The Devils You Know

Each year, the senior class of Red River School has the opportunity to visit the legendary Boulder House. The house, built into a boulder, has grown to accommodate a collection of oddities belonging to its original owner, Maxwell Cartwright Jr., creating a labyrinth of rooms filled with strange artifacts. For Violet, Paul, Dylan, Ashley, and Gretchen, the trip is exactly what they need to get away from the drama of their lives. Little do they realize that the rumors about Boulder House are true: Cartwright is still collecting, but now he’s after the souls of visitors. Debut novelist Atwood combines humor and horror with precision, ensuring that this story remains as creepy as it is fun. Narration shifts among the five characters, allowing their distinct and robust personalities to emerge. From Ashley’s struggles of hiding her sexuality from her conservative family and judgmental friends to Paul’s concern that his classmates will realize that he’s neither brave nor cool, the teens’ individual struggles help them find the strength to fight for their lives. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Oct.) [/em]