And the Trees Crept In (US) / The Creeper Man (UK)
Stay away from the woods...
A spine-chilling psychological thriller from stunning YA talent and author of THE DEAD HOUSE, Dawn Kurtagich.
When Silla and her little sister, Nori, escape London and their abusive father, Aunt Cath's country house feels like a safe haven. Leaving the smog and fear behind, the girls have the love and freedom they never had in their violent home. But slowly, ever so slowly, things begin to unravel.
Aunt Cath locks herself in the attic and spends day and night pacing; every day the surrounding forest inches slowly towards the house; a mysterious boy appears from the enclosing wood offering friendship, and Nori claims that a man watches them from the dark forest. A man with no eyes who creeps ever closer . . .
What They're Saying:
"Will haunt readers with its raw emotions, palpable pain, and consistent character voices... Frightening and compelling, this gothic will easily sweep fans up into its creeping sense of hysteria."
--- Kirkus Reviews
“AND THE TREES CREPT IN is a hauntingly immersive tale of insanity, terror, and what happens when you’re not even safe in your own home.”
--- HYPABLE
* "Kurtagich's horror imagery is satisfying and affecting--her descriptions of the day-to-day decay the girls face are as rich and scary as the monstrous man who scuttles around on all fours and the teeming mud pits that are waiting in the woods. A great next read for teens who enjoy being scared.”
--School Library Journal (starred review)
* "Kurtagich evokes an all-pervading atmosphere of horror with dark imagery and language evoking rot, decay, and death....This unique novel is for teens who enjoy being immersed in a dark, complex horror story."
--VOYA, starred review
Kurtagich has created an incredibly assured, claustrophobic horror with a fractured and troubled teen narrator that will have you gripped to the very last page.
—- Book Trust
“Horror fans will be caught by the gripping cover image, and there’s plenty to scare them here, even during the second reading that the surprise ending might encourage them to undertake.”
~~ The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books:
"Dark, twisted, and terrifying, And the Trees Crept In will keep your stomach in knots from page one. A must-read for horror fans everywhere!”
~~ Susan Dennard, New York Times Bestselling author of Truthwitch and Windwitch
“AND THE TREES CREPT IN should come with a warning label: Best read in the light of day, with lots of smiling people around, and candy canes and unicorns and cute babies. A beautifully written, gorgeous nightmare of a novel.”
~~ David Arnold, Bestselling author of Mosquitolandand Kids of Appetite
“An enthralling, unsettling fairy tale that will have you turning pages long into the night.”
~~ Michelle Zink, author of This Wicked Game and Lies I Told
“A fight for survival, an encroaching forest, a cursed manor, and dark secrets… Kurtagich’s terrifying take wrapped my heart up and squeezed until I was as cold as the dead things haunting its pages.”
~~ Alexandra Sirowy, author of The Creeping and The Telling
“A tree. It’s a tree. I convince myself of this, almost fully. Until the thing steps forward, his head turning a fraction in my direction…”
— And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich