Spooky Stuff - Creature of the Night

For those who like their mysteries mixed with the supernatural, Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson, would be a good fit. Bobby is getting into a lot of trouble in Dublin, so his mother moves him and his four-year-old half brother into a old house in the country. The previous tenant of the house disappeared without a trace, and long ago there supposedly was a murder there. Amid Bobby's angst (he longs to be back with his gang in the city, getting high and stealing cars), his brother begins to act strangely, insisting a little woman visits him in the night. She comes and goes through the dog flap set in the kitchen door and may or may not be a fairy. Bobby meanwhile begins to work with his landlord and his sons, gaining some competency to weigh against his criminal impulses. Still Dublin beckons, and no more so than when the teen finds the former resident's diary, which is filled with drawings of an odd little woman. Creeped out yet? I think Thompson does a great job of balancing Bobby's delinquency and bad impulses against his desire to do better than his mom, who owes creditors and is on welfare (the dole). The supernatural stuff is almost like a wake up call for him to try and protect his brother - and it all pretty much works. When you get a teen who wants something spooky, suggest this. Despite the salty language and drug use, I would say this could work for seventh grade - ninth grade.