by Chris Lynch
First published 2001
Will starts wood shop at his new school and feels drawn to carve small wooden figures. He cannot explain why his hands move to create these particular shapes. The other students in class make similar totems, all working with the same strange compulsion. Then Will begins noticing his wooden creations at crime scenes around town. The totems appear before and after teenagers kill themselves. Will realizes something is controlling him and his classmates, forcing them to craft these objects. He must figure out what supernatural power has taken hold of their minds and hands. The wooden figures connect to each death, but Will does not understand how or why. He faces a terrible choice between fighting this mysterious force or surrendering to its will.
Genres: mystery, supernatural, thriller, young-adult
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: forced-to-act, supernatural-forces
160 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins
Content warnings: suicide, violence