Welcome To The Dark House - Hardcover

A group of disparate teens win a contest to meet their favorite horror-movie director and find themselves in a real horror experience. Of the teens, only 18-year-old Ivy has no interest in horror films or in the famous director, Justin Blake. She survived a real horror experience six years earlier, when her parents were murdered while she listened from her room across the hall. Now she wants to conquer her fear and thinks that learning why people enjoy horror movies might help. She and the others enter an Internet contest to describe their worst nightmares, winning a trip to rural Minnesota to meet Blake and arriving via chauffeured hearse to a replica of the Dark House. The next night, the hearse transports them to an amusement park custom built to make them face their own personal nightmares. Rather than offering innocent thrills, however, the individually tailored nightmare rides seem to be quite real .Although Stolarz shines the spotlight mostly on Ivy, she gives multiple chapters to the other five participants, each with a distinctive personality, including Garth, a pierced and tattooed rebel who sees horror as cool, and Natalie, a disturbed girl who might have some insight into the reality of what the group faces. The suspense starts pounding when the teens enter the park and doesn't stop until readers are ready for the sequel. Stephen King would love it. (Horror. 12-18) Kirkus"

Gr 6-9 A fun, scary ride. Readers are introduced to seven teen "superfans" of the horror film director, Justin Blake. They have all won tickets to meet the director and preview his new film, and as if that isn't enough, all of their expenses are included. The teens are also promised "special fun" based on the nightmares that they submitted as their entries to the contest. Once they arrive, they find that all of Justin Blake's horror films are being reenacted; especially the Nightmare Elf (a Freddie Krueger esque character who forces victims to live their worst nightmares). Pretty quickly, creepy things begin to happen, and the teens start to disappear one by one. Stolarz writes a wonderfully eerie story, one that will appeal to readers looking to graduate from R. L. Stine. The characters are nicely drawn, and the plot is a great big campy mix of "don't go in there!" anxiety, alternating with groans of reluctant laughter as comic relief is interspersed. The unreliable narrative, which switches between six of the seven viewpoints, makes readers as confused as the protagonists, but it works. Savvy readers will pick up on the clues much faster than the characters, but won't be able to stop until the final page. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit rushed and without a completely satisfying resolution. Still, this title will have huge teen appeal and is terrifying enough without being overly bloodthirsty. Perfect for middle schoolers looking for a quick, thrilling read. Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ SLJ"

PRAISE FOR THE TOUCH SERIES:
"Romance and suspense: a winning combination." "Kirkus Reviews""

PRAISE FOR "BLEED"
"A funny, yet poignant book. The author demonstrates the ability to identify with today's teen experience, portraying the accompanying behavior and language realistically." "School Library Journal""

PRAISE FOR PROJECT 17
"Stolarz takes a delicious cast of characters on a terrifying thrill-ride. A harrowing adventure in an abandoned mental hospital, "Project 17" is sexy, funny, poignant and blood-chilling." "R.A. Nelson, author of "Teach Me" and "Breathe My Name"""

What is your worst nightmare? For Ivy, it's that the serial killer who murdered her parents will return. Frankie fears being buried alive, while for Taylor it's a bear mauling, Garth is terrified of waking to the reality of a Nightmare Elf movie. Natalie's reflection holds the key to her terror; Parker's centers around a pond of flesh-eating eels. And Shayla is terrified to confront her role in her friend's suicide. All six have won a contest for a weekend at a B&B where they will meet Justin Blake, director of the Nightmare Elf movies and get a preview of his latest film. The weekend turns deadly when the group is trapped in an amusement park with rides designed to force each of them to confront their own private nightmares. Stolarz capitalizes on everyone's bad dream, that one fear each of us has that we find impossible to confront. At the Dark House, each comes true in its most deadly iteration, a classic horror technique made more so by its unique perverse twist tailored to each character--which leads to the ultimate disturbing question: what would Stolarz do with your worst nightmare? - Frances Bradburn Booklist"

3Q 4P S Ivy, Parker, Taylor, Natalie, Frankie, Shayla, and Garth have shared their darkest nightmares with horror-film sensation Justin Blake. The effort has won them a weekend at the Dark House, a remote but opulent estate that they believe is the set of Blake's next blockbuster. With the exception of Ivy, all are hardcore horror film and Blake fans lured in by the promise of a possible connection to the director and their addiction to the thrill of fear. Ivy, on the other hand, is interested in Blake's promise that her participation will cure her of the incessant nightmare that has haunted her since the bloody murder of her parents six years ago. Quickly, the teens' circumstances devolve. Taylor disappears in the midst of unpacking. Warnings begin to appear. Is the weirdness afoot Blake working his creepy magic? The terror escalates when the troupe is left locked in an abandoned amusement park and told that each must experience the ride associated with their nightmare. Should they play along for the ultimate thrill? Or are the teens caught in a macabre trap? Stolarz's story unfolds in chapters told by each of the teens but is dominated by Ivy's perspective. The baggage these young adults carry-and their corresponding nightmares-are the crux of their particular horror and Stolarz's story. The tale's texture suffers from the frequent perspective shifts. The characters are sufficiently distinctive but tend toward the stock. By starting where the last voice left off, Stolarz keeps her plot rolling, and while not laden with blood and gore on every page, enough of such material exists to scare away the faint of heart. Teens in love with the thrill fear induces will enjoy Welcome to the Dark House, which has a satisfying ending and the promise of a sequel.-Lauri J. Vaughan. VOYA"

PRAISE FOR PROJECT 17
"Stolarz takes a delicious cast of characters on a terrifying thrill-ride. A harrowing adventure in an abandoned mental hospital, Project 17 is sexy, funny, poignant and blood-chilling."--R.A. Nelson, author of Teach Me and Breathe My Name

PRAISE FOR THE TOUCH SERIES:
"Romance and suspense: a winning combination."--Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR BLEED
"A funny, yet poignant book. The author demonstrates the ability to identify with today's teen experience, portraying the accompanying behavior and language realistically."--School Library Journal

What's your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it's the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it's bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams.

And for seven essay contestants, it's their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake's latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn't even like scary movies, but she's ready to face her real-world fears. Parker's sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up. . . at least for now.

Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It's bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group-the girl who locks herself in her room; the know-it-all roommate; "Mister Sensitive"; and the one who's too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting.

Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing.
By the time Ivy and Parker realize what's really at stake, it's too late to wake up and run.