The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe

by Dan Poblocki

Overview

Has Gabriel created a monster?

Something sinister lurks in the woods outside of Slade.Gabe has seen it, or he thinks he has - a shadow standing at the tree line, watching Gabe's house with faintly glowing eyes.Despite Gabe's misgivings, his new friend, Seth, relishes the creepy atmosphere of the forest. It's the perfect setting for his imaginary struggle against the Hunter, a deformed child-eating creature said to leave the bones of his victims in his wake. It's just a game, but it's all a bit much for Gabe, who quickly loses interest as summer ends and the days grow shorter.But then strange things start to happen. Frightening things. And Gabe knows it has to do with the dark figure watching him from the edge of the woods.Is Seth out to teach Gabe a lesson? Or is the Hunter more than just a myth? Gabe isn't sure which option is more horrifying, but he's determined to learn the truth before someone gets hurt . . . or worse.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545631877
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	933,334
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
File size:	4 MB
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.

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.” — VOYAPraise for The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe:A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selectionA 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 ReviewsPraise for The Ghost of Graylock: A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selectionA 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

10/01/2013
Gr 6–9—This unsettling tale starts out as a realistic friendship story but merges into fantasy/horror. With a dad who makes puppets for a living, Gabe is used to being teased by his classmates. After a devastating fire causes his family to move, however, he starts to experience a surge in reputation, though this popularity comes with a price. Gabe must choose between his new friends and Seth, a strange neighbor who introduces him to a fantasy role-playing game in the wooded area behind their houses. When the game turns out to be not entirely imaginary, and kids in the community start to get hurt, Gabe must figure out how to set things right. The short chapters create a fast pace that rushes to the ultimate confrontation in this supernatural thriller. The creepy mood Poblocki creates for this ghost story is its strongest asset. Although it's tame enough for middle schoolers, the ending may be intense for some readers.—Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ

School Library Journal

Gabe Ashe deals with friendship drama while a supernatural mystery closes in on him. After a fire destroys his home, Gabe and his family move into his grandmother's mansion in a small Massachusetts town. Gabe quickly befriends his neighbor, Seth Hopper, and the two play a dark fantasy game in the woods between their houses. Wraithen (Seth's character) and Meatpie (Gabe) are Robber Princes of allied kingdoms, endlessly pursuing a baby-eating, "mutated humanoid-beast" called the Hunter in lush fantasy interludes. When not playing Prince Meatpie, Gabe desperately avoids his social label from his old school--dorkface. As the other kids extend invitations to Gabe under the condition that Seth not be included, he fears Seth's obsession with the game has designated Seth the school dork. Gabe's resulting internal conflict about friendship, realistically executed, is ably characterized through action and decisions. Seth, possessive of Gabe's friendship, is openly hostile toward the other boys verbally and with immature pranks. But some of those pranks might not be Seth's responsibility--a mysterious figure terrorizes Gabe's house and follows kids from school. The strange happenings fit the modus operandi of Seth's monster-foe, the Hunter. Gabe must solve the increasingly intensifying mystery before someone gets hurt--or worse. While he occasionally gives too much away, Poblocki (The Ghost of Graylock, 2012, etc.) creates danger by not pulling punches. An atmospheric, creepy ghost story best read at night. (Horror. 10-15)

Kirkus Reviews