On Saturday, I finished reading The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien. This horror novel is about Bailee Heron, a sixth grade girl at Beckett Elementary who enjoys scary stories and is looking forward to playing the Bellwoods Game, a Halloween tradition in which three sixth grade students are selected to try to ring a bell in the woods and the winner earn a wish. If Bailee wins, she wants to go back to way things were before her grandma had a mini-stroke and everyone started hating her because they believe she tattled on her friend, Fenwick "Fen" Leer. According to legend, a girl named Abigail Snook disappeared in the woods many years ago and Fall Hallow, the town in which Bailee lives, has been haunted by the ghost of Abigail ever since. When Bailee is chosen to play, along with Carmen Alverez and Fen, she is determined to find out the truth about the game, but things aren't what they seem and Abigail's ghost may not be the only thing waiting for them in the woods.
This book was absolutely fantastic. The prologue was creepy and it made me wonder if there was more to what happened to Abigail Snook. As a horror fan, I especially related to Bailee and I was so excited when she was one of the three picked to play the game. As more was revealed about the game and the woods, I didn't want to stop reading. There was a great deal of suspense and it was incredibly intriguing that Abigail wasn't the only one haunting the Bellwoods and Fall Hallow over the years. I thought it was terrifying that anyone in the woods Halloween night had to face their greatest fears if they were found by the Specter, a sinister spirit. I definitely wasn't sure anyone would win the game, but the climax was very clever and I loved it so much, especially because Bailee and the others had to learn to work together. I also thought the illustrations were beautiful and really added to the story. Anyone who enjoys spooky stories should read The Bellwoods Game.
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