After reading this author’s spooky Middle Grade book last year called Scritch Scratch I wanted to read her new book! I actually didn’t find out about it until searching through Amazon, haha, but luckily I was able to get it on Netgalley even after it was released. I was so excited to get the email!

The book has one point-of-view and it comes from Ginny. She’s a soon-to-be 8th grader, if I remember correctly, and she is off for the summer. Ginny wanted to go to a writing class but her parents have other plans in mind especially when it comes to her dad’s job. It isn’t the summer she expected but it is one she will never forget.

Ginny loves a good mystery and her favorite author is Agatha Christie. I haven’t read a book by her yet but she is on my tbr. I can understand why Ginny would feel the need to solve what is going on in the house even if she is scared. She has that drive and maybe it is caused by the books she read, heh. She also is trying to use it as a way to prove to her parents that the legends are true and get back to Chicago. I really don’t blame her!

She does have an older brother who is on the athletic but goofy side who also likes to tease her. He is the typical brother! I did like their bond and how he knew when she was absolutely scared that he would take charge on the mission and help her.

There is a guy who comes to this town every summer that is introduced early on as Will. He is very much like Ginny and enjoys to read too. He also tells her of his own experience with the mansion and ends up trying to help her as well. The book doesn’t have any relationships since it is middle grade but it does elude to maybe they like each other? I did like their friendship!

I’m always intrigued by what author’s will come up with when it comes to a setting and this one didn’t disappoint! I liked learning about the mansion as well as the surrounding town when Ginny would go out. The mansion was definitely a very spooky place that had me scared but continuously reading into the late night as I needed to know what would happen next. I wasn’t exactly sure what would come of the rumors/legends that were spread around about the mansion. There were instances I thought it would go one way but it surprised me and went another direction. The history of the mansion was a nice touch and it gave me that historical connection I like about paranormal stories.

My only complaint about this book would be that the ending felt a bit more anti-climatic than her last book. It just felt like it wrapped up too quickly. It is a decent ending though and I liked the added epilogue to show us what would happen for Ginny and her new friend Will.

Overall, this was an excitingly spooky read! If you haven’t read a book by this author, I’d definitely recommend her for this upcoming season!

This book sets the stage perfectly, giving me instant Haunting of Hill House vibes. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for sending me and advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This is my second book by Lindsay Currie and I absolutely love her style. (You can read my review of Scritch Scratch here.) Her books so far seem to follow a pretty basic formula: preteen gets to head into some spooky sites, manages to find herself mixed up in a Scooby style mystery, and does some sleuthing into the past to discover exactly why what's happening is happening. Though just because something is formulaic doesn't have to mean it's boring or predictable. There's plenty here to draw you in and get you invested.

Ginny is a great character with relatable worries and fears. Of course, part of that is moving out to the middle of nowhere into this ginormous mansion while her father discovers what it will take to rehab the old place. Especially when she hears that there may be more to Woodmore Manor than she expected...a lot more. Ginny also happens to be very smart and curious about things that she doesn't already know about so it's not long before she's researching its history. She's also a huge Agatha Christie fan so figuring out the mystery is completely her thing. She also manages to drag her brother and a newfound friend into helping solve the mystery. Family and friendship feature front and center in the relationships that Lindsay Currie creates.

If you think middle grade can't be spooky, there are plenty of chills in this haunted house story. The author starts slowly with a few unnerving encounters that could easily be brushed off, but as the story proceeds, those moments become more and more startling. As with Scritch Scratch, there are some pretty terrifying moments that our protagonist Ginny encounters. One in particular probably would have pre-teen me sleeping with the lights on. I love that she doesn't hold back with the scares. However, by the end of the book, she also manages to make it all okay or at least manages to make it all make sense. Sometimes just knowing why something is happening makes it less scary.

This is one of those books that keeps you turning pages until the very end. The pacing is fantastic and once it starts rolling, this story doesn't slow down. I couldn't wait for Ginny and the crew to figure things out. While there are some things that might seem a little predictable, it's almost in that yell-at-the-characters-on-tv way. You might have figured it out watching from the outside in, but they haven't and you can't wait until it all clicks for everyone. What Lives in the Woods was a treat and I can't wait to read whatever comes next.

