What a lovely chilling surprise of a book. I was not expecting a MG horror novel at all based on the cover, but the cover fits the story quite nicely. This is the story of Ollie. While she is happy to be left alone by everyone, she can not help but stand up to the bullies at school when they set their eyes on the new girl. But this isn’t the traditional story of a bully. Instead it is the story of the Smiling Man.

Adults might recognize the character of the Smiling man, known by other names such as the CrossRoads demon, or the Devil that went down to Georgia. He is man who makes deal. You get your hearts desire, but the Smiling Man will ask for a favor later, which you have no choice but to give. It’s this exchange over 100 years ago that starts this modern story or a girl grieving for her mother.

Ollie and her 6th grade class are on a field trip to a local farm. But things are off, things are weird, things are just a bit spooky. The bus driver is a new entity and gives weird warnings to Ollie. And her mother’s broken watch has started to talk to her. When the bus breaks down on the way home, Ollie knows she must leave the bus to protect herself. She does not know why, just has the secret message of “stick to small space”, a watch telling her to run, and an internal sensibility telling her to listed. So Ollie runs. But she does not run alone. She is joined by Coco, the new girl who is not prepared for life in the wild, and 6th grade heartthrob Brian. Can they survive the nights, save the students, and break the curse all brought about by a smiling man and a book. Or will the history repeat it self, and the staling scarecrows win in the end.

A fantastic read that was perfectly atmospheric for October. It had chills, adventure, and daring. Once started it was hard to put down. While the book does not need a sequel, I can not wait to read the one that just came out so i can see what these kids will do next.
#MountTBR
#NancyDrewChallenge #Garden