Bonechiller (edition 2008)

Danny’s dad takes a job as caretaker at a marina on the shore of a vast, frozen lake in Harvest Cove, a tiny town tucked away in Canada’s Big Empty. Father and son are mourning the lose of Danny's mom. One night, running in the dark, Danny is attacked by a creature so strange and terrifying he tries to convince himself he was hallucinating. Then he learns about Native American legends of the Windigo a monster that’s haunted the lake for a thousand years. And that every generation, in the coldest winters, kids have disappeared into the night. People think they ran away.Danny knows better. Because now the beast is after him. What a thrilling read! Really hooks you in and reels you through the last page. ( )

Danny is bitten by a strange creature turning him into a monster. Something of a Wolf man type of book with much suspense.

When Danny's dad takes yet another new relocation job, this time in eternally cold Harvest Cove, Canada, Danny doesn't expect much. Yet soon he befriends a group of wild local army brats, and life begins to get interesting. Besides falling for the hardcore boxer chick Ash, Danny is bitten by a mysterious monster one night after walking home from a frozen adventure. Soon he begins to change, and after one of his friends is also bit, they decide to find, and defeat, the strange creature once and for all. Definitely filled with action, but a bit less terrifying than expected. Great for the younger set of YA. ( )

Part horror novel, part romance, part Scooby-Dooesque mystery thriller, this novel set in Canada’s Siberia-like Big Empty concerns a group of teenagers—newly transplanted city boy Danny, his tough-as-nails yet sexy crush Ash, and the brothers Pike (named after the weapon of the same name), Howie (not after Howard but after Howitzer), sons of a special forces veteran—who stand up to a mysterious beast that snatches, dismembers, and possibly steals the souls of its victims. Interesting bits of Native American folklore about the monster known as the Windigo accompany this story, but it ultimately the background information about the small town and the characters is far more interesting than the monster stuff. Still, teen readers especially in the middle school to early high school range may find this a palatable introduction to horror fiction.

Don't you hate books that make you wait till almost the end to reveal the monster? That's not the case with this page-turner. Creepy. Suspenseful. Grab a blanket and turn up the lights. Enjoy! ( )