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Crooked Hills
For Charlie and his brother, Alex, an unexpected trip to visit their Aunt Mary in the haunted town of Crooked Hills turns into a life-changing adventure, forcing them to confront local bullies, hell hounds, dead witches, and girls with slingshots! A throwback to classic adventures like that of the Hardy Boys, mixed with the creepiness of GOOSEBUMPS and CIRQUE DU FREAK, Cullen Bunn's CROOKED HILLS blends mystery and adventure to weave a fun and unforgettable story of will, friendship and family bonds.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2011
2 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Cullen Bunn
2,111 books1,067 followersCullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 31, 2011
We horror fans often have it rough, enduring scorn and derision from multiple sources. That goes double of horror parents, who choose to raise their offspring with a deep appreciation for all things macabre, and so our children have a prayer of surviving a zombie attack. And while there are hundreds (more like thousands) of titles out there for tweenie-readers, there are precious few that are designed with kids around nine-years-old in mind. Which is why when a book like Crooked Hills: Book One comes across my desk, I just have to sing its praises.
The story is a simple premise, and one that's been used over and over again: A kid, his brother, and his mom move to a spooky town to live with relatives while Mom gets her feet back under her. And while the kid thinks the town is going to be boring, he soon discovers that it is anything but. In this case, the roll of "kid" is played by Charlie, a boy whose father passed away a few months ago. He and his brother, Alex, meet up with their cousin Marty and his friend, Lisa, as they uncover and investigate the eerie folklore of Crooked Hills, starting with the local witch named Maddie Someday. Of course, their investigations lead them to danger, terror, and mortal peril, but that's what summers are supposed to be filled with, right?
Let's get one thing perfectly clear from the get-go: This is not a "kiddie" book. Author Cullen Bunn doesn't talk down to the readers, doesn't dumb thing down for lower grade levels. To the contrary, he tells a tight story with good detail, excellent plot, and does it without pandering. Sure, the characters are easily relatable to the nine-to-fourteen market, but that's because that's who they are. Far from mollycoddling, Bunn puts the readers in the dark and leaves them there without so much as a match for light, then he pounds on the door to give them a thrill. And it works well enough that even the parents of the children who read this book (and the ones that come after it) will enjoy them.
If there is a drawback, or a weakness, it's with the ending of this story, upon which I can't elaborate because that would spoil the whole book. Suffice to say, up until the last ten pages, I was hooked. The last ten, though logical and well written, left a kind of sour aftertaste, but even that didn't diminish the desire for the next book in the series.
On the whole, I wouldn't say this is the next "Harry Potter" series because it's its own entity . However, if you are a parent whose kids are more into monsters and ghouls than wizards and sorcery, the Crooked Hills may be just what you were looking for. I can't reccommend this book enough, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one. Not currently available at Amazon, it's available through the publisher's website, EvilEyeBooks.com.
The story is a simple premise, and one that's been used over and over again: A kid, his brother, and his mom move to a spooky town to live with relatives while Mom gets her feet back under her. And while the kid thinks the town is going to be boring, he soon discovers that it is anything but. In this case, the roll of "kid" is played by Charlie, a boy whose father passed away a few months ago. He and his brother, Alex, meet up with their cousin Marty and his friend, Lisa, as they uncover and investigate the eerie folklore of Crooked Hills, starting with the local witch named Maddie Someday. Of course, their investigations lead them to danger, terror, and mortal peril, but that's what summers are supposed to be filled with, right?
Let's get one thing perfectly clear from the get-go: This is not a "kiddie" book. Author Cullen Bunn doesn't talk down to the readers, doesn't dumb thing down for lower grade levels. To the contrary, he tells a tight story with good detail, excellent plot, and does it without pandering. Sure, the characters are easily relatable to the nine-to-fourteen market, but that's because that's who they are. Far from mollycoddling, Bunn puts the readers in the dark and leaves them there without so much as a match for light, then he pounds on the door to give them a thrill. And it works well enough that even the parents of the children who read this book (and the ones that come after it) will enjoy them.
