Took Graphic Novel: A Ghost Story

About the Author\nMary Downing Hahn’s many acclaimed novels include such beloved ghost stories as Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, and Took. A former librarian, she has received more than fifty child-voted state awards for her work. She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with a cat named Nixi.\nJen Vaughn’s work includes the Goosebumps: Download and Die! comics series and The Secret Loves of Geek Girls, as well as covers for My Little Pony, Pathfinder, The Wilds and more. She was also a longtime marketing director at Fantagraphics Books. Twitter: @TheJenya, Instagram: @thejenya. hauntedvaultstudios.com\nDaniel doesn’t believe the woods behind his new home are haunted by an evil witch and her terrifying beast. But then his little sister disappears . . . and it’s up to him to find her. This chilling graphic-novel version of Mary Downing Hahn’s popular page-turner will thrill readers who love spooky stories.
They say that a ghost witch lives in the woods, up on the hill. They say her companion has a pig skull for a face and stands taller than a man, his skeleton gleaming in the moonlight. They say that the witch takes young girls, and no one ever sees them again.
Daniel doesn’t believe the stories. He figures the kids on the bus are just trying to scare him since he’s new. Still, he wishes his family had never moved here—their house is a wreck, Mom and Dad keep fighting, and his little sister, Erica, spends most of her time talking to her creepy doll.
But when Erica disappears into the woods one day, Daniel knows something is terribly wrong. Has she been “took”?\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 4-8-This eerie graphic novel adaptation brings to life a tale of terror. When Daniel's family moves from Fairfield, CT, to Woodville, WV, they realize there is something off about the small rural town. The residents are a little rough around the edges, and the family's new house is in shambles. In addition to the decay, the property also has a dark past-the previous family's daughter vanished 50 years ago, and some townspeople say she was "took." Rumors of a long-deceased ghost witch (or "conjure woman") named Old Auntie and her devilish partner Bloody Bones frighten Daniel, yet his parents deny any mention of the tall tales. His younger sister Erica begins to hear voices beckoning her to the woods, and she takes to wandering off with her doll Little Erica. The stories say that Old Auntie kidnaps a child every 50 years, and one evening after a fight with Daniel, Erica goes missing. The narrative flows easily, and text and illustrations work together, resulting in a suspenseful read. Despite the overly digital quality to the artwork, it pairs well with the book, providing dreamlike, haunting, and at times horrifying qualities. Daniel and his family are white. VERDICT Middle grade readers will be thoroughly engaged by this terrifying graphic novel that blends folklore and mystery to create a moody treat for horror fans.-Claire Mooreα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.