Caroline B. Cooney

The Voice on the Radio shifts the series into new territory as Janie’s story is made public. In this installment, Janie’s boyfriend Reeve begins talking about her kidnapping on his college radio show, turning her private pain into entertainment. The betrayal forces Janie to confront not only her complicated identity but also questions of trust, loyalty, and exploitation. Caroline B. Cooney captures the tension between personal trauma and public exposure, highlighting how Janie struggles show more to regain control over her own story. The novel combines teen drama, emotional conflict, and suspense, making it a compelling continuation for readers invested in Janie’s journey. show less

Christina is excited because this year she is 13 and she gets to leave the island she grew up on and attend junior high on the mainland in Maine. Despite her excitement, she is torn by worry about whether she'll be bullied by the mainland kids, who think islanders are stupid and poor. But those worries soon take second place when she realizes that the owners of the bed and breakfast that she and her islander friends lodge at are using psychological torment to suck the souls out of girls. show more She's terrified as she watches the beautiful and brilliant senior Anya fade away. And soon the psychopaths are after her own mind.

When I was pre-junior high I used to gobble up these Point Horror books like a turkey dinner. (haha. ok, I know that wasn't funny. Just work with it.) There are very few of those books that I actually remember liking though. This is one that has really stuck with me through the years. When I found it in the library recently I thought: "I wonder..." And I'm glad I did, because I found this book terrifying. When I was a teenager, I think I found the spooky psychological aspects of going insane scary. Now, the book is even more terrifying, but for a different reason. Those psychopath adults who have FULL control over those poor children were horrible! They were charming, and fantastic liars, and those kids' parents weren't around to see what was going on. They just believed whatever the adults told them rather than believing their own children. And the things those psychopaths said to the kids! Ohhhhh shudder. Yes, the book lacked subtlety. But the fact that it terrified me even now gets it four stars in my blog! My only complaint (besides the lack of subtlety - which is really due to it's target audience) is that it ended in a cliffhanger. This is a trilogy of short books. It really should be one longer book. Even combined, I think the book would still be reasonably short. But it WAS Point Horror, after all. They had to be short. show less

I was really looking forward to this book. Had a great premise–what if you saw that the missing person was you. But it’s only about 45% mystery and the other part is romance teen-dating, dealing with friends and crushes and other high school drama. And it comprises so much of the book too. You can bet that if I saw my face on a milk carton, I’d be dedicating 100% of my time to figuring it out. That’d be all I could think about — no time for boys or anything else. Plus it’s show more shoehorned in–these are two themes that don’t go together. So jarring, you could literally mark where one story changes to the other.

Besides the disconnected theming, the characters just aren’t likable. Besides the fact that the main character does as much pining for who’s-his-face as detective work, she seems barely motivated to do anything. Just concerned about college and high school, but not much beyond that. And there’s no ending. It’s a cliffhanger (except the cliff is three feet up) that’s so dull it feels like the author just ran out of paper.

Don’t be fooled by the fascinating premise. It’s not at all satisfying to read. show less

Christine is excited to be leaving her island home to attend school on the mainland. Her companions, including her friend, Anya, are older and don't share her enthusiasm. They tell her that the mainland kids hate islanders and will make her life a misery. But Christina will let nothing dampen her spirits - that is, until she meets the Shevingtons, the couple with whom they will be staying. He is the principal at the school and she's an English teacher and, to everyone else, they seem show more perfect. However, Christine immediately feels that something is not right with them. Unfortunately, if anyone else shares her suspicions, they aren't saying.

Soon Christine finds herself in a battle of wills with the couple while Anya appears to be losing both her sanity and her sense of self. As the fog rolls in and the waves threaten to knock down the inn where they are staying, Christine must find a way to fight this evil while saving Anya from suicide or worse, disappearing into herself.

Fog is, simply put, a classic tale of good versus evil and the only word to describe it is CREEPY. Originally written in 1989 as the first of a trilogy aimed at a YA audience and re-released this year by Open Road Media, Fog has most of the ingredients of the best slasher films like Scream and Halloween but without the sex and gore. Although, there are a few things which date the novel (eg VCRs), still it is guaranteed to send more than a few chills up your spine. show less