Scream Site

Ireland, Justina. Scream Site. 2018. 261p. ISBN 9781630791025. Available at FIC IRE on the library shelves.

A freshman in high school, Sabrina desperately wants to be an investigative reporter. She hopes to earn an internship at the local newspaper, and she works closely with her English teacher to craft a piece that will amaze the editors, but the only topics she currently has either deal with fluff or are meaningless drivel. Her friend Evelyn suggests she looks into one of the most popular website, Scream Site, Sabrina is at first dubious. Who would ever care about his horror site? When Evelyn mentions that there have been rumors of local users disappearing after posting their videos, Sabrina is intrigued.

Exploring Scream Site, Sabrina discovers that one the most most active creator of horror clips is Shady99. She also notices that everytime a video becomes more popular than Shady99’s multiple offerings, that person soon goes missing, and people wearing the same clothes and shoes begin to appear in Shady99’s scary flicks. The police are not interested in investigating, as the teens that vanished are over 18 and probably left for California. When she comes across a new video posted by her older sister Faith, Sabrina freaks out. Can she use the information she’s unearthed on Shady99 to track him in time to rescue her sister?

A well-paced thriller featuring suspense appropriate for middle schools, Scream Site will be enjoyed by those who like their fear administered with a light touch. For a similar location of a run-down and closed amusement park, consider Closed for the Season.

Closed for the Season

Hahn, Mary Downing. Closed for the Season. 2009. 182p. ISBN 978-0-547-08451-0. FIC HAH on the library shelves.

Logan Forbes and his family have just moved from Virginia to Bealesville. This being the summer before starting 7th grade, Logan is hopeful that he will integrate in this new community and connect with the cool kids. His chance for a fresh start is ruined, however, when he meets his neighbor, Arthur. Where Logan is a lover of books, clean, and well-behaved, Arthur is slovenly, hates books, and is not very polite.

Arthur tells Logan that he and his family are now living in the infamous murder house. Myrtle Donaldson, the previous owner, was killed three years earlier. A ticket seller at Magic Forest Amusement park, a now closed amusement park, it was rumored that Mrs. Donaldson had stolen money from the park and hidden it somewhere. Her murderer must have been looking for the money.

As Logan and Arthur begin their investigation, they realize that not everything is at it seems in their small town. Who would have wanted to hurt an old lady? Did money even disappear? But getting closer to solve this murder mystery puts the boys in danger. Can they find justice for Mrs. Donaldson before they become the next victims?

Closed for the season won the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery in 2010. If you enjoyed this book, you will like Dark and Deep and Dangerous, also by Hahn. For a similar location of a run-down and closed amusement park, consider Scream Site, and for another thrilling ghost story, pick up It Happened to Anna.