Growing up, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a new R.L. Stine book. I feel like Lindsay Currie has that similar gift for sharing spooky, yet age appropriate middle grade horror stories. This is the third book I’ve read from her and will once again be another that I recommend for fans of this genre.

This story includes rumors of shadow people who haunt an abandoned mansion. It’s full of brief, red eyed glimpses and touches of plenty of peculiar, paranormal behavior that leave you slightly creeped out, even if you’re an adult reading late at night. Mannequin and mirror, I’m looking at and calling you both out for the near scare!!

Ginny was such a wonderful protagonist. Being a huge fan of mysteries, I loved her appreciation of Agatha Christie and how she applied those lessons to her own sleuthing adventures. I also liked seeing kids who were scared, yet equally determined to research and find the answers to the strange activity happening around them. The relationships were perfect too between the parents, siblings and even those new feelings when you discover your first crush.

I can’t wait to see what Currie writes next. I would love to know more about the legends of these hitchhikers and wouldn’t mind revisiting this cast and setting again!!

Perfect spooky read for middle grade readers. The atmosphere is chilling enough to cool off a hot, stormy, summer night. No gore, just ghostly frights, a mystery and new friendships. Will recommend to my students looking for a good frightful mystery.

Started slowly - then picked up the pace. As more secrets and uncovered, the story gets better and better, taking multiple twists and turns. My favourite character is Leo because he's a fun, loveable, relatable character. The book was very descriptive and I really enjoyed it.

I would rate it 8 out of 10.

From Katy - a 12 year old reviewer.

What Lives in the Woods lives up to its synopsis. It’s definitely a chill-inducing read that hooks you from the beginning. Author Lindsay Currie quickly gets under your skin, creating a setting that is both brooding and claustrophobic — even though the mansion is ginormous. Her world-building is strong, giving readers a real sense they’re standing right next to Ginny as she puzzles out Woodmoor Manor.

At the center of the story is Ginny, a strong protagonist who isn’t willing to give in to her fears. She is supported by her brother, Leo, and new friend, Will. The book works because of these three and how their personalities play off each other.

I’m not a huge fan of ghost stories, but I can see the appeal. Especially under Currie’s deft care. It’s atmospheric but is filled with moments of levity. And it’s fun to read right now, heading into the Halloween season.

What Lives in the Woods is geared toward older middle-readers — grades 5-9.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Kids, and Sourcebooks Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

So this is my first Lindsay Currie novel... and it will not be my last! This is exactly what makes Middle Grade horror so good. There's just the right amount of creepy/scary stuff happening, but not enough to keep me up all night unable to sleep.

Ginny Anderson is just your typical middle school kid looking forward to a summer of being able to hang out with her best friend... and hoping to pen the next great mystery novel. A huge fan of Agatha Christie, Ginny tends to have an overactive imagination, seeing mysterious behavior and thinking something is going on - like the time she tried to convince her parents that their neighbor was burying a dead body in the backyard when he was really just gardening. Whoops.

But this summer, Ginny is being taken away from Chicago, her best friend, and the writing workshop she was excited to attend. All so that her Dad (who restores old places) can hopefully get backers to restore a mansion in a holiday town in Michigan. But what Ginny thought was going to be a boring summer might be more than that once she learns of the mansions dark past... and the rumors that keep the townsfolk well away from the property.

As Ginny starts experiencing the terrors firsthand, she's determined to prove the house is haunted in order to convince her family to leave immediately. With the help of her brother and a boy she met in town, they embark on a mission to prove the shadow people exist. Yet the deeper they get, all is not what it seems, and their plans may need to change focus in order to save everyone.

Currie's writing is engaging, and the kids acted their ages (when so many authors seem to take the easy way out of aging their characters up in order to move their plot along). They make mistakes, they get overwhelmed, but in working together, they're able to accomplish a lot. I loved the overall mystery Woodmoor Manor and how everything winds up in the end.

