{"id":2234,"date":"2019-10-06T10:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T10:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=2234"},"modified":"2023-09-30T12:07:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T16:07:37","slug":"want-the-perfect-horror-novel-for-high-schoolers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/want-the-perfect-horror-novel-for-high-schoolers\/","title":{"rendered":"Want the Perfect Horror Novel for High School Readers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I don’t know about you, but fall has always meant Halloween season to me–not back-to-school. While other teachers are out shopping for school supplies, I’m literally hiding skeletons in my closet before my boyfriend can reprimand me for bringing more<\/em> decorations in the house. So October for me means pumpkin spice everything, draping cobwebs all over the house, and reading as much horror fiction as I can. For this October, I’m presenting to you Katie Alendar’s The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall<\/em>. It’s the perfect horror novel for high school readers!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put on your cozy flannel, turn up Alice Cooper, and curl up with an age-appropriate scary story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Psst! Want more ideas for spooky classroom activities? Then this blog post is a must-read!<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Why a Horror Novel for High School Readers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I’ve had an increase in my high school readers begging for a good horror novel. (I blame the It<\/em> remake!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when I stumbled across The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall<\/a><\/strong><\/em> it was an easy buy for me. The cover is blatantly horror-related and the title reinforces the obvious creep-factor.<\/strong> I figured it would be an easy sell to my fear-loving students.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Grab this must-have title today!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ok. Maybe it was an easy sell for me<\/em>. I’ve always loved the macabre, so the blood-sputtered cover art spoke to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that student that wears the <\/strong>Nightmare Before Christmas <\/strong><\/em>sweatshirt every single day? Yeah, they’ll gravitate towards it too. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horror is engaging. Fear is universally relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a student can’t put a book down because of extreme suspense and terror, they’re going to consume more books. More book consumption means stronger readers. Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If ghosts and gore are what it takes to get my kids reading, then I’m all in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Plus, having a variety of horror novels available to your high school readers means more examples of foreshadowing, suspense, and tension building from which to pull when you teach any kind of creative writing<\/a>!)<\/p>\n\n\n

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What Makes Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall The Perfect Horror Novel for High School Readers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall<\/a><\/strong><\/em> starts like any other horror. The book opens on a family road trip to see the home Delia has recently inherited from her grandmother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except, when the family arrives, the house isn’t just a house. It’s a mansion. And of course, the mansion just happens to be the former home to an all-girls mental institution–lovingly nicknamed “Hysteria Hall” by locals. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Immediately, the mood is set by the dusty and cavernous halls of the empty Piven Institute. As Delia walks through her inheritance, you’ll have chills running down your back. The abandoned mansion is so creepy, Delia’s parents don’t even want her exploring on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is young adult fiction, so she does anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It becomes clear that while the institution may be closed, the house refuses to let its patients leave. Dead or alive. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Delia arrives, the house only sees her as one more naughty girl to be institutionalized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s no way it’s going to let Delia leave.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the beginning of the novel has the horror motifs that we all love–creepy old house, mental institution, random bursts of cool air–it takes an unusual twist early on. It’s this twist that, for me, makes The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall<\/a><\/strong><\/em> stands out from other books in the genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a horror novel for high schoolers, it is this twist that allows the book to stay true to the genre without becoming predictable.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n