Feathered Fiends

February 1, 2025
Grades 5-8 Channeling the cult-classic film Birdemic, Boisvert's high/low horror goes for the jugular of anyone who crosses its path. For 16-year-old Daphne and her family, a dull drive to a national park turns into the stuff of nightmares when a starling crashes into their windshield. Pulling over to check on the poor creature, their concern quickly shifts to alarm when another starling swoops down and strikes Daphne's dad in the head. The family takes shelter in the car, but with no phone signal and their wheels stuck in the mud, the approaching flock is inescapable. Soon crazed birds are dive-bombing the car with no regard for self-preservation, and the few other people on the road are mercilessly attacked. Boisvert uses short chapters and shifting points of view to build tension, while the narrative's fast pace and escalating mayhem drive the story forward. Many, many birds were harmed in the telling of this tale, but their determination to maim and murder casts them firmly in the role of villain. An entertaining creature feature in the Orca Shivers line of books.

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March 1, 2025
A family's summer vacation turns from boring to terrifying in an instant when nature attacks. Fifteen-year-old Daphne and her family are driving along a backwoods road to reach their campsite when out of nowhere, a bird crashes into the windshield. When Daphne's veterinarian father stops to examine it, another bird launches itself at his head, wounding him. Anxious to resume their trip, the unnerved family comes to a grim realization--their car is stuck in the mud. What's worse, a thunderstorm looms menacingly on the horizon. More and more birds arrive, injuries mount, and all efforts to escape prove futile as the winged attack relentlessly continues. Aware of the risks (and against her family's protests), Daphne courageously darts away from the car toward a nearby town for rescue as thunderclaps ring out, but will she succeed? What fate awaits her stranded family if she fails? Who else will be ensnarled in the aggressive aerial assault? A tribute to Alfred Hitchcock'sThe Birds, Boisvert's short, action-packed novel translated from French will grip readers as each frighteningly surreal scene unfolds. Black-and-white stock illustrations interspersed throughout become increasingly sinister, ramping up the suspense. Attentive readers will recognize the double meanings behind some pictures as foreshadowing. Physical descriptions are minimal. Young horror enthusiasts will be delighted at this nod to the master of suspense. (author's note)(Horror. 9-13)

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