The Book of Bad Things

by Dan Poblocki

Overview

One kid's trash is another kid's terror in this spooky supernatural mystery.

When Cassidy Bean leaves New York to spend the summer upstate, she's disappointed to find that Whitechapel is not the quiet, pleasant suburb she remembers. Ursula Chambers, the strange old hermit at the end of the cul-de-sac, has passed away under mysterious circumstances. And the townspeople are shocked to discover that Ursula was a hoarder: Her farmhouse is teeming with stacks of newspapers, piles of furniture, mounds of antique dolls and taxidermy animals.Cassidy watches as the people of Whitechapel descend upon Ursula's farmhouse, claiming her abandoned treasures for their own. She listens as rumors spread that Ursula's vengeful ghost is stalking the town with a warning from beyond the grave. And when Cassidy resolves to uncover the truth behind the strangeness, she learns there are more bad things in the world than she ever suspected. . . .Modern master of the macabre Dan Poblocki is back with another scary story best read at night.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545645553
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/26/2014
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	747,022
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Dan Poblocki is the author of The Stone Child, The Nightmarys, The Ghost of Graylock, The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, The Book of Bad Things, and the Mysterious Four series. He lives in New York with two adorable cats and more books than he has room for. Visit him at danpoblocki.com.

Read an Excerpt

From THE BOOK OF BAD THINGS:Cassidy glanced up the street, remembering the Dumpsters that had sat there until yesterday. "Did your friends say anything about Ursula's house? Did they take anything from her driveway when the crew was cleaning up?"Deb sipped her coffee, staring into Cassidy's eyes, squinting with concern. "Yeah, as a matter of fact. Also said Ursula showed up in the middle of the night, telling them to put it back." She chuckled. "They're all having some sort of mass hallucination. It would seem so ridiculous to me, except for the fact that Mrs. Moriarty really died."Cassidy shivered. Was it that cold out here? "You're going to the greenhouse today?""Yup. In a few.""Can you do something for me?""Sure. What is it?""Tell your friends who've seen Ursula, the ones you work with, to put it back.""Put what back?"Cassidy glanced toward the flashing lights that were still parked down the hill. Fingers of ice ran along her spine, and this time she knew it wasn't the breeze. "Tell them to put back whatever they took from her."

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Book of Bad Things :

"Ghostly... grotesque... eerie..." -- Booklist

"Poblocki's return, full of mystery, monsters and ghosts, is sure to satisfy his fans. Old-school, John Saul-style horror." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Fun and creepy in all the good ways." -- VOYA


Praise for The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe :

A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection
A Junior Library Guild selection

"The social dramas mesh well with the supernatural elements... Poblocki creates a real sense of suspense." -- Booklist

"Poblocki creates danger by not pulling punches. An atmospheric, creepy ghost story best read at night." -- Kirkus Reviews


Praise for The Ghost of Graylock :

A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection
A Junior Library Guild selection

"Poblocki misses nary a horror-story trope as he propels his cast through one terrifying incident after another to, at last, a climactic flight. Definitely a story to be read by flashlight." -- Booklist

"Poblocki is in his element with eerie happenings and atmospheric settings. Short chapters with cliff-hanger endings and several twists and turns in the plot will ensure that the pages turn quickly. Give this book to Mary Downing Hahn fans and others who enjoy spine-tingling mysteries." -- School Library Journal
 

From the Publisher

2014-06-25
Will 12-year-old Cassidy's summer escape from New York City literally be killer?For the past two years, Cassidy Bean has been in a program that places city kids with suburban families for the summer. When the Tremonts seem hesitant to have her back, Cassidy thinks it's because of something that happened the previous year. Still, they do invite her again, but when she arrives in Whitechapel, New Jersey, she finds the Tremont's son Joey, also 12, is no longer fun or friendly. Cassidy also learns that the neighborhood's creepy curmudgeon and hoarder, Mrs. Chambers, has died. After the Chambers house is cleared out and the townsfolk pick over her treasures, ghost sightings abound—and more people die. Cassidy and her new friend, Ping, persuade Joey to help them find out what's behind the ghosts and the disappearing bodies. What they discover is worse than anything in Cassidy's therapy journal, her Book of Bad Things. Poblocki's return, full of mystery, monsters and ghosts, is sure to satisfy his fans. A solid main character, Cassidy is surrounded by a good supporting cast, and her past troubles figure nicely in the tale and its resolution. Ghostly bits and creepy action are more interesting than the cause of the "haunting," but the book will nevertheless supply chills, especially if read at night.Old-school, John Saul-style horror for preteens. (Horror. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews