NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

 

As most of his fans already know, Joseph Hillstrom King is the son of writers Stephen and Tabitha King. This book is dedicated to his mom, "a creative thinker of the first order" who taught him to love words, search for their secret meanings, and stay attuned to their private histories. You can tell he listened to his mother, because it's the language in this book that really resonates, as well as its first-class horror story. The fact that Hill uses Christmas as a backdrop for this story (the holiday that's every kid's favorite) is pure genius. Charles Talent Manx kidnaps children and takes them to a place he calls Christmasland. Victoria McQueen's uncanny knack for finding things is her own special kind of "magic." The life-and-death battle of wills between these two is disturbing, full of twists, and a real page turner.