This was a really fun read and will make many readers want to become ghost hunters themselves. WHAT LIVES IN THE WOODS is a perfect novel to get you into the spooky Halloween season!

Brilliant middle-grade horror reads are not something that I find easy to come by which is a shame as children do have an appetite for the unexplained, ghostly tales and things that go bump in the night. What Lives in the Woods is the second book that I have read by Lindsay Currie, my first journey into her spooky mind was the brilliantly written Scritch Scratch. I had high expectations for another spine-tingling, heart-hammering read and Currie did not disappoint in what I can only describe as an absolute nightmare of a summer vacation…

Ginny is not impressed to be spending the summer in Saugatuck on the shore of Lake Michigan, particularly as it means missing a Mystery Writing Workshop. Renovation expert dad has been commissioned to renovate the legendary Woodmoor Manor and has whisked the family away for a month long vacation.

The 1930’s mansion is famous amongst the local residents for all the wrong reasons and terrifying creatures are rumoured to lurk in the surrounding woodland. It isn’t long before Ginny is experiencing strange happenings; a mannequin with a mind of its own, a ticking sound in the walls, shadowy figures that turn the air icy cold and a bewitched typewriter are making the stay anything but relaxing. Things are bad, like really bad and Ginny needs to solve the mystery before something terrible happens…

Full of suspense, What Lives in the Woods is an atmospheric slow-burning thriller that haunted from me start to finish. As soon as I stepped foot into the town of Saugatuck the hairs on the back of my neck slowly rose and the goosebumps made themselves known. Despite being described as a ‘quaint little town’ by mum, I was not having any of it. Rumours of ‘Hitchhikers’ - mutant creatures from a scientific experiment gone wrong - that will grab onto your car and ride back with you as an unwanted souvenir adding further fear.

With all of the haunted house vibes, Woodmoor Manor is the perfect place for a spooky story. The deserted roads that lead to it, the dense forest that surrounds it, the imposing and ominous multi-roomed building, the foreboding sense of unease and dread upon entering it, everything just screams ‘BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE’. Luckily there’s a plucky protagonist on hand to try and solve the mystery of the manor and to make it a place that the tourists to and residents of Saugatuck will want to visit rather than avoid at all costs. Wanna-be writer Ginny is the perfect ghost-hunter for this paranormal mystery. Convinced that there are strange goings-on and determined to work out exactly what, she finds allies in her brother, Leo, and regular vacationer to the area, Will.

This is not full on fright-fest, what Currie does is make you feel uncomfortable for the entirety of the read. I was gripped by the unknown, the unexplained events and Ginny’s doubting of herself that all ramp up the tension throughout and kept me racing through the pages. Just like Ginny, I immediately sensed Woodmoor Manor was not a good place to be and I was ready to pack up and leave before the car had been unloaded.

Currie delivers just the right amount of creepiness to keep you reading under the covers with the light on but won’t send kids to bed with nightmares - perhaps with the exception of the mirror scene which is straight out of a horror movie. Reading this late into the night was the not best idea, particularly when my reading was stopped by a strange shuffling noise followed by a loud thud on the roof - cue racing heart and senses on full alert (one can be explained by my wife, the other, I have no idea).

Recommended for 9+.

With thanks to Lindsay Currie and Sourcebooks for the advanced reader copy that was received via NetGalley.

Another HUGE hit by Lindsay Currie, who somehow manages to pull off the most heartwarming horror stories! Loved every page of this fun book, full of friendship, family, and spine-chilling goodness. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

As with Lindsay Currie’s other books, I loved What Lives in the Woods. Like her other works, this story follows a girl and her involvement with a ghost, but despite the similarities to her previous works I did find our main character Ginny and her story still managed to seem unique to me. I am a huge fan of ghost stories, they are perhaps my favourite kind of story to read, and this book definitely managed to hook me in right from the start. I believe any young readers who love a good spooky story will love this book!

This is the second book from Lindsay Currie that I have read. Having enjoyed Scratch Scratch, I was eager to read her new book, and I was not disappointed. What Lives in the Woods has just enough suspense and creep factor to keep middle grade readers turning the pages, but it doesn't go over the top with scary horror. The pacing is just right, the setting is perfectly eerie, and the characters are relatable. I am always on the lookout for books to recommend to my middle school students, and this is one I am looking forward to sharing with them.

