Killer House Party
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
2026 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Winner
★ "A hauntingly beautiful take on a classic horror story that will leave readers’ skin crawling in the best way possible." –Kirkus, starred review
★"There’s a compelling, critical undercurrent here that encourages readers to think about how ghost stories begin and what keeps them alive in cultural memory, but at its core, this is pure fun for horror fans, with sharply drawn teen characters, lively banter, and a deft balance between moments of comedy and genuine scares."–Booklist, starred review
From Printz Honor winning author Lily Anderson comes a young adult horror that follows Arden and her friends as their graduation party at an abandoned mansion turns into a bloody fight for survival.
Red Solo cups? Check. Snacks? Check. Abandoned mansion full of countless horrors that won’t let you leave? Check.
The Deinhart Manor has been a looming shadow over town for as long as anyone can remember, and it's been abandoned for even longer. When the final Deinhart descendent passes, the huge gothic manor is up for sale for the first time ever. Which means Arden can steal the keys from her mom’s real estate office . . . It’s time for a graduation party that no one will ever forget.
Arden and her friends each have different reasons for wanting to throw the party to end all parties. But when the manor doors bar everyone inside and the walls begin to bleed, all anyone wants to do is make it out alive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's all fun and games until doors start bleeding, carpets devour stabbing victims, and exits lock down during a haunted house party fundraiser in this scary-snarky thriller by Anderson (Scout's Honor). Afro-Latina Arden Lazano Flack would skip graduation and jump directly to college if her divorced real estate agent parents didn't blow her tuition savings to buy the long-abandoned, likely haunted Deinhart Manor. Arden's best friends, Mexican American Maddy May and white Remi, assert that everyone wants to party in a haunted house, and encourage her to plan a get-together in the manor as a tuition fundraiser and alternative to the school-sponsored Sober Grad Night. With her friends' help—and keys pilfered from her parents' office—apprehensive Arden throws a rager. The party promises social and financial success—until all the scary rumors about the house start to come true. With her trademark snappy dialogue, Anderson elevates high school drama and haunted house horror tropes. The characters' steadfast found family dynamics and individual motivations and future goals are a hopeful undercurrent, even as Arden's dreams of life after high school morph into a real-life nightmare. Ages 14–up.
