And yes, it’s just as creepy as it sounds This is the adjective that every reviewer on Amazon used, and aptly so. This book was like a weird modern version of Little Shop of Horrors (+ time travel; -random singing). I basically loved it.
Teddy, a 12-year-old boy, moves with his mom to Richand, Washington. A town with a nuclear energy plant, and a very mysterious secret. There is a huge sycamore tree next door to Teddy’s new home, and this tree has a hypnotic power. It has been mutilated by nuclear waste over the decades and feeds off the young energy of 12-year-old boys, rather than sunlight and water. When Teddy finds out the he is next on the menu, he must find a way to avoid becoming another dead boy of Richland.
This book is an action-packed page turner. I recommend it for reluctant readers, boy readers, or just anybody who likes a kooky, interesting, different story.
The Dead Boys
Royce Buckingham
Putnam Juvenile, 2010
