The Girl Next Door/ Jack Ketchum/ 370 pages/ Horror

David lives in what seems to be a happy neighborhood to grow up in. Nice homes, lots of boys in the area his age to hang out with. However, happy home life is not the case for Meg and her sister Susan. Their family was in a car accident causing the death of both their parents and they must move in with their aunt Ruth and her sons. Shortly after arriving to their new home they are imprisoned in the basement where Ruth allows the neighborhood boys to torture Meg and if Meg doesn't behave Susan is punished.
This book was extremely disturbing and grusome. If you are sensitive to that I do not recommend you picking this book up.
I think this book was very well written and accomplished what it intended to do. Jack Ketchum wanted his readers to be uncomfortable reading this in order to make an impact. It was an excellent example for us to listen to those around us who come to us for help and for us to get help fast. If David went to get help from the beginning he could have stopped things before they escalated to the point they got. Because of the content, I didn't have an enjoyable time reading this but at the same time I could not stop reading and I felt like it is a good story that makes an impact and sticks with you. One that I won't be forgetting anytime soon with lessons I want to keep. If you're looking for something disturbing and horrific for Halloween-time you may want to try this.

Spilled Milk / K. L. Randis / 237 pages

This book is a true story based on the author's life.  The names of people and places are changed to protect her family's privacy. The book is about child abuse; physical, psychological, and sexual.  Brooke Nolan is the second of four children.  Her parents struggle to provide for the family.  The children are growing up with a father that verbally and mentally abuses them.  Brooke is singled out by her father for sexual abuse.  She grows up thinking this is normal in all families until she has her first boyfriend as a young teenager.  She realizes that she needs to protect her younger sister from becoming her father's next sexual victim when Brooke leaves home.  With the help of her relatives, counselor, and a lawyer she takes her father to court.  This is a tragic topic and difficult story, but the author does a powerful job telling it.