Dead in the Water

Dead in the Water

Available through Scholastic book clubs.

Summary:

The last place in the world Bree Danielsen wants to spend her summer is at Midnight Lake.  It’s thousands of miles from her beloved New York City.  There’s no cell reception, no shopping, and no normal food!  To make matters worse, Bree’s Aunt Hedda seems determined to make Bree’s stay with her as miserable as possible.  Aunt Hedda’s superstitions and cooking are weird to begin with.  But even weirder are the animals her aunt keeps in cages on her back porch, and the stories she tells about a dangerous creature that lives in the lake.

Everyone in town seems to think her aunt is crazy, but when Bree starts hearing strange night music and finds bones washed up on shore, she starts to wonder if her aunt might just be right.  And then there’s Quin, the mischievous, brooding local boy who seems to be hiding a secret of his own.  Bree’s drawn to Quin, but she still can’t shake the feeling that he’s got something to do with all the mysterious happenings.  Now Bree must uncover the secrets of Midnight Lake before she, or someone she cares about, becomes its next victim.

Excerpt:

The black water soon reached Bree’s knees.  Her nightgown swirled on its surface, and still, she took another step.  In the distance, something was swimming toward her just beneath the surface.  It moved so sleekly, with such lightning speed, that it barely made a ripple in the water.  Bree leaned forward.  She wasn’t frightened.  Instead, she was filled with a calm curiosity, and an inexplicable sense of…longing.  Yes, she wanted it to come for her.  And there it was; she could almost reach out and touch it now….

“What are you doing?”  A harsh voice broke through the music and a hand grabbed her forcefully, dragging her out of the water.