The House on Stone's Throw Island: A Ghost Story

Gr 6 Up—Even before the wedding party reaches remote and isolated Stone's Throw Island, peculiar things begin to happen. Once there, the appearance—and disappearance—of a girl, followed by disembodied words whispered in German, quickly convinces Josie Sandoval and Eli Barker, strangers before meeting on the way to the island, that something about Stone's Throw is odd. When a storm unexpectedly blows in, cutting off all connection to the mainland, it isn't just Josie and Eli who are uneasy; the entire wedding party is on edge. Eli has a theory about the island, but Josie is determined to ignore anything extraordinary. Her resolve weakens, however, when she stumbles upon a hidden room and a long-forgotten diary, which may contain an explanation for the increasingly dangerous phenomena. This latest in a string of paranormal mysteries from Poblocki is as well written as it is eerie. As the realistic setting slowly morphs into something more nightmarish, the main characters are fleshed out through inner dialogue and snap decisions, sustaining the tense mood while progressing the plot. Short chapters divided into sections and peppered with plot twists drive the pace, vivid descriptions clearly depict even the strangest occurrence, and start-to-finish suspense keeps readers on edge for the entirety of the work.