Direwood

In Yu’s chilling horror debut, set in the late 1990s, 16-year-old Chinese American Aja’s older sister Fiona goes missing just after Fiona’s 17th birthday. Soon, three more teenagers vanish from their insular, predominantly white neighborhood in Glen Hills, Mich. Aja, who’s “tired of being the younger version of my sister, the worse version, always falling short by comparison,” connects the disappearances to two events: the sudden and inexplicable emergence of white caterpillars with sharp teeth burrowing into and infecting the neighborhood’s trees, and strangely inclement weather patterns, which include blood rain and an impenetrable fog. Lured by a mysterious, “sweeter than honey” voice outside her window, Aja meets Padraic, an alluring vampire whom she believes took her sister. Hoping to rescue Fiona, Aja agrees to spend seven nights with him in the old, abandoned church in the woods. Yu carefully balances gory horror and vampire mysticism with the protagonist’s desire for independence. Aja’s gradual realization that Fiona’s life isn’t as perfect as she’d assumed, elevated by a riveting paranormal romance and enduring sisterhood, make for an eerie tale that thoughtfully contemplates fitting in amid societal pressures. Ages 14–up. Agent: Erin Clyburn, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (Sept.)