Title: Ski Weekend

Author: R. L. Stine  

Published by: Pocket Books

Genre: Horror

Ariel Munroe, Doug Mahr and Shannon Harper went on a ski weekend in the mountains. While they were there, they met Red Porter. He must’ve been a guardian angel, because on their way back home, they got caught in a blizzard. That was when Red spotted a hilltop lounge in the distance. They asked kindly to stay over night, and they were accepted. Suddenly their hosts are acting very strange. That’s when the friends discover something terrible. Their car is gone, the phones are dead and the house is packed with guns. Maybe if they steal one, they can make it out of there. That’s when a shot is fired, and the real terror begins. The friends experience in the most horrifying way that they cannot trust even their nearest friends.

The author has a rich imagery and vocabulary, which makes the book even more interesting and exciting to read. “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t utter a sound. I opened my eyes” the author writes about me. As if it was me writing these words. He uses many adjectives and pictures in his language which makes the reader feel he is a part of the setting. “A big, orange sun was just coming up behind us. It made the snow sparkle like gold. (…) But I was too scared to enjoy the beauty of the morning.”

The main character, who is described in 1st person, and her friends are all nice youths who are easy to identify with: they just want to have a lovely and amusing weekend together. The most noticeable developments in the novel are Lou, their host, who gradually becomes more and more unstable, and Red, who evolves from an introverted stranger to a self-assured member of the gang. Because of lack of concrete setting it is even easier to identify oneself with the persons and the act.

I would recommend this book for young adults from 12 years and up. Both male and female readers would enjoy it; it’s thrilling and easy to read.

Watch out next time you’re on a ski trip. Who knows? You might be next!