Ginny Anderson is an Agatha Christie sleuth and a want to be mystery writer with a habit of exaggeration. When her father moves them into a spooky mansion for the summer, Ginny starts to see, hear, and feel things that may or may not really be there. She needs to gather evidence to prove to her parents that she is not exaggerating again like when she thought the neighbor was burying a body in his yard back home. She recruits the help of her big brother and a local summer boy, who also happens to be her crush, to investigate the red eyed faceless bodies, mysterious ticking music, and strange skeleton key. In her third novel, What Lives in the Woods, Lindsay Currie hits the ultimate creep factor inside this rambling mansion of horrors.

“What Lives in the Woods” opens with a young writing enthusiast, Ginny, looking forward to attending a writing workshop with her best friend, Erica. However, her dad has other plans for the family--the family is going to stay at a haunted manor in Michigan for a month, so that he can work on renovations and reimagining the place. Of course, the place is haunted and has spooky rumors surrounding it. Very eerie, but the rest of the family isn’t concerned.

Ginny arrives, and while she was initially hesitant, starts to see the beauty in the town and decides it is just a month long vacation. She goes into town and meets Will, who lets her know that there are some rumors associated with the manor, and that his own brother has seen something in the house. And then more things begin happening in the house--ticking noises, mannequins moving, lightbulbs exploding, etc. All throughout the author has a strong balance of character dialogue, inner thoughts, and descriptions to advance the plot. As a reader Ii was left wondering if there was truly some paranormal happenings, or if the mystery would somehow be resolved in a 100% logical manner--I was hooked! I would encourage teachers to have this book on their shelves for students who like a good mystery with quick pacing. My only minor critique is that the ending wraps up very quickly, and the family somehow seems to be way more wealthy than they were at the start (like a month prior), but it was a nice, sweet ending.

Ginny Anderson has big plans for her summer break, which includes attending a mystery writer's course and following in the footsteps of her favourite author, Agatha Christie, by beginning to pen her first novel. Her parents have other ideas, however. Her father's career is in historical restoration and he can't part with the chance to work on the decrepit but still grand Woodmoor Manor, a thirty-room building isolated in the forest and which the owners have hopes of one day returning to its former glory and opening as a hotel. Ginny is sad to have her summer ruined but her disappointment soon turns to fear when she discovers an unknown something lurking the shadowed hallways of her temporary, new home.

This proved a tense and atmospheric middle grade horror, which managed to induce chills and provide thriller for this adult reader. I honestly did not expect to feel so unnerved whilst reading this but the horrors that Ginny confronts and the chilling manner in which Currie penned them had me very glad I chose to read this in the daytime. I also appreciated how this novel concluded, as well as the path that interwove with the past and that the author chose to get there.

Well this was a marvelously creepy read that kept me turning the page. The fact that I devoured this as an adult is good testament to the fact that 12 year old me would have stayed up way too late reading this under the covers. I adore books with gothic-like settings and an old mansion had me hooked. Add in an antique typewriter, a skeleton key, an age-old mystery, and shadows in the corners, and I was all in. Unlike our MC, Ginny, I would have been ecstatic to spend my summer in a haunted house! I love how it ended on a happy note, tying up the loose ends....well...all except I still don't quite know what is in the woods. Is there another book after this one? Because technically everything happened in the house and the woods is still unexplored.
Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc.

This was a fun, chilling middle grade book. I think most kids who enjoy the more scary tales, will definitely have a hard putting this one down! Very well written, with great characters, and an unique and scary storyline! I cannot wait for my son to read it and let me know what he thinks of the chill to the bone story, although it does have some parts that may be a bit triggering for some kids. Overall, I think it was a captivating, well written, age appropriate book, which both kids, teachers, and even parents will enjoy! Highly recommend!

Will buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release!

What Lives in the Woods kept me up reading long past my bedtime! Like any good suspenseful mystery will do, it kept me turning the pages to figure out what was happening in the 100 year old Michigan mansion called Woodmoor Manor. The spooky scenes were just right for middle grade readers-- enough to make your heart race and check over your shoulder more than once while reading, while still allowing you to fall asleep without needing to leave the lights on. (Leaving the TV on to the familiar tune of reruns, however, was definitely needed. Haha.)

The main character Ginny, a middle schooler who aspires to be a mystery writer, would rather be home in Chicago with her best friend attending the writing workshop they were supposed to spend their summer loving, than dragged to this mansion that needs renovating and has barely any cell service. This becomes even more true when strange things start happening around the mansion. With her vivid imagination, her habit of overthinking/asking lots and lots of questions, and her extensive knowledge of Agatha Christie, Ginny is well suited to investigate these spooky happenings no matter how scared she may be. This book features an endearing budding friendship (maybe more) with Will, a boy whose family spends summers in town, an authentic brother-sister relationship between Ginny and Leo, and an emphasis on helping your family when they need it most. Like with The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street and Scritch Scratch, Lindsay Currie delivers spooky at its finest, while also filling her stories with masterfully crafted heart, demonstrating an understanding of what it means to be a tween/teen, and keeping relationships and connectedness between souls at the core.