Newbies

VOYA

As the story opens, Brittany Corin, a girl from the poor side of town, has been mysteriously enrolled against her will at the exclusive Dunhaven Academy. The school is stereotypically creepy, of course, as is the town of Hobb's Point. The rich youth are snooty, and the town teens are Neanderthals. Predictably readers learn that Dunhaven students tend to disappear periodically and that they occasionally turn up dead. When Brittany finds herself accused of gruesome crimes that she has not committed, she must enlist the help of other Dunhaven students to prove her innocence and to stop the encroaching horror. Moore is the author of such well-received adult horror novels as Under the Overtree (Dorchester, 2000) and the Stoker Award-nominated Serenity Falls (2003). It is difficult to understand what possessed him to allow this poorly done book to see publication. Although it is ostensibly intended for an audience aged fourteen and up, the novel reads like an inferior entry in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. It could easily have been a competent young adult horror novel, but what makes it significantly less than that is the poor quality of Moore's prose. One of many examples of bad writing in the book is "Casey was the furthest thing from Brittany's mind right then, and if she had noticed the fact that he wasn't in her thoughts, it would have suited her just fine." This novel, sadly, will do nothing to maintain Moore's reputation or enhance his career. VOYA CODES: 2Q 3P J S (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Dorchester, 208p., pb. Ages 12 to 18.
—Michael Levy