Goosebumps author R. L. Stine says “Who doesn’t like a good ghost story? Creepers is a good one! Thrills and chills? You Bet. But it will also warm your heart.”

Here’s my review of Creepers by Joanne Dahme

Courtney O’Brien has just moved with her parents into the small New England town of Murmer where they’ve bought an old home next to a cemetery. The first thing she notices is the ivy, which covers everything from the house to the gravestones and seems to have a life of its own. Then she meets Margaret and her dad, who conducts historical tours of the cemetery. From them Courtney learns about a centuries-old mystery involving Margaret’s ancestors, the cemetery and Courtney’s house. Together they work to unlock the secrets hidden behind the ivy.

I had a hard time putting this book down once I got started. It’s easy to transport yourself to a small New England town of old where messages were carved into headstones and witches were burned at the stake. I also started noticing English Ivy everywhere: clawing its way up tree trunks, crawling across lawns, clinging to the sides of buildings. Creepers is fast-paced, and each chapter starts with a diary entry, newspaper story, community announcement or definition that keeps the book moving along and adds something to the mystery. Creepers is my kind of suspense novel: it’s wonderfully creepy and it gave me goosebumps without being gory or making me afraid to go to sleep at night. I think it would be a great book to read in a mother-daughter book club, particularly appropriate with Halloween coming up. I highly recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 12 and up.