So, let's move on to horror. I can't even deal with suspenseful movies--I squirm and get anxious, and it's not a good oh-my-God-I-can't-wait-to-see-what-will-happen-next kind of way. It's an oh-my-God-get-me-out-of-here-I-can't-deal-with-this way. I challenged myself to focus on horror this week, because it's the genre most out of my comfort zone. But I might have cheated; I picked two typical horror books, and then let myself pick two realistic fiction books, psychological horror stories. Here's what I ended up with:
Typical horror:
Alender, Katie. Bad Girls Don't Die. New York: Hyperion, 2009.
Plot summary:
Alexis keeps noticing weird things going on around her--for one thing, creepy things are happening in her house (for example, water boiling on the stove when no one has put it there). Her sister Kasey has also gotten freaky, with her eye color changing and her odd conversion to old-fashioned language. And worst of all, maybe she's not even Kasey. Alexis has to figure out what's going on before something really horrible happens.
Where I found it & why I picked it:
At Barnes and Noble, I was looking for another book by Alender, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer (I saw her bed at Versailles two weeks ago!). I found this book instead. As soon as I read on the back cover that Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, I knew this would be the kind of book I wouldn't want to read. And that means teens probably would!
The book seems to be an interesting mixture of a realistic fiction "bad girl" story and a horror story as well. Some reviews say that the combination is awkward, but others say that it's a great book for teens (they say "girls," but whatever...) who want their horror packaged in a regular teen story. Alender has written a series with the same characters and their ongoing scary lives.
Lorenta, Dayna. No Safety in Numbers. New York: Speak, 2012.
Plot summary:
A biological bomb has been discovered in a mall, and the people inside the mall are trapped inside. As the days go on, the hundreds of people inside the mall fight for survival, turning on each other in their new microcosm of society. And, to make things worse, there's a virus spreading. Four teens in the mall tell the story.
Where I found it & why I picked it:
I saw the book at Barnes & Noble, and picked it up based on its bright cover and its title. The premise sounded interesting, even to me. The book is part of a trilogy--the other titles are No Easy Way Out and No Dawn without Darkness. Reviews online compare the book to The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Flies, but set in a mall instead (which some people might think is worse than the arena or a deserted island). Teens would enjoy the premise, and that the survival story is set in a familiar place.
Realistic fiction horror:
Werlin, Nancy. The Rules of Survival. New York: Dial Books, 2006.
Plot summary:
Matt, Callie, and Emmy's mother, Nikki, is abusive in a horrifyingly inconsistent way. Sometimes the kids can predict her attacks (when they've done something to displease her), but other times her psychotic abuse seems to come out of nowhere. And sometimes she ends up being unexpectedly kind. What she does to them is horrible, from cutting a bit of Matt's throat so he won't steal cookies anymore, to driving on the wrong side of the highway to teach the kids a lesson. Their father and aunt seem unable to intervene. Matt and Callie meet a man named Murdoch, by chance, and when he dates their mother, Matt and Callie start to see him as a father figure. They are devastated when Murdoch breaks up with Nikki. Finally, as Matt learns to advocate for himself, he builds a network of adults to help the kids, and they are finally free from Nikki (at least as free as they can be, knowing she is still out there).
Where I found it & why I picked it:
This is my one choice that I've read before. I was struck by the premise of the book and listened to it as an audiobook. Then, when I was at my writing conference in May, Nancy Werlin was signing, so I bought the book and got to meet her. There was no line, which surprised me, because I think this book is so amazing. She was touched that I liked the book so much.
So, I love this book but it's so hard to read. I've read so many stories where kids are abused one way or the other, but I've never read about abuse that's so inconsistent; Nikki can be loving and vicious all in the same day. I also loved the character of Murdoch, who was treated so awfully by Nikki, but really came through for Matt, Callie, and Emmy in the end. I would highly recommend this book to teen readers, but with the caveat that it really is a horror book, in its way.
Watson, Carrie Gordon. Quad. New York: Razorbill, 2007.
Plot summary:
A shooter is on a rampage through their high school, and six students are trapped in the school store, desperate for safety. Each student is from a different clique--prep, jock, techie, geek, "choirboys," and "drama queens." The book is from the perspectives of all six, and the present time is mixed with flashbacks. The six students try to figure out who is terrorizing the school, and why. The answer isn't revealed until the end of the book.
Where I found the book & why I picked it:
Goodreads keeps recommending this book to me, based on the other teen books I read. I haven't even marked it as "want to read," because the book seems so intense. But I've read nonfiction about Columbine, and books that deal with school shootings like Jennifer Brown's Hate List. But both of those books treat school shootings from more of a distance. I'll probably read Quad now that I've looked into it, though.
I picked this book for a few reasons. First of all, it's definitely a horror story (although I don't know too many details). Second, school shootings, from a drastic situation like Sandy Hook to 'less horrible' shootings where someone is only injured, are a despicable possibility in America. Students who can handle this kind of book can explore the real-life shootings through a fictional perspective. Finally, according to the reviews, this book focuses on the bullying that made the shooter snap. Bullying is a perennial problem, and schools are finally trying to educate students about it.
*****
PS. As I go back and read through my post, I'm wondering if I put No Safety in Numbers in the right category. I put it into the traditional horror story category because it seemed like a regular horror story. But on the other hand, what differentiates this book from Quad? Could No Safety in Numbers actually happen? Is that the difference I'm looking for, fantasy/sci fi vs. realistic? Or are my categories manufactured & it's an overlap? Hmmm....
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