The Collector

Written by K