Welcome to Dead House

Description

Amanda and Josh Benson expect little good from the enormous old house their father unexpectedly inherits from a late great-uncle. Dark Falls is gloomy even in midsummer, with heavy shade, dead leaves, empty streets, and neighbors who seem wrong in ways the adults dismiss. Inside the house, Amanda glimpses mysterious children and hears unexplained noises; outside, local kids make the disturbing claim that they once lived there. Josh shares her distrust, and their dog Petey reacts badly to the town from the start. When Petey disappears and the cemetery becomes their likeliest destination, the siblings must investigate a place determined to make their family feel at home. The novel builds children’s horror from isolation, disbelief, and a town’s unnatural hospitality.

Themes