Borrowed Souls

Borrowed Souls: Awakening of a Young Sentinel
By Carl Williams

They walk like us. They talk like us. But they are not us.

Teddy Campbell was just an ordinary eight-year-old boy—until the night a streak of fire shot across the sky and everything changed. When he rushes outside to investigate the crash near his home, he finds something he was never meant to see: his parents, overtaken by an alien force. Their faces are familiar, but their warmth is gone. In its place is something cold. Calculated. Watching.

As strange behavior spreads through the quiet town of Hemlock Hollow, Teddy realizes the truth—his parents aren't the only ones. Teachers, neighbors, friends—they're all changing. All falling under the influence of something not human. No one believes him. No one sees what he sees. Teddy is alone.

Until he is not.

Armed with his blue notebook, a brave heart, and a sharpened sense of awareness, Teddy begins documenting every eerie anomaly. Over time, he finds others who can see it too—Maddie, a bold classmate who trusts her instincts more than adults; Oliver, a boy mysteriously immune to the invaders' influence; and Delilah, the town's reclusive oddball who may hold the key to everything. Together, they form an unlikely resistance—a secret alliance of kids against an invisible enemy.

As they dig deeper into the mystery, they uncover something terrifying: the invaders are a hive-mind species, connected by a rhythm of thought and action that can't be broken by ordinary means. Hemlock Hollow is just their test site. Humanity is next. And time is running out.

From backyard treehouses and spooky libraries to visions of otherworldly realms, Borrowed Souls takes readers on a cinematic journey through fear, friendship, and the thin line between the familiar and the unknown. But the biggest challenge isn't just stopping the invasion—it's resisting the slow loss of their humanity. Because the alien force isn't only outside them, it's inside them.

Teddy's story is more than just an alien mystery. It's about what it means to be brave when you're small, to question the world when no one else will, and to hold on to your soul when everything is trying to rewrite it.

Perfect For:
- Readers aged 10–14 who enjoy mystery, science fiction, and spooky suspense
- Fans of Antimorphs, Stranger Things, Coraline, or The City of Ember
- Classrooms and book clubs exploring themes of trust, identity, and courage

Borrowed Souls: Awakening of a Young Sentinel is the first book in an exciting new middle-grade sci-fi series about the quiet strength of recognizing what others refuse to see—and choosing to stand tall anyway.

This captivating debut combines emotional depth with intense tension, providing both escape and understanding. It's a story about friendship, resistance, and the unwavering truth that even the smallest voices can make the most significant difference.