It Came from the Trees - by Ally Russell

About the Book

Convinced that a Bigfoot-like creature took her best friend during a scouting trip, eleven-year-old Jenna sets out into the woods to find her.

Book Synopsis

When her best friend is taken by a creature in the woods, Jenna is determined to save her in this scary story perfect for fans of Daka Hermon and Claribel A. Ortega!

The wilderness is in Jenna's blood. Her Pap was the first Black park ranger at Sturbridge Reservation, and she practically knows the Owlet Survival Handbook by heart. But she's never encountered a creature like the one that took her best friend Reese. Her parents don't believe her; the police are worthless, following the wrong leads; and the media isn't connecting the dots between Reese's disappearance and a string of other attacks. Determined to save her friend, Jenna joins a new local scout troop, and ventures back into the woods.

When the troop stumbles across suspicious signs: huge human-like footprints near the camp, scratch marks on trees, and ominous sounds from the woods, Jenna worries that whatever took Reese is back to take her too. Can she trust her new scout leader? And will her new friend Norrie--who makes her laugh and reminds her so much of Reese--believe her?

After the unthinkable happens, the scouts, armed with their wits and toiletries, band together to fight the monster and survive the night.

Review Quotes

Praise for It Came From the Trees

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

"The nail biting mystery is so wonderfully crafted that it's impossible to know what will happen next. This is a must read for anyone who loves strong female main characters and spooky novels!" --Daka Hermon, author of Hide and Seeker

"A spine-chilling and grisly adventure, It Came From the Trees is equally instructive, thrilling, and gruesomely monstrous. It's the classic beast of a campfire story that will leave you gasping for breath until the very last page." --Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author of Bumps in the Night

"A spine-chilling debut. [An] adroitly crafted horror novel whose heroine perseveres in the face of malice both supernatural and man-made." --Publishers Weekly

"The fast-paced plot will keep the pages flying...Enticing campfire thrills and chills." --Kirkus Reviews

"Russell cooks up a campfire-worthy tale that delivers chills (including a formidable cryptid) and is fortified by a strong emotional core."--Booklist

"The perfect late-night story."--The Seattle Times

About the Author

Ally grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children's publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh--ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her two black cats, Nox and Fury. She's afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights. It Came from the Trees is her debut novel.