Took

Took by Mary Downing Hahn, 264 pages

When Daniel’s family moves to West Virginia from Connecticut, he and his sister, Erica, are very upset.  Neither of them wanted to move.  They have trouble making friends at school and even the teachers don’t seem to like them.  Their parents argue all of the time or refuse to spend any time together at all.  And Daniel and Erica are worried when the kids at school tell them awful stories about how a girl who lived in their house, Selene, disappeared 50 years.  She was Erica’s age and everyone says she was kidnapped by Old Auntie, a witch who lived in the area.  Daniel is afraid for Erica, who isn’t acting like herself.  She is withdrawn, afraid of the dark, says she hears voices whispering her name, and spends all of her time talking to her doll, Little Erica.  Some people in town have urged him to watch out for his sister, but he isn’t sure if he can keep her safe.  A really great scary story for kids, I will almost always recommend Hahn’s books and this is no exception.