cassidy, whose annual summer stays with the Tremont family gets off to a rocky start, thanks to fallout from the deaths of Joey Tremont's beloved dog, Lucky, and of reclusive neighbor Ursula, whose house turns out to be stuffed with hoarded possessions and piles of garbage. Eerie doings quickly escalate with glimpses of spectral canine and human figures, odd humming sounds, foul odors, clutching hands, and oozing shadows that take fatal revenge on local residents who have scavenged even minor items from the dumpster in front of Ursula's. Tucking in extracts from Cassidy's carefully kept notebook of scary things #56: ZOMBIE: Imagine a human face whose skin is peeling off in wide sheets to thicken the spookiness, the tale winds to a climax that pits her and three friends against both an outbreak of zombies and an ancient, relentlessly possessive spirit. About midrange on the fright scale, and well stocked with tried-and-true terror tropes.--Peters, John Copyright 2014 Booklist

Will 12-year-old Cassidy's summer escape from New York City literally be killer?For the past two years, Cassidy Bean has been in a program that places city kids with suburban families for the summer. When the Tremonts seem hesitant to have her back, Cassidy thinks it's because of something that happened the previous year. Still, they do invite her again, but when she arrives in Whitechapel, New Jersey, she finds the Tremont's son Joey, also 12, is no longer fun or friendly. Cassidy also learns that the neighborhood's creepy curmudgeon and hoarder, Mrs. Chambers, has died. After the Chambers house is cleared out and the townsfolk pick over her treasures, ghost sightings aboundand more people die. Cassidy and her new friend, Ping, persuade Joey to help them find out what's behind the ghosts and the disappearing bodies. What they discover is worse than anything in Cassidy's therapy journal, her Book of Bad Things. Poblocki's return, full of mystery, monsters and ghosts, is sure to satisfy his fans. A solid main character, Cassidy is surrounded by a good supporting cast, and her past troubles figure nicely in the tale and its resolution. Ghostly bits and creepy action are more interesting than the cause of the "haunting," but the book will nevertheless supply chills, especially if read at night.Old-school, John Saul-style horror for preteens. (Horror. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

From THE BOOK OF BAD THINGS:Cassidy glanced up the street, remembering the Dumpsters that had sat there until yesterday. "Did your friends say anything about Ursula's house? Did they take anything from her driveway when the crew was cleaning up?"Deb sipped her coffee, staring into Cassidy's eyes, squinting with concern. "Yeah, as a matter of fact. Also said Ursula showed up in the middle of the night, telling them to put it back." She chuckled. "They're all having some sort of mass hallucination. It would seem so ridiculous to me, except for the fact that Mrs. Moriarty really died."Cassidy shivered. Was it that cold out here? "You're going to the greenhouse today?""Yup. In a few.""Can you do something for me?""Sure. What is it?""Tell your friends who've seen Ursula, the ones you work with, to put it back.""Put what back?"Cassidy glanced toward the flashing lights that were still parked down the hill. Fingers of ice ran along her spine, and this time she knew it wasn't the breeze. "Tell them to put back whatever they took from her." Excerpted from The Book of Bad Things by Dan Poblocki All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.