Hannah, 12, has recently moved into an old house, ominously called Nightshade, with her family. The forest and lake behind the house are off-limits to Hannah and her four siblings, but she can't resist exploring anyway. She meets an odd girl there named Cady, who is by turns overly friendly and distant. Cady fascinates Hannah, though, and she keeps returning to the forest. At the same time, there are signs that Nightshade might be haunted. When Cady invites Hannah for a midnight swim in the lake, Hannah knows that it's foolish and tries to resist Cady's siren call. Even the house ghost thinks it's a terrible idea. In Hannah's first-person narrative, she comes through as a sympathetic and pleasant character, although some readers might wonder what takes her so long to figure out the truth about Cady. Well structured, suspenseful on many levels, and with enough clues for readers to make predictions, this is a solid choice for kidswho like their mysteries with a touch of horror on the side.

Gr 4-6Twelve-year-old Hannah Eileen Flynn is irritatingly referred to as Hannah-in-the-Middle by her loud, boisterous family, made up of seven memberseight if you include their new creaky house, named Nightshade. Distraught over being abandoned by her two best friends, Luisa and Sara, who leave for spectacular summer trips, Hannah seeks solace in the peaceful forest behind her new home. Her dad has warned her not to go past the first row of pine trees, but she ignores this advice and is shocked to discover a hidden world in the quiet respite. She encounters a new friend, 12-year-old Cady. Hannah slips into the habit of escaping frequently to visit this forbidden area of the forest and is surprised every time how all signs of the outside world seem to vanish. Hannah can't quite put her finger on it, but there is something "off" about Cady, who wears oddly outdated shoes and clothing. Soon Hannah's new friend begins to appear in more modern clothes, which are almost exact copies of what Hannah is wearing. Cady also has an affinity for taming wild forest creatures, and she can eat the deadly berries from the belladonna plant. Meanwhile, Hannah is preoccupied with the fear that a ghost inhabits the attic of her new home. The Georgia setting is steamy yet chilling and lends the novel an eerie Southern gothic vibe. Suspense builds slowly but satisfyingly. Goose bumps will definitely be raised, but there's nothing too graphic. Tween readers are likely to enjoy the friendship dynamic in the plot as much as the horror. Hannah's heartfelt love of her family will also ring true. VERDICT An engaging Southern horror tale with plenty of friendship and family drama. For fans of lightly frightening fare.Julie Shatterly, W. A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC