Robert Lettrick

Sadly, because I love MG horror and want to see more non-gory creepiness in MG books, I can only recommend The Murk as an apt description of the writing.

The book fails on several levels: Wooden dialogue that frequently sounds too adult or, worse, unbelievable; inexplicable and maddening lapses of intelligence forced onto both protagonists; and dreary pacing.

The emotional reactions of the two principal characters, Piper and Tad, seem forced to the point of weirdness. For example, after Tad show more (Piper's bestie for years) saves her life and that of Piper's infant sister, Piper rejects him--Why? Who knows?--then rekindles their friendship when the aforementioned baby sister becomes ill. Tad's reaction? Confusion (I get that). Unrelenting infatuation (Really? After a year of being ignored?). And an utterly unbelievable lack of resentment when, after her baby sister falls ill, Piper comes to Tad in tears and begs for his help. Tad even agrees, almost immediately, to sneak off to the Okefenokee Swamp with Piper to search for a mythical flower mentioned in the early 19th-century journal of one of Tad's forebears.

Tad's agreement highlights one of the most irritating aspects of this book: The deliberate dumbing-down of both principals to advance the plot. Why would a boy smart enough to create a unique orchid (for Piper) suddenly buy into a "Hey, the journal must be right, and X marks the spot" cliche? Ditto for Piper; initially portrayed as an intelligent, smart, and resourceful girl she then becomes so overwhelmed by emotion that she accepts as credible the existence of an all-healing flower. These transformations smack of a lack of respect readers, the characters, and the plot.

The pace lags throughout--only in the last pages does any suspense build--and this substantial flaw isn't helped by the inclusion of overly lengthy and dull entries from the old journal.

Look elsewhere for fun MG horror. show less

Wow. I honestly did not expect to like this as much as I did. This book is scary, nail-biting, compassionate and somewhat realistic. But I am glad that my summer camp experiences were never this intense.

I don't want to give anything away, but I will say this is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of death. There are a lot of crazy "rabid" animals. There are good kids and bad, brave kids and cowards, and there are a lot of slow revelations about the kids' backgrounds.

This book is show more fantastic if you like a realistic story with a heavy dose of fright.

This is on the 2016-2017 Sunshine State Nomination list of books for grades 6-8. And it is good for those grades and above, but I will suggest to our elementary librarian that we leave it out of our collection. As I always say, you know your kids. This book is intense, but if you have a budding horror fan (as I was as a preteen), they will probably love it.

Think:

Cujo (King) + Zoo (Patterson) + summer camp - adults = a fantasticly frightening experience

Recommended to:
Budding horror fans in grades 6 and up. (Avoid if you are sensitive to animal death or are squeamish in general). show less

After reading this I will never look at plants the same again. This title was chock full of action, adventure, suspense, as well as a lively cast of characters. I highly recommend this title. Especially anyone that has camping trips planned in the near future!!