D: Lois Duncan & SUMMER OF FEAR

First, an announcement. I very randomly picked a winner for Andrea Alban's book giveaway for ANYA'S WAR. The winner is Chrys Fey! Chrys, Andrea and I will be in touch with you. Congratulations!

Onto today's post: 

"If there were a mile-high mountain of granite, and once every ten thousand years a bird flew past and brushed it with a feather, by the time that mountain was worn away, a fraction of a second would have passed in the context of Eternity." -Lois Duncan, STRANGER WITH MY FACE

In Lois Duncan's SUMMER OF FEAR (Laurel Leaf, YA), a teen named Rachel learns that her aunt and uncle and their employee died in a car accident out in the Ozarks. So her cousin Julia, pretty much a stranger, must come live with Rachel's family. That summer, Julia steals away Rachel's boyfriend and her best friend. While Rachel's family repeatedly come to Julia's defense, only Rachel and her beloved dog sense something amiss about Julia. Then Rachel's dog mysteriously dies. When Rachel stumbles across evidence that Julia used black magic on her dog, no one believes her claims that Julia is a witch. While Julia continues to taunt Rachel, Rachel decides to take action before more lives are lost. 

This book connects with the part of myself that understands how lonely it feels when someone I know is trouble wears a superficial mask of goodness and light for others. But on a more optimistic note, I've found that sometimes people do catch on. 

Have you read SUMMER OF FEAR? How were your summers like when you were a teen?