Publication
Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Tantrum Books
Genre: MG, Fantasy
Thirteen-year-old
Caroline is a freak. Her parents have uprooted her to a town full of
Supernaturals. You’d think she’d be thrilled. But, with someone without a
magical bone in her body, this daughter of tree sprites feels like even more of
an outcast than she has ever before.
To
make matters worse, her new home is cursed. But when Caroline takes to
investigating the mysterious and strange happenings of Harridan House, her BFF
goes missing. Seems someone doesn’t want Caroline sticking her non-magical nose
where it most certainly does not belong. Determined to prove herself, Caroline
uncovers a plot to destroy her new hometown.
Undeterred,
Caroline can’t give up. But what’s a human without magical powers to do?
Caroline better figure it out fast, before she loses everything she has ever
loved and the whispers she’s heard all her life prove true: Caroline is a
useless superfreak.
Excerpt
“Diana,
you’re my hero,” I said.
She
stopped and pretended to flex a muscle, flashing a strained smile. “I know.”
Taking a few more steps, the beam of light revealed a round iron grate that had
been moved to the side. A set of rough stone steps, mossy and damp, marched
down into the darkness. “Ah. This is it.”
“You
guys do this often?” Kevin asked.
“Only
on the slow days,” I replied.
I
thought I heard a choked snort, but he might have just coughed.
We
filed into the hole, Leo in the lead with the flashlight, hands fisted in each
other’s shirts like some kind of weird caterpillar. My free hand grazed the
wall and I yelped, the feeling of squishy earth and something that crawled made
me shiver. Kevin was behind me and laughed. “You storm into the lair of a
kidnapper without a qualm and scream at a little slime?”
“It
wasn’t a scream. More like a squeak.”
“Whatever.”
Diana
shushed us from behind me, her hands twisting into the back of my shirt.
I’m
not sure how long we were really in there, but it felt like forever. Sweat
beaded on my upper lip as we shuffled through, and I tried not to feel like we
were being buried alive. Tight spaces had never bothered me before, but I
wasn’t prepared for this. Or the horrible images my mind kept conjuring of what
lay in wait at the other end.
What
we got wasn’t quite what we expected.
Purchase Links
ABOUT VANESSA
BARGER
Vanessa
Barger was born in West Virginia, and through several moves ended up spending
the majority of her life in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is a graduate of
George Mason University and Old Dominion University, and has degrees in Graphic
Design, a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, and a Masters in
Technology Education. She has had articles published in Altered Arts Magazine,
has had some artwork displayed in galleries in Ohio and online, and currently
teaches engineering, practical physics, drafting and other technological things
to high school students in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. She is a member
of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), the
Virginia Writer’s Club, and the Hampton Roads Writers. When not writing or
teaching, she’s a bookaholic, movie fanatic, and loves to travel. She is
married to a fabulous man, and has one cat, who believes Vanessa lives only to
open cat food cans, and can often be found baking when she should be editing.
Connect with the
Author
GIVEAWAY
Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of
Super Freak by Vanessa
Barger (INT)
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