If you are one of the few people who haven’t read this Rosie nominated book yet, do so as soon as possible!  Filled with creepy black and white photos, this mesmerizing story centers on sixteen-year old-Jacob Portman and the events following the mysterious death of his grandfather.  To help him overcome his grief, Jacob travels with his father to a remote island off the coast of Wales to find answers about his grandfather’s childhood.  He discovers much more than he bargained for when he finds a “time loop” from 1940 where the children from his grandfather’s stories hide from the rest of the world.  These children are not ordinary children; each has a unique special talent that makes them a target for a group of monsters intent of world domination.  Soon enough, Jacob learns about his grandfather’s past and discovers that he has inherited his own special talent that has placed him and his new friends in grave danger.

If you read the book and are interested in looking at some more bizarre photographs; the author, Ransom Riggs published a collection of vintage photographs called Talking Pictures: Images and Messages rescued from the past.

If you are looking for another spooky novel with a more historical setting, try In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters.  This is another novel filled with chilling photographs that takes place during the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic.  Mary Shelley Black has been sent to live with her aunt in San Diego, a city filled with gauze wearing citizens fearful of getting sick.  Mary’s true love, Stephen, dies while fighting in the trenches in Europe around the same time that she is electrocuted.  This accident causes Mary to have strange side effects such as causing compass needles to spin, being able to taste emotions, and visitations from Stephen’s ghost.  Mary comes to believe that there is more to Stephen’s death than she has been told and that uncovering the truth will allow his spirit to rest.

For more supernatural adventures with a lighter tone check out another Rosie nominee, Lish McBride’s Hold Me Closer Necromancer.  This book tells the story of Sam, a college dropout and fry cook, who discovers that he can raise the dead.  This makes him a prime target for slavery or death by an evil and powerful necromancer.  With the help of some other supernatural friends, Sam must figure out how to escape the evil necromancer while learning how to use his newfound powers.

There are even more spooky and fun supernatural fiction novels to be found.  For some more suggestions come visit us at the library.