The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good

A begrudging family visit curdles into something more sinister in this gothic-tinged chiller from Applebaum (the Princess Minna series). Young Fran is not happy that she must spend a week with her bossy cousin Imogen while Fran’s parents are away at a conference. When Fran arrives at her uncle Pete and aunt Liz’s house, however, Imogen is nowhere to be found, and her aunt and uncle act as though Imogen never existed. What first feels like a cruel joke turns eerie as she discovers Imogen’s room coated in dust, and a final journal entry dated 11 months back that describes her cousin’s plan to enter a hidden garden at a neighboring estate. Though rumors warn that the garden is unsafe, Fran endeavors to find a way in, because “if I’m the only one who can remember her, then it’s up to me to find her.” Short chapters alternate between Fran’s fierce first-person narration and the history of the hidden garden and its statues, amplifying eco-horror elements as Fran’s infiltration of the grounds takes a disturbing turn. The protagonist’s valiant determination to set things right injects an atmosphere of optimism into a creepy and suspenseful premise. The main characters cue as white. Ages 9–12. (May)