The Pricker Boy by Reade Whinnem

Whinnem, R. (2009). The Pricker Boy. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.

Summary

14 year old Stucks and his best friends Pete live year round at a sleepy lakeside community and await the summers when all the "summer kids" come and hang out. Stucks and Pete love listening to ghost stories around the campfire, especially one about The Pricker Boy. Legend tells a tale of a boy who was lured by a mean joke into the dark woods and got caught in an animal trap. When he didn't return, searchers found only blood and ripped clothes laying about, there was no sign of the boy. Now, Pricker Boy seeks revenge and he has found the perfect group of boys to seek it on. 

Review

Author Whinnem is great at making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and his silence between words is scary and believable. I was constantly looking over my shoulder while reading this and I would sleep with all of the lights on for a whole week after reading this book. Tweens will devour this book the same way they devour anything written by R.L Stine. 

Genre

Horror

Reading Age/Interest Level

10-13 years/Tween

Similar Books

Monstrumologist- Rick Yancey

Coraline- Neil Gaiman

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror- R.L Stine

Readers Annotation

Not your typical ghost story around the campfire! You will need all the lights on for this one!

Tales of the Cryptids:Mysterious Creatures by Halls, Spears, and Young


Halls, Spears & Young. (2006). Tales of the cryptids: mysterious creatures that may or may not exist. Los Angeles: Darby Creek Publishing.
Summary
Pictures, facts, and first hand "accounts" of legends like Bigfoot, Nessie, Chupacabra, and other crazy cryptids fill the pages of this great book. Readers will love the hilarious conversational text, great pictures and drawings of these weird creatures, and enticing history and background of creatures like the Giant Squid and the Mongolian Death Worm.
Review
I love anything weird. I read all books about legends, monsters, ghosts, and cryptids and what tween doesn't love weird and unusual creatures that suck the eyeballs out of sheep or furry men that scratch at back doors and eat the neighborhood cats? This is a great book that introduces mythology, legends, and sheer silliness to tweens and even readers my age.
Genre
Non-Fiction
Reading Age/Interest Level
8-13 years/ Tweens
Similar Books
Cryptid Hunters- Roland Smith
The Official Cryptid Field Guide- Golden Books
Encyclopedia Horrifica- Joshua Gee
Readers Annotation
For all of those monster hunters, disbelievers, and creepy crawlers...