When Humans Are Scarier Than Monsters

We are frequently asked for recommendations of horror books for teens -- books with monsters.  However, I often find books with human monsters much  more terrifying.  Here are some recommendations for teens of books with terrifying human monsters . . . .

(Warning - These Books May be Disturbing to Read)

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
The story follows a girl called "Alice" who has been kidnapped by a pedophile named Ray. This book takes place five years after "Alice's" abduction.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
Minutes after the principal of Opportunity High School in Alabama finishes her speech welcoming the student body to a new semester, they discover that the auditorium doors will not open and someone starts shooting as four teens, each with a personal reason to fear the shooter, tell the tale from separate perspectives.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.


More Books --
After the Woods by Kim Savage
Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary G. Thompson
Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Bitter End by  Jennifer Brown
Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
Desert Angel by Charlie Price
The Devil You Know by Trish Doller
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin
The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalstier
The Pain Eater by Beth Goobie
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
The Special Ones by Em Bailey
Tenderness: A Novel by Robert Cormier

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 1, 2017.