Field of Screams

Haunted #4

by Joel A. Sutherland

Praise for the Haunted series: “What could be scarier than moving next-door to a haunted house? This book is CHILLING. Loved it!” —R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps

Prepare to scream!

Darius is excited that his cousin, Ryan, is coming to stay for a weekend in October. Though they used to be close, Darius hasn’t seen his cousin since Ryan moved to Vancouver from central B.C. several years before. The visit doesn’t get off to a good start. Ryan has changed and can’t stop talking about how much better the city is than the country.

Eager to win back his favour, Darius plans a trip to Scarecrow Farm, a local farm that morphs into a Halloween attraction each fall. The boys used to love visiting when they were younger. Only Scarecrow Farm is nothing like they remember and seems to have fallen on hard times. It’s not long before they become disorientated and lost in the corn maze. Just as they’re beginning to panic, they come across a younger boy who seems even more lost . . . not in the maze, but in this plane of existence!

Can Darius and Ryan escape before they become the latest two victims of the corn maze?

Haunted is a middle-grade fiction series set in towns and cities across Canada. Packed with action, genuine chills, and some healthy doses of humour to cut the tension, it’s perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Haunted Canada! Prepare to scream!

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2019

About the author

Joel A. Sutherland is the Silver Birch and Hackmatack Award-winning author of Be a Writing Superstar, numerous books in the Haunted Canada series, and Summer's End. His new series, Haunted, including The House Next Door, Kill Screen, Night of the Living Dolls and Field of Screams, has been praised by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine. Joel's short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and magazines, including Blood Lite II & III (Pocket Books) and Cemetery Dance Magazine, alongside the likes of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.

He is a two-time juror for the Bram Stoker Award, the John Spray Mystery Award, and the Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction & Fantasy. He is also the founder of the DarkLit Fest, a literary event that has welcomed Guests of Honour Kelley Armstrong and Joy Fielding.

Joel appeared as "The Barbarian Librarian" on the Canadian edition of the hit television show Wipeout, making it all the way to the third round and proving that librarians can be just as tough and crazy as anyone else. He has a Masters of Information and Library Studies from Aberystwyth University in Wales and lives in southeastern Ontario with his family, where he is always on the lookout for ghosts.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night time read with my kiddo! It was a great choice for October. This is about a kid who has lost his dad. His cousin is coming to visit for Halloween and they make a traditional trip to a “haunted” corn maze each year. But this will be the first time going without the dad.

Only this year it turns out the maze is actually haunted.

I think it was appropriately scary for a middle grader. (That opening was a killer though, sucked me in right away haha.)

I also appreciated the healing message at the core of it. Would definitely read from this author again.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'd rate this 3.5, but I'll round up because I did tear through it in just a few hours.

I picked this up for free at a big bookstore sale in town. Can't be that price! Anyway, it was pretty much what I expected. It was a fun little read.

[Laura Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember devouring every single Stine book I could get my hands on when I was young so when I was afforded the opportunity to read this book I quickly jumped on it as the synopsis reminded me of my youth. This was a quick and painless read and I lost myself in the maze. Perfect read for adolescentes that enjoy the things that go bump in the night.

{I received a review copy via Early Reads and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions contained herein are unbiased and my own.}

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Definitely NOT The target demographic for this book but it was a cute and very fast read.

I’m back on my dollar store book grind (which is crazy because I never finished my first “haul” and just gave the rest of the books away) but yes a 1.25 for this book and I was definitely entertaining for a few hours it took me to read.

Definitely simple but a good base. I guess it’s for younger readers, so they can’t get too complex. Overall I’m not upset.

[Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a nice break from the paperbacks ive been reading recently. Love a good corn maze story. I guess this is part of a series of scary stories for an elementary audience? Whats neat is that it’s by a Canadian author and set in Kelowna, B.C. Sort of like a Canadian version of ‘Goosebumps’. It wasnt good by any means, but it was fun for what it was. 2/5 🌽

[Jennifer Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darius's dad died last year, but he is looking forward to his cousin coming to visit. They always go to the corn maze each year. Darius is glad his cousin is there, but not super excited about going to the maze without his dad. As they are dropped off Darius realizes he has forgotten his cell phone at home. Darius and his cousin head in and he notices things are not normal. When they get into the maze things go really weird, like things are quiet and no one is around. They come across a "ghost" boy and something truly evil. As they escape the maze, they are caught by the maze owner and they are not sure if they will ever escape.



Great short horror book. Reminded me of R. L. Stine's books.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun middle age read for young or old. Fall/spooky vibes, fast read and I did not read any in the series before this one. Canadian Goosebumps!
Will be handing this to my kids as they get a bit older for a fall scare.

[TJL · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Note to self, change this version to the isbn 9781728225944 one once Goodreads has a record of it)

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely obsessed with these books

[Sarah Thuotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read and really enjoyed it. Also had the unexpected addition of struggling with the loss of a parent, which I could relate too.

[kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just kind of basic

[Angie Titus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Fun and creepy.

[Mya Doberstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this book in under twelve hours! didn’t really like it at the beginning, but got better towards the end.

[Bronwen Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good

[Molly Huling · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️-This was a good book and it was a fun quick read but I didn’t love it super much because I found it pretty boring at parts.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and spooky ghost story for middle school readers

[Brig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Perfect for what my 5 yr old wants and I can't wait to read it to her. Some well handled themes about death and the afterlife. Nothing was spoonfed so the kids won't feel stupid. Nothing was overly steep to embroil kids in difficult Q&A. Overall just plain fun.

[Garrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The corn maze is actually haunted.

Read this with my younger kids, they loved it but got bored easily.