If there is a drawback, or a weakness, it's with the ending of this story, upon which I can't elaborate because that would spoil the whole book. Suffice to say, up until the last ten pages, I was hooked. The last ten, though logical and well written, left a kind of sour aftertaste, but even that didn't diminish the desire for the next book in the series.
On the whole, I wouldn't say this is the next "Harry Potter" series because it's its own entity . However, if you are a parent whose kids are more into monsters and ghouls than wizards and sorcery, the Crooked Hills may be just what you were looking for. I can't reccommend this book enough, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one. Not currently available at Amazon, it's available through the publisher's website, EvilEyeBooks.com.
January 2, 2012
Charlie and Alex move to Crooked Hills with their mother following the death of their father. Along with Marty, their cousin, the brothers begin to explore their new surroundings. Marty takes them to Bleeding Rock, a place rumored to be the location of the death of an evil witch, and that's where the story really begins. Spooky, but at the same time fun, Crooked Hills is a great read for the middle grade age group, though I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Maybe it's cuz I'm such a kid at heart. :)
December 19, 2011
such a fun read! it was modern and spooky and fairly gruesome at times and one of those books you pick up when you climb into bed, saying you'll just read one chapter, then read three and wake up the next morning and read three more before even emerging from the covers. in an extra-special delightful twist, i actually won this book right here on goodreads in the giveaways section! awesome!
July 5, 2024
I had a blast with this book. It’s a fun mix of Stranger Things and Gravity Falls with a tiny bit of The Blair Witch Project for flavor
May 26, 2025
This was also a much-needed palate cleanser! More geared toward younger readers, maybe? I did enjoy this story though. The characters were nice and fun and the interactions were realistic and relatable. The plot was good but simple and definitely set up the rest of the series. Which I hope will happen because I would love to see what happens to these characters and what mischief they could get into! So overall, a great read, and I look forward for more to come!
August 16, 2024
I could have done without the doggy death, and some of the scenes were quite violent for a kids book, but overall it was pretty good.
May 31, 2011
From my blog: http://http://serialdistractions.com/...
Some of my best memories of childhood are of exploring the woods and wild places around my house during the long summer days of my pre-and-early teen years. My brother and our friends would start roaming as soon as we got up and then were seldom seen before supper. The woods teemed with ninjas, evil sorcerers, dangerous Viet Cong, and desperate urban criminals. These forces of evil needed dealing with and it was up to us to do it: Chuck Norris was simply too busy rescuing POWs to take care of rural Texas at the time. Cullen Bunn’s Crooked Hills perfectly captures the spirit of these halcyon days and then adds some chilling twists.
Charlie Ward (a nice Lovecraftian reference) isn’t looking forward to spending six weeks of his summer vacation in the hick Missouri town of Crooked Hills. Nevertheless, his mother wants to spend more time with her sister after the accidental death of Charlie’s father and Charlie must leave his familiar urban surroundings to visit his rural family. But Crooked Hills starts looking a lot more interesting when Charlie learns that the tiny country hamlet is the most haunted town in America. Soon Charlie, his little brother Alex, their loquacious cousin Marty, and local tomboy Lisa must confront local bullies, ghost hounds, and a child-eating witch as they try to unravel the mystery behind one of the most notorious hauntings of the ghost-infested town.
Crooked Hills combines all the best aspects of classic children’s mystery books with paranormal chills and adventure. Think “The Hardy Boys meet Supernatural“. The characters are well-drawn and sympathetic and the action is fast-paced and fun. Charlie’s voice is spot on, mixing a sense of fear and trepidation with youthful excitement and an old-fashioned “gee whiz” factor. Even more impressive is Bunn’s ability to depict genuinely scary antagonists while still keeping the book readable by a young audience. This book really is the total package.
Reading this book as an adult, I was struck with a sense of nostalgia for my youth. Young readers will find a well-told adventure story with real thrills. And if a great story urges the youngsters to put down their DSs for a while and explore the wild places in their neighborhood, well, that’ll be just fine by me. The woods still teem with bad guys and they aren’t going to take care of themselves.
