The Devil and Winnie Flynn

August 17, 2015
Horror movie buff Winnie Flynn starts work as a production assistant on the New Jersey–based edition of her aunt’s paranormal reality TV series, Fantastic, Fearsome, just months after her mother committed suicide. When Winnie, a skeptic at heart, discovers the words “Not a Suicide” written on her bathroom mirror, the 17-year-old longs to contact her mother again, and believes those on her aunt’s show can help. Together with the Devil Hunters, a ragtag band of teenagers specializing in the Jersey Devil, Winnie uncovers a lineage of relatives with magical abilities. In a story written primarily as a letter from Winnie to her best friend Lucia, the Ostow siblings (So Punk Rock) incorporate maps, transcripts, storyboards, and wiki pages to create a 360-degree view of reality TV’s inner workings. Upon learning of the supernatural abilities that both she and her aunt possess, the stakes get higher as Winnie realizes she may be a target herself. Pop-culture asides (“This is Real Housewives a go-go territory”) and sarcastic remarks lighten the mood of this terrifying and addictive novel. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

September 15, 2015
Family history is uncovered when a teen heads to New Jersey with her aunt's film crew to seek out the urban legend of the Jersey Devil. Winnie Flynn, a horror-movie fan, is about to spend her summer as an intern for her aunt's reality TV show, Fantastic, Fearsome. This is a chance for Winnie not only to see the other side of a genre she loves, but for her to build a relationship with her previously estranged aunt, who has become one of her only remaining family members after her mother's suicide, three months prior. The plot moves along via a combination of straightforward prose that takes the form of an ongoing letter to Winnie's friend Lucia and screenplay excerpts, punctuated by David Ostow's eerie illustrations-some graphic novel-esque-pointedly placed throughout. Micol Ostow carefully weaves themes of feminism in and among the tropes commonly used in horror, and equally meticulous plot twists turn the story into a genuine mystery. Winnie's narrative voice is grounded, critical, and humorous, all while being true to that of a teenager. Some readers may question how "ready" Winnie seems to be after suffering the loss of her mother, but there is no textbook way to deal with grief, and in her letters, she explains her feelings along the way. This stylish novel is both a celebration of horror as a genre and chilling in its own right. (Horror. 14-18)

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October 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Winnie Flynn doesn't know why her mother killed herself. All she knows is that her dad said yes when Winnie's estranged aunt Maggie proposed that Winnie spend the summer with her. Now Winnie is working as a production assistant on Fantastic Fearsome, the paranormal reality TV show Maggie produces and hosts. This season the show has fresh, young talent (including one Devil Hunter named Seth, who is as earnest as he is cute), and Maggie has big plans to track down the famous Jersey Devil. As much as she loves horror movies, Winnie doesn't believe in ghosts-or the Devil. But as she gets to know the Hunters and learns more about the Devil's strange history, Winnie begins to wonder if there might be some fact to the fantastic here. Soon, she realizes her family may have a stronger connection to the Devil than she could have imagined. But even Winnie's firm skepticism and calm might not be enough to keep her safe. Written as a scrapbook-style letter for her friend Lucia, this novel is a mixed-media adventure filled with Winnie's dry humor, illustrations, shooting scripts, and other ephemera beyond the traditional narrative. A quick finish and unanswered questions about Winnie's mother will leave readers hoping that this book is the start to a series. VERDICT A fun and campy horror novel filled with real details about the Devil and evocative New Jersey locations; sure to have high appeal for horror fans.-Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Grades 8-11 Seventeen-year-old Winnie Flynn loves horror movies, but she doesn't care for shows that claim to investigate the paranormal, like her aunt Maggie's hit reality show, Fantastic, Fearsome. She knows it's all staged, and ghosts aren't waiting around ready to talkno matter how much she wishes she could ask her mom why she committed suicide. Nevertheless, she accepts her estranged aunt's invitation to spend the summer as a production assistant for the show. Winnie finds reality TV scarier than horror, with its scene staging, judicious editing, and written scripts for the talent to follow, in this case three teenage experts on the Jersey Devil, who make it their mission to turn Winnie into a believer. Despite Winnie's resistance, she can't deny that the investigation is giving her chills, while revealing some unsettling truths about her mother's ancestors and a possible explanation for her death. The Ostow siblings pepper Winnie's sarcastic, vulnerable narrative with illustrations, transcripts, maps, and other multimedia, setting the stage perfectly for a spooky, stylish, self-aware thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)