The Creeping

Gr 9 Up—Eleven years after two six-year-old girls disappear from the appropriately named town of Savage, this satisfyingly chilling debut finds 17-year-old Stella, the girl who returned, trying to figure out a way to move on from the tragedy. The mystery of why Stella made it back while her friend Jeanie did not has never been solved, nor has Jeanie's body ever been recovered, and Stella has no memory of the event. However, when the teen stumbles upon another little girl's corpse on the anniversary of Jeanie's disappearance, shards of memories from her younger self push their way through and she starts trying to find more answers. Burgeoning love interest Sam and bubbly best friend Zoey might not get along, but they provide solid supporting roles in her search, and a cast of typical small-town characters (the quirky, and witchlike neighbor who spouts vaguely useful clues and the helpful but possibly reliable policeman who might not be as trustworthy as Stella originally believes) lend a hand as well. Sirowy successfully weaves in an unnerving supernatural backstory, but the book's very human conclusion is far more frightening than any of the town's superstitions.