Some of my best memories of childhood are of exploring the woods and wild places around my house during the long summer days of my pre-and-early teen years. My brother and our friends would start roaming as soon as we got up and then were seldom seen before supper. The woods teemed with ninjas, evil sorcerers, dangerous Viet Cong, and desperate urban criminals. These forces of evil needed dealing with and it was up to us to do it: Chuck Norris was simply too busy rescuing POWs to take care of rural Texas at the time. Cullen Bunn’s Crooked Hills perfectly captures the spirit of these halcyon days and then adds some chilling twists.
Charlie Ward (a nice Lovecraftian reference) isn’t looking forward to spending six weeks of his summer vacation in the hick Missouri town of Crooked Hills. Nevertheless, his mother wants to spend more time with her sister after the accidental death of Charlie’s father and Charlie must leave his familiar urban surroundings to visit his rural family. But Crooked Hills starts looking a lot more interesting when Charlie learns that the tiny country hamlet is the most haunted town in America. Soon Charlie, his little brother Alex, their loquacious cousin Marty, and local tomboy Lisa must confront local bullies, ghost hounds, and a child-eating witch as they try to unravel the mystery behind one of the most notorious hauntings of the ghost-infested town.
Crooked Hills combines all the best aspects of classic children’s mystery books with paranormal chills and adventure. Think “The Hardy Boys meet Supernatural“. The characters are well-drawn and sympathetic and the action is fast-paced and fun. Charlie’s voice is spot on, mixing a sense of fear and trepidation with youthful excitement and an old-fashioned “gee whiz” factor. Even more impressive is Bunn’s ability to depict genuinely scary antagonists while still keeping the book readable by a young audience. This book really is the total package.
Reading this book as an adult, I was struck with a sense of nostalgia for my youth. Young readers will find a well-told adventure story with real thrills. And if a great story urges the youngsters to put down their DSs for a while and explore the wild places in their neighborhood, well, that’ll be just fine by me. The woods still teem with bad guys and they aren’t going to take care of themselves.
January 30, 2012
At some point, the head noise of adult life dulls out a vital sense that kids know deep down in their bones: sometimes what you’re looking for is also looking for you.
Charles “Charlie” Ward is almost 13, and newly-made man of the house after his father’s recent death in a suspicious hit-and-run “accident.” Charlie’s a Chicago kid who’s looking forward to losing his troubles in a summer of video games, horror novels, ghost stories, and baseball with his friends, until certain doom hijacks his plans: a family vacation in the Ozarks with his mother and annoying eight-year-old brother, Alex. But the summer has its own plans for Charlie, who finds himself headed for Crooked Hills, the most haunted town in America, and home to Maddie Someday, a spirit who wanders the woods at night, in search of children she find by the blood-red light of her ruby ring.
Cullen Bunn, who has written for Marvel and DC Comics, Wildstorm, and IDW, is also author of the horror noir series, The Damned, The Sixth Gun, and Like a Chinese Tattoo. His new juvenile fiction series, Crooked Hills, is a cobwebby trap-door that suddenly appears in the ceiling of your clean, new, suburban home: a portal for children to climb into the ghostly back rooms and hidden spaces of supernatural fiction. And unlike the recent turn that tween supernatural fiction has taken into bodice-ripping, fashion-conscious, narcissistic soap-opera, Cullen Bunn delivers the real goods: worms, spiders, headless chickens fleeing bloody axes, kidnapped little brothers, and girls with slingshots who can track ghost dogs by moonlight.
Crooked Hills is a series you’ll want to kid to read, or better yet, to read together, because all horror and supernatural fiction fans know that the prickling, shuddersome feeling that comes from a good ghost story is no cheap thrill, it’s a vital connection to something larger and and deeper and more shadowy: a key to what’s haunting you.
Forthcoming in February 2012: Cullen Bunn’s,“Creeping Stones and Other Stories.” Individual stories to appear digitally leading up to book’s release.
