patricia sarrafian ward

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Now available from HarperTeen in your local bookstore or online


"[An] atmospheric, creepy fantasy... a thoroughly engaging read."
- YA Books Central


For fans of White Smoke, The Hazel Wood, and Wilder Girls comes an original, hypnotizing horror thriller in the vein of Midsommar, as one girl inherits a mysterious house from her estranged grandmother--and a letter with sinister instructions.

Jo never expected to be placed in her absent grandmother's will--let alone be left her house, her land, and a letter with mysterious demands.

Upon arriving at the inherited property, things are even more strange.

The tenants mentioned in the letter are odd, just slightly…off. Jo feels something dark and decrepit in the old shack behind the house. And the things that her father used to talk about, his delusions… Why is Jo starting to believe they might be real?

But what Jo fears most is the letter from her grandmother. Because if it's true, then Jo belongs here, in this strange place. And she has no choice but to stay.


book arts
   Ongoing . . .

This year I am taking part in the Al-Mutanabbi Starts Here bookmark project . . . find out more here. Please spread the word to fellow artists who might want to join this worldwide project!


    Happenings . . .

Book discussion, St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, October 11

Guest post "Sometimes, You Just Need to Listen to Your Art Self,"
Teen Librarian Toolbox

Interview with YA Books Central about writing The Cherished

Essay on Crimereads.com about writing while growing up during a war
See Books for more on The Cherished and my previous novels

"For fans of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Lebanese-American author Ward draws from her experience to create a frightening story exploring identity, grief, and what it means to be family."
--
Robin Roe, author of Dark Room Etiquette