Killer House Party

Gr 9 Up–Anderson delivers a lively blend of supernatural horror and high school drama, centered around Arden, a straight-A valedictorian brimming with academic ambition and simmering resentment. After her parents’ bitter divorce, Arden’s college savings are drained to fund their plan to convert the eerie Deinhart Manor into a bed-and-breakfast. Arden’s sense of betrayal ignites a journey both into a haunted house and a fractured family. With her best friends and witty, on-again-off-again love interest Nathaniel, Arden aims to throw the ultimate end-of-year booze-fueled party to raise money—but things take a dark turn when the house begins trapping them inside. Despite blood-soaked walls and malevolent spirits, the teens’ banter and sarcasm lighten the novel’s grim tone, evoking a Scooby Doo–vibe and occasionally straining readers’ patience. Through alternating chapters detailing Deinhart Manor’s sinister past, the story touches on social themes like body image, racial injustice, and agency in a refreshing way, as Arden questions her small-town limitations. While the narrative attempts a poignant reflection on adolescence and friendship, some may find the jarring tonal shifts—teens quipping about hookups while facing deadly spirits—disorienting. The ending provides a hopeful twist, though it leaves Arden’s future frustratingly unclear.