Charles “Charlie” Ward is almost 13, and newly-made man of the house after his father’s recent death in a suspicious hit-and-run “accident.” Charlie’s a Chicago kid who’s looking forward to losing his troubles in a summer of video games, horror novels, ghost stories, and baseball with his friends, until certain doom hijacks his plans: a family vacation in the Ozarks with his mother and annoying eight-year-old brother, Alex. But the summer has its own plans for Charlie, who finds himself headed for Crooked Hills, the most haunted town in America, and home to Maddie Someday, a spirit who wanders the woods at night, in search of children she find by the blood-red light of her ruby ring.
Cullen Bunn, who has written for Marvel and DC Comics, Wildstorm, and IDW, is also author of the horror noir series, The Damned, The Sixth Gun, and Like a Chinese Tattoo. His new juvenile fiction series, Crooked Hills, is a cobwebby trap-door that suddenly appears in the ceiling of your clean, new, suburban home: a portal for children to climb into the ghostly back rooms and hidden spaces of supernatural fiction. And unlike the recent turn that tween supernatural fiction has taken into bodice-ripping, fashion-conscious, narcissistic soap-opera, Cullen Bunn delivers the real goods: worms, spiders, headless chickens fleeing bloody axes, kidnapped little brothers, and girls with slingshots who can track ghost dogs by moonlight.
Crooked Hills is a series you’ll want to kid to read, or better yet, to read together, because all horror and supernatural fiction fans know that the prickling, shuddersome feeling that comes from a good ghost story is no cheap thrill, it’s a vital connection to something larger and and deeper and more shadowy: a key to what’s haunting you.
Forthcoming in February 2012: Cullen Bunn’s,“Creeping Stones and Other Stories.” Individual stories to appear digitally leading up to book’s release.
Read
July 5, 2011Right from the beginning, Cullen Bunn’s new book, Crooked Hills, brought a smile to my face. It was reminiscent of the scary books I used to read as a kid, but neither the writing nor the story was dated in any way. Just a few pages in, and I wished I was curled up in a window seat, storm brewing for added effect, all alone in a creepy old house.
Twelve-year-old Charlie Ward, his little brother Alex, and his mom travel to Crooked Hills, Missouri to stay with his Aunt Mary, Uncle Shorty, and Cousin Marty. After his dad died in an accident, Charlie’s mom has really needed a change of scenery which is how Charlie ends up in a place that boasts “more ghosts than any other town in the country.” This makes spending his summer vacation in Crooked Hills a bit more bearable.
Charlie and Marty get off to a bumpy start with an incident involving tarantulas, but soon they are on the same page, exploring all of the haunted sites Crooked Hills has to offer. Along the way they pick up crack slingshot shooter Lisa Summers. Her skills with the slingshot save Charlie and Marty more times than they would like, but they admit she is handy to have around. What with taking on the Crewes Brothers (two brothers who give bullies a bad name), and tangling with the mysterious, the boys can use all of the help they can get…if they want to survive. I can’t wait for the continuing adventures of Charlie, Marty, and Lisa in Book 2. Highly recommended.
Contains: mild violence and supernatural elements.
Reviewed by: Brandi Blankenship
Twelve-year-old Charlie Ward, his little brother Alex, and his mom travel to Crooked Hills, Missouri to stay with his Aunt Mary, Uncle Shorty, and Cousin Marty. After his dad died in an accident, Charlie’s mom has really needed a change of scenery which is how Charlie ends up in a place that boasts “more ghosts than any other town in the country.” This makes spending his summer vacation in Crooked Hills a bit more bearable.
Charlie and Marty get off to a bumpy start with an incident involving tarantulas, but soon they are on the same page, exploring all of the haunted sites Crooked Hills has to offer. Along the way they pick up crack slingshot shooter Lisa Summers. Her skills with the slingshot save Charlie and Marty more times than they would like, but they admit she is handy to have around. What with taking on the Crewes Brothers (two brothers who give bullies a bad name), and tangling with the mysterious, the boys can use all of the help they can get…if they want to survive. I can’t wait for the continuing adventures of Charlie, Marty, and Lisa in Book 2. Highly recommended.
Contains: mild violence and supernatural elements.
