The Book of Bad Things

About this book

When Cassidy Bean leaves New York to spend the summer upstate, she's disappointed to find that Whitechapel is not the quiet, pleasant suburb she remembers. Ursula Chambers, the strange old hermit at the end of the cul-de-sac, has passed away under mysterious circumstances. And the townspeople are shocked to discover that Ursula was a hoarder: Her farmhouse is teeming with stacks of newspapers, piles of furniture, mounds of antique dolls and taxidermy animals.

Cassidy watches as the people of Whitechapel descend upon Ursula's farmhouse, claiming her abandoned treasures for their own. She listens as rumors spread that Ursula's vengeful ghost is stalking the town with a warning from beyond the grave. And when Cassidy resolves to uncover the truth behind the strangeness, she learns there are more bad things in the world than she ever suspected. . . .

Modern master of the macabre Dan Poblocki is back with another scary story best read at night.

Reviews

Praise for The Book of Bad Things:

"Ghostly... grotesque... eerie..." -- Booklist

"Poblocki's return, full of mystery, monsters and ghosts, is sure to satisfy his fans. Old-school, John Saul-style horror." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Fun and creepy in all the good ways." -- Voice of Youth Advocates


Praise for The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe:

A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection
A Junior Library Guild selection

"The social dramas mesh well with the supernatural elements... Poblocki creates a real sense of suspense." -- Booklist

"Poblocki creates danger by not pulling punches. An atmospheric, creepy ghost story best read at night." -- Kirkus Reviews


Praise for The Ghost of Graylock:

A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection
A Junior Library Guild selection

"Poblocki misses nary a horror-story trope as he propels his cast through one terrifying incident after another to, at last, a climactic flight. Definitely a story to be read by flashlight." -- Booklist

"Poblocki is in his element with eerie happenings and atmospheric settings. Short chapters with cliff-hanger endings and several twists and turns in the plot will ensure that the pages turn quickly. Give this book to Mary Downing Hahn fans and others who enjoy spine-tingling mysteries." -- School Library Journal