This month's book reviews

A teenager's summer job results in
more terror than he bargained for

"Haunted" by Judith St. George has all the elements of a horror movie. Alex Phillips, who has just turned sixteen, is recruited by his father's law office to be caretaker of an estate for just six weeks during summer break. Bruce Buchanan, the nineteen-year-old son of another of the law partners, is to join Alex in taking care of the house and grounds. The catch is that the house had been the scene of what appeared to be a terrible murder and suicide some weeks before.

When Alex is dropped off by his father at the estate, he immediately senses that something is just not right, especially within the creepy-looking house. Blood stains from the killings are still visible within. It doesn't help any when he gets a cell phone call telling him that the arrival of his nineteen-year-old partner, vacationing in Mexico, will be delayed for several days. Alex is so freaked out, he decides to leave without staying even one night. He knows he can't phone his father until the next day, and his mother is already on a trip to Europe. To his shock, not one of the three vehicles in the garage can be started, even though they had been reported to be in perfect condition just days before. He's miles from a town and it's getting dark - really dark. He keeps imagining that he sees a large cat watching him through the windows. However, the murderer, at the time of the crime, had killed the only cat that was in the house. On top of that, Alex keeps hearing the howling of a large dog off in the nearby woods.

In spite of his terror, Alex is so worn out that he does manage to get through the first night by sleeping out in a small guest house away from the creepy mansion. To Alex's relief, Bruce, bored with things in Mexico, does manage to get a flight and arrives the next day. On the other hand, Bruce laughs at Alex's fears and ignores the unusual incidents that Alex reports. Bruce is focused on bringing in beer and girls and throwing a big party before they finish with their house-sitting. But Alex knows that there is something sinister going on that he can't ignore.

Alex gets involved in the mystery behind the apparent murder-suicide. Could the authorities have gotten it wrong? Is the ghost of the victim trying to communicate with Alex in order to see that the truth comes out? "Haunted' will keep a reader in suspense until the last page is read.

 

The smallest pup in a wolf litter
survives deep in the forest of Minnesota

It's hard to be the fifth one born in a litter of wolf pups. With siblings named Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker, this smallest one, naturally, was called "Runt." The wolf mother was named Silver, while the father was called King. The white male wolf in the pack was called "Bider" because he was just "biding" his time to take over leadership of the pack from King, if King faltered in any way.

Runt is a happy little wolf, even though he realizes he isn't as big and strong as his litter mates. Because he has trouble keeping up with the others, he is the one who gets lost one day. The unheard of happens to him. He is rescued by a human. He becomes acquainted with Goldie, the human's dog. Runt can't understand why any animal would leave the freedom of the forest to live with humans.

Runt gets involved in a number of adventures. His greatest dream is to bring food to his pack, when they are not finding enough to eat. After some close calls, especially after Bider leads him astray, he finds his way back to his family. We find out how the runt of the litter becomes a productive member of his pack.

 

A big city girl tries to adjust
to eight weeks at summer camp

Natalie Goode is an eleven-year -old who lives in New York City. Her parents are divorced and Natalie doesn't see much of her father, who is in the movies and lives in California. She really likes living in a big city, so she's less than thrilled when her mother sends her off to Camp Lakeview for the summer. Her best friend, Hannah, has gone to Europe with her family. Natalie writes Hannah regularly about how much she misses New York and about her dissatisfaction with camp life - at least at first.

Natalie is surprised to find that there are boys at camp also. Boys and girls do eat meals together at the mess hall. Some of the planned activities are designed for both girls' and boys' participation. Early on at camp, Natalie accidentally steps on the heel of the sneaker of a boy in front of her in line. It was not a good beginning to her getting acquainted with a cute boy named Simon. But still, with cute boys around, summer camp began to look a lot more interesting.

Surprisingly, for Natalie, she finds that as she makes some new friends, she is starting to like camp - even with spiders, a lumpy mattress, and unrecognizable food. She is adjusting to camp quite well, when she is informed that she is having a surprise visitor. This surprise visit could throw a monkey wrench into everything! How will her new friends treat her afterward?

You need to read the book to find out about the surprise visit and the impact it has on Natalie's final weeks at camp. Note, too, that two sequels to "Camp Confidential, Natalie's Secret" are already available.