Reviewed by: Brandi Blankenship
November 3, 2013
I don't read many Young Adult books, but I'm glad I gave this one a try. Right off the hop I got caught up in the plot and the characters, and kind of forgot it was a YA novel.
Before becoming a fan of Cullen Bunn's work, I'd never heard of a haint or a fetch, nor did I know that blue jays fly to Hell on Fridays to get their orders from the Devil. Cullen frequently laces his fiction with elements of southern gothic horror. Somehow he manages to make the small towns he creates seem quaint and charming, not just dilapidated. In this case he does it through the eyes of big-city kid who must come to terms first with life in the country, then with an evil witch and her malevolent minions.
Though it's absolutely age-appropriate, Crooked Hills is anything but childish. I'd recommend it to older children, young adults and even semi-grownups, like me.
Before becoming a fan of Cullen Bunn's work, I'd never heard of a haint or a fetch, nor did I know that blue jays fly to Hell on Fridays to get their orders from the Devil. Cullen frequently laces his fiction with elements of southern gothic horror. Somehow he manages to make the small towns he creates seem quaint and charming, not just dilapidated. In this case he does it through the eyes of big-city kid who must come to terms first with life in the country, then with an evil witch and her malevolent minions.
Though it's absolutely age-appropriate, Crooked Hills is anything but childish. I'd recommend it to older children, young adults and even semi-grownups, like me.
October 20, 2011
Charmingly creepy and creepily charming, this book is a Hardy Boys mystery for the modern kid -- except the chills and thrills are a lot more real and honestly earned. I wouldn't recommend this book for kids who get night terrors or are easily frightened, but your jaded middle schooler who is pretty sure he/she has seen and heard it all might just find himself goosed into leaving the night light on for a few evenings.
And the narrative voice is just perfect. Charlie Ward (as a Lovecraft fan, I really want his middle name to be Dexter) is a perfect guide along this wide-eyed spookhouse ride. Lots of fun!
And the narrative voice is just perfect. Charlie Ward (as a Lovecraft fan, I really want his middle name to be Dexter) is a perfect guide along this wide-eyed spookhouse ride. Lots of fun!
August 1, 2012
When Charlie and his brother Alex make an unexpected trip to visit their Aunt Mary it turns into life changing adventure for them. Aunt Mary lives in the haunted town of Crooked Hills and Charlie and Alex are faced with bullies, hell hounds, dead witches and girls with slingshots.
What a fun read for kids and adults. Well written and very entertaining. Am so glad I won this book from Goodreads.
What a fun read for kids and adults. Well written and very entertaining. Am so glad I won this book from Goodreads.
December 15, 2011
Well written filled with mystery and suspense, and sure to entertain along the way.
I was sursprised at how much I liked it, as I wasn't quite sure that I would. But as I read I became immerserd in the characters and the quirky plot. It was entertaining and fresh, though there were some very musty corpses involved!
I would recommend this to the middle school aged child.
I was sursprised at how much I liked it, as I wasn't quite sure that I would. But as I read I became immerserd in the characters and the quirky plot. It was entertaining and fresh, though there were some very musty corpses involved!
I would recommend this to the middle school aged child.
March 12, 2012
Goodreads Giveaway Win - It was a fun middle grade book. Exploring the woods really rang true for kids in the country. I used to do all that kind of stuff when I lived in PA. It was a quick read that I think kids would enjoy, especially if they like Goosebumps and things that go bump in the night :)
Want to read
December 15, 2011I received this book yesterday, and set it on my desk to read, and my 14 year old walked by, read the back, and stole it. About 1/2 an hour later, he asked..."Can I read this before you?" So I assume he liked how it began...will review as soon as I can.
December 3, 2012
My oldest read this book and enjoyed it tremendously. He said it was good. :-)
May 13, 2013
Good in some parts, but blah in others. Had high hopes for this one. Sadly, it didn't meet them.
June 13, 2011
Great suspense/ghost story book for kids - reminds me of Goosebumps and the like.
January 6, 2012
All around a great spooky young adult story.
October 14, 2012
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews