The Dead End by Mimi McCoy (A Poison Apple Book, MG series)

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (May 1, 2010)
• BOOK DESCRIPTION: Casey Slater can’t believe her bad luck. It’s the summer before seventh grade, and instead of the perfect vacation she’d planned with her best friend, Casey is in a remote country town, where her parents are restoring an old, creaky, creepy house. Worst of all, everyone else in town thinks the old house is haunted. And soon Casey thinks so, too -- a vase explodes, a heavy china cabinet falls over on its own -- and it seems like the ghost doesn’t want them there. Casey thought she’d be dying of boredom, but now she’s scared to death!

MY REVIEW: When Casey's parents tell her they've bought a house and will be spending their summer fixing it up, she's not happy. At all. And when they move in weird things begin to happen. Casey finds Millie's diary and begins reading it. She starts to put together what happened to the young girl who lived in this house. Without giving away the good ending I will say Millie's diary plays an important role in this fast paced book. I loved the story, especially the twist with Millie, and found it thrilling to read. I also liked how the author filled the pages with scary twists and turns which definitely kept me guessing.

COVER COMMENT: Incredibly cute, liked the dark purples and black and the green of Casey's plaid skirt.

One of my favorite scenes: (page 32 of the ARC) 

     Casey tucked the marble into her pocket. As she turned to leave, something about the mirror caught her eye. She looked closer. The glass surface was covered in dust. Scratched across it, as if someone had traced a finger through it, were two words.

     GET OUT

RECOMMENDED: YES!

RATING: +++++ (I said I loved it and I meant it.)

SERIES: This is part of the POISON APPLE book series. Each title is by a different author and has a different story.

REVIEWED BY: Caitlin

BOOK SOURCE: Won.