SHUTTER, by Courtney Alameda

The story: Micheline and her team are the descendants of storied undead-hunters of old: Stoker, Van Helsing, Harker. They're the best team at Helsing, a corporation that specializes in containing San Francisco's supernatural creatures. But when the teens end up in a shattered hospital, unable to contain the evil presence set loose there, they're infected with a soulchain--a substance that will bind them to the creature bent on revenge for past slights, kill them within the week, and bring their spirits under control of this evil spirit. Can they solve the mystery and avoid the dreadful fate that's already consumed Micheline's mother?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; violence R; sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent by violence; extremely scary situations) PG-13; overall rating (borderline) R.

Liz's comments: I'm giving it the "borderline" R rating--meaning it would be better for HS readers--because I think 8th-grade kids who like horror would be fine with the story, while kids who don't like spooky stuff would find it horrifying no matter what age they are. I am not a horror fan myself, but I did like this one and found it hard to put down. The author neatly ties in lots of references to Dracula, which could possibly lead readers in a more literary direction once they finish this!