Helpful Score: 3
Reviewed by McKenzie Tritt for TeensReadToo.com
Stucks and his summer friends are ready for another warm, fun-filled vacation. They get just the opposite, however.
The Pricker Boy, a young boy who was trapped by his own father's fur trap and taken in by the brambles, his skin turning to thorns, is back. When the group of friends discover their offerings they left for the Pricker Boy still in the woods, offerings meant to keep him at bay, everything changes for the worse.
The friends no longer know who to trust and each one becomes insecure and retreats into their own shell. The Pricker Boy torments them relentlessly, without an apparent reason. Stucks, all the while, must deal with his silent brother and his angry best friend.
The Pricker Boy cruelly tortures the friends, refusing to leave them alone. Together, the friends must stop this evil force, and come together to face the fearful future.
This book had me completely horrified, like no other book ever has. The Pricker Boy was terrifying, as was his cruel treatment of the kids. Every time I read this book, I was constantly looking over my shoulder - that's how scary it was.
The Pricker Boy isn't just scary on a paranormal level, but also on a human level. It shows just how dark humans can be, and it really makes one think about our capabilities to hurt others. The best way to describe this book is a modern-day LORD OF THE FLIES: completely terrifying, yet riveting.
And be prepared for a huge twist that you'll never see coming. I had to reread the part several times before the surprise let up.
Stucks and his summer friends are ready for another warm, fun-filled vacation. They get just the opposite, however.
The Pricker Boy, a young boy who was trapped by his own father's fur trap and taken in by the brambles, his skin turning to thorns, is back. When the group of friends discover their offerings they left for the Pricker Boy still in the woods, offerings meant to keep him at bay, everything changes for the worse.
The friends no longer know who to trust and each one becomes insecure and retreats into their own shell. The Pricker Boy torments them relentlessly, without an apparent reason. Stucks, all the while, must deal with his silent brother and his angry best friend.
The Pricker Boy cruelly tortures the friends, refusing to leave them alone. Together, the friends must stop this evil force, and come together to face the fearful future.
This book had me completely horrified, like no other book ever has. The Pricker Boy was terrifying, as was his cruel treatment of the kids. Every time I read this book, I was constantly looking over my shoulder - that's how scary it was.
The Pricker Boy isn't just scary on a paranormal level, but also on a human level. It shows just how dark humans can be, and it really makes one think about our capabilities to hurt others. The best way to describe this book is a modern-day LORD OF THE FLIES: completely terrifying, yet riveting.
And be prepared for a huge twist that you'll never see coming. I had to reread the part several times before the surprise let up.
