Robert Lettrick.com
Author - Illustrator - Squirrel Whisperer
THE MURK
A SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW'S TOP 20 BACK TO SCHOOL READS
A SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB SELECTION
A SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR SELECTION
ISBN-13: 9781423186953
A Disney-Hyperion book. Ages 10-15.
When a family member falls deathly ill, 14-year-old Piper turns to her classmate Tad for comfort. Tad, an amateur botanist, tells her there's a Seminole legend of a cure-all flower found only in an unexplored section ofGeorgia’s Okefenokee Swamp. Desperate for any glimmer of hope, Piper convinces Tad to accompany her on a hunt for the flower.What awaits them in the country’s largest black water swamp is an entity the Creek Indians, now long gone, spoke of in hushed, fearful tones. The Seminole believed that the swamp's first settlers, the mystical Tasketcha tribe, still existed as evil spirits, forever tethered to their burial mounds found in the dark heart of the waterlogged forest. If Piper has any chance of saving her loved one, she’ll have to do the impossible: find the miracle flower, face her past, and overcome an ancient evil known only as Mergo.
PRAISE FOR THE MURK
"This is a wonderful story about bravery, perseverance, and the meaning of true friendship."
~ San Francisco Book Review
"...an action-heavy book with plenty of chills and appealingly gruesome details...Give to the kids who have outgrown Goosebumps and are ready for something with more of a bite." ~ Booklist
"Exciting horror-lite with vivid, stimulating language and deliberate plotting." ~ Horn Book Guide
"Fans of “Goosebumps” looking for something with a little bit more substance will enjoy this action-packed adventure filled with plenty of fun and a few scares...The Murk is an excellent action adventure that will have readers burning the midnight oil to finish...The Okefenokee swamp setting is so well written that it becomes an additional character—a dangerous character with something up its sleeve at all times...The plot moves fast enough to keep pages turning while leaving just enough room to develop character...A good choice for readers who like action, adventure, and horror." ~ School Library Journal
"...so utterly odd that I want someone else to read it so its weirdness can be fully appreciated."
PRAISE FOR FRENZY
"The cinematic plot puts a unique spin on the current zombie trend" ~ The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books
"Readers who have chewed through Goosebumps or similar titles will appreciate the gruesome terror of this Night of the Living Dead meets The Island of Dr. Moreau story in a classic summer-camp setting."
~ Booklist
"The pace is breathless (with a brief time-out for a swimming lesson) and the scenario plenty gory and horrifying... Readers who like their horror strewn with corpses, leavened with compassion, and rooted in reality will find this one entertaining indeed." ~ School Library Journal
"Offer this to adventure fans and budding horror buffs, sure, but realistic fiction fans may also find the effective character development and thoughtful pacing as worthwhile as the monstrous foaming-mouthed squirrels.” ~ Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Lettrick wrote one the best novels about rabies that races through every single chapter, leaving the reader panting at the end." ~ Youngzine.org
FRENZY
A SUNSHINE STATE YOUNG READERS AWARD SELECTION
ISBN-13: 978-1423185383
A Disney-Hyperion book. Ages 10-15
14-year-old Heath Lambert is spending his summer at Camp Harmony in the picturesque Cascade Mountain Valley. It's the perfect place to enjoy the soothing calm of nature as he weighs a heavy decision. The camp offers distractions: his friends, Cricket and Dunbar, always up for trouble; his reluctant crush on Emily, one half of the beautiful Em & Em Twins; and hulking bullies Thumper and Floaties, who are determined to make him their punching bag for the summer. But no one rattles Heath like his creepy cabin mate, Will Stringer. Brilliant, cold and calculating, Will views the world as one big chess game, and he's always three moves ahead of everyone else. Heath soon learns there's a much bigger threat to contend with. Something's wrong with the animals in the surrounding forest. A darkness is spreading, driving them mad with rage. Wolves, bears, mountain lions-even the chipmunks are infected, spurred on in droves by one horrific goal: hunt and kill every human they find. Heath and a ragtag band of campers are faced with a choice: follow Will's lead and possibly survive, or follow the camp staff and die. But how do you trust a leader when you suspect he's more dangerous than the animals you're running from? Heath came to Camp Harmony to be surrounded by nature. He's about to get his wish.