It watches in the dark

When their father is injured during a rafting trip meant to celebrate their 12th birthday, twins Oliver and Trisha happen upon a remote village with a disturbing ethos in this menacing thriller by Strand (How You Ruined My Life). After the vulnerable family arrives at the edge of Escrow, a disquieting if initially welcoming community home to a 50-foot-tall scarecrow that citizens believe will protect them from "whatever might cause us harm," unconscious Dad is immediately whisked away to a suspiciously bare infirmary. An innocent transgression and incessant questioning about their father's condition land the kids in hot water with the mayor, who orders them to sit still and "bask in the protection of the scarecrow." Here, the folk-horror-inflected tale takes on a supernatural bent as the hulking protector begins speaking to Oliver and Trisha, taunting the petrified tweens with gruesome threats and forcing the duo to consider what it will take for them and their father to escape the clutches of the scarecrow and its severe and dedicated constituents in this darkly comic, Goosebumps-esque tale that wields enough grisly chase scenes to lend substance to a lean plot. Characters default to white. Ages 10--14. (Apr.)

Kids stumble into a strange, remote community watched over by a huge, ominous scarecrow. Twins Oliver and Trisha are three days into a five-day canoe trip with their dad to celebrate their 12th birthdays when their father is knocked unconscious in an accident. They're virtually alone in the remote Missouri wilderness, and there's no cell phone signal, but the siblings eventually find a dock on the river. From there, they follow a trail to the small town of Escrow, population 999. An enormous scarecrow stands in the town square; locals claim it keeps them all safe. Dad is taken to a strange medical facility and subjected to treatments that don't seem to make sense for his injuries. The adults in Escrow behave oddly, getting angry when the twins don't eat all their ice cream and casually suggesting that their father might die. The witchlike woman who takes them in for the night warns them not to go outside after dark. Meanwhile, both Oliver and Trisha can hear the threatening voice of the scarecrow inside their heads. They resolve to rescue Dad and get out of town, but the townspeople will go to extremes to keep them from leaving, ramping up the tension. The resourcefulness, cooperation, and affection displayed by the twins offset some truly scary moments, and a genuinely surprising ending provides macabre humor. Main characters read white. Folk horror for younger folk. (Horror. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.