Through The Woods

Carroll, E. (2014). Through the woods. New York: Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Summary: This graphic novel includes 5 mysterious tales that were written to spook. All five stories are set in the woods with monsters that lurk in the dark. In Our Neighbor's House, three sisters are told to stay in the house for 3 days while their father went hunting. If he did not return they were to go to their neighbor's house. Unfortunately, the girls start disappearing. In A Lady's Hands are Cold, the angry ghost of a murdered woman haunts her husband and his new wife. In His Face All Red, the man's jealousy for his brother drives him to madness. In My Friend Janna, two best friends take advantage of people who come to them believing Janna is a real medium. In The Nesting Place, a young woman visits her older brother and his wife. The only problem is that his wife is not what she seems.
Commentary: The style of this book is quite dark and scary. Students the love scary stories will enjoy these five tales. The drawings in this book add a lot to the stories. The characters in each story help to create the eerie feel of the book. Each story has a different theme but all of them follow a general foreboding nature. In Our Neighbor's House, the girls did not obey their father's rule and paid the price. In My Friend Janna, they were taking advantage of people and ended up getting haunted in turn.
Connections: Teacher Resources, Book Trailer, Book Review, Author Interview
Similar Books: Baba Yaga's Assistance by Marik McCoola; The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang; Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson
Textbook Connections: The book Through the Woods will appeal to students because of its graphic nature and the scary subjects they love.