Publisher Description
A dark and twisted story about a sleepy town with a dark secret--and the three kids brave enough to uncover it. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things.
Every thirteen years in the town of Eden Eld, three thirteen-year-olds disappear.
Eleanor has just moved to the quiet, prosperous Eden Eld. When she awakes to discover an ancient grandfather clock that she's never seen before outside her new room, she's sure her eyes must be playing tricks on her. But then she spots a large bird, staring at her as she boards the school bus. And a black dog with glowing red eyes follows her around town. All she wants is to be normal, and these are far from normal. And worse--no one else can see them.
Except for her new friends, Pip and Otto, who teach her a thing or two about surviving in Eden Eld. First: Don't let the "wrong things" know you can see them. Second: Don't speak of the wrong things to anyone else.
The only other clue they have about these supernatural disturbances is a book of fairytales unlike any they've read before. It tells tales of the mysterious Mr. January, who struck a cursed deal with the town's founders. Every thirteenth Halloween, he will take three of their children, who are never heard from again. It's up to our trio to break the curse--because Eden Eld's thirteen years are up. And Eleanor, Pip, and Otto are marked as his next sacrifice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eleanor Barton, who will turn 13 in a few days, on Halloween, has just moved into Ashford House in picturesque Eden Eld, Ore., to live with her Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ben. Hoping to put her tragic past behind her, Eleanor is determined to ignore the "wrong things" only she can see including a grandfather clock with backward-moving hands that has appeared outside her room, and an enormous black dog with glowing red eyes that seems to be following her. But new friends Pip Foster and Otto Ellis can see the wrong things, too, and soon Eleanor learns there's more to Eden Eld than meets the eye. The truth behind why the wrong things appear and why those who see them disappear may lie in a book of unusual fairy tales and Ashford House itself. Though characterizations are slightly flat, Marshall (Rules for Vanishing) excels at employing eerie, atmospheric narration ("And everywhere, the purple flowers grew, their petals peeling back from their centers like sneering lips"). A fast-paced plot combined with the unsettling implications and logic of fairy tales ensures that this supernatural series starter will keep readers up at night. Ages 8 12.
