Reading is my ESCAPE from Reality!

At first Daniel dismisses the tales of the witch and her man-eating razorback hog, Bloody Bones, as superstitious nonsense, but gradually he is forced to believe that Erica is in real danger. When Erica vanishes, he knows she's been "took," and he must summon all his courage to confront Old Auntie and take his sister back.

-- from the book jacket

 

This book gave me the shivers. Take kids that hear and see things that the adults don't notice or don't believe. Add a local legend that we, as readers, know is true, but adults, of course don't believe. Multiply by a doll that only talks to the young girl, a witch that preys on young girls every 50 years... Don't forget the freaky man-eating razorback hog, and the result is a perfectly creepy story that does not disappoint.

I think kids being kidnapped by witches is an especially scary plot line. Being in the dark woods all alone helps, of course. I loved every minute of reading this book and plan on finding more to read by this author. I found it in our elementary school library, but I think it is important to make sure the individual student can handle the scariness of this story.

Recommended to:

Students in grades 5-8 who aren't scared of creepy witches, man-eating razorback hogs, and dark forests.