Lindsay Currie continues to creep me out with her excellent Chicago/Midwest-based stories of mystery, intrigue, and ghosts who haunt families.

What Lives in the Woods takes place mostly at an old, scary mansion in Saugatuck, Michigan, a popular place near me, which makes the book even more engaging for my students -- they know the setting. Even I wouldn't recommend reading this one before bedtime, as the mansion holds hair-raising parts for the reader.

Would I recommend this to my students who crave "scary books?" Absolutely!

This book was wacked out spooky in parts. I started reading in the dark when insomnia hit, well I definitely couldn't fall back to sleep for a while.

The whole book isn't always spooky but rather a great mystery with a ghosty presence and a 12 year old Agatha Christie fan. Ginny didn't want to spend a month in this house when her plans for the summer included a writing class and hanging out with friends back home.

This is my my first time reading Lindsay Currie and I enjoyed the ride. It was descriptive, setting the vibe for an old mansion with secrets and red herrings. With a small town setting, new friends - both real and not, this book is geared for a middle grade audience. It's a story of family and friends, sacrifice and acceptance with closure.

What Lives in the Woods releases in a couple days.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Kids for a digital ARC (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

What Lives in the Woods is a classic ghost story/mystery about an abandoned manor house with a slew of urban legends attached. This is the kind of book I would have eagerly snapped up at the school book fair when I was 11 or 12 years old. It's definitely the right level of scary for a middle-grade novel. As an adult reader, I would have preferred a bigger crescendo in the story arch and a slightly less neat conclusion, but that said, there are a few creepy scenes that called to mind Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House. I won't spoil them for you, but they definitely got my pulse racing.

Ginny is an aspiring mystery writer, in the vein of Agatha Christie. When she hears that her father is transplanting the family to a old manor house he has been hired to restore, she is devastated. This isn't the first time her father has carted them off to his dusty, broken down projects during summer vacations. She knows the drill. The worst thing, though, is that Ginny will have to forgo the Mystery Writing Workshop which would have been the first step in her writing career. She is determined to change her parents' mind and get back in time for the workshop, but Ginny soon discovers that this house is not like the others. This house harbors a secret that goes far beyond the urban legends. Ginny finds herself at the center of a real life mystery, and she must unravel the clues before whatever is in the house takes revenge on her family.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I finished this in two sittings over one day. It's a fun summer scary mystery. It definitely reads for the right audience, following a pair of kids the summer before they start 8th grade. I enjoyed how the story stayed close to the mystery the whole time, but I would have liked a little more secondary story.

Now that I've finished, I am second guessing the title a little bit, as based on the title alone I was expecting more creepy woods, but overall it was a fun story with a good pay off.

I really liked that the main character, Ginny, is a mystery novel fan and aspiring writer. It was fun to see her reference Agatha Christie which gives space to educate about the mystery genre and help young readers find more mysteries and scary stories after they read this one.

My 11yo gives What Lives in the Woods five stars. The tension throughout was solid, making us want to turn pages together and solve the mystery. The scary parts were scary-but-not-too-scary (the mirror scene, yikes!). When I asked my son if it was freaky, he said "Yes!" with a big smile on his face.

It also introduced my young reader to concepts like the "red herring." We're still dying to learn more about the Hitchhikers, but maybe Lindsay has that in store for her next book. ;)

Fun read!

What Lives in the Woods was a fantastic end of summer read. I'm ready for spooky season and this book had it all, while still being set in the summer time in beautiful Michigan. For a middle grade book I got more spooked than I expected. Really loved this book!

Another great spooky middle school book by Lindsay Currie! Scary, but not over the top, creepy story. Characters solve the mystery themselves through bravery and cooperation.

Lindsay Currie's novels are light but filled with suspense. They are an easy read, yet never ever disappointing. "What Lives in the Woods" kept me up all night reading. It is a great book if you are looking for a story to finish in one sitting :)