Frozen Charlotte

Gr 7–10—For Sophie, it was a Ouija board that seemed to trigger the events that turned a visit north to Scotland to see her cousins from a pleasant trip to something much more sinister. Her friend Jay drowns just before she leaves, and it is with a heavy heart that she arrives on the remote island where Uncle James and her cousins Lilias, Piper, and Cameron live. Her other cousin, Rebecca, died in a tragic accident years earlier. Their home is an old school that closed after the deaths of a student and teacher 100 years earlier. Some might blame these deaths on the Frozen Charlotte dolls (china dolls popular during the Victorian era) that litter the property, and Sophie learns that these dolls still seem to have a hold on those living in the old house. During Sophie's visit, Cameron's prized piano is smashed to bits and Piper's boyfriend's eyes are pierced with needles. Sophie must figure out which of her cousins she can trust and decide how to foil the plan to destroy her. Though all the adults in the story seem to be blind to the existence of the dolls and the havoc they wreak, Sophie tries to deal with the peculiar activities around her in a levelheaded way. Readers are brought along for the ride and soon discover with her who has a true heart and who has evil lurking within. Teens looking for a novel to keep them up at night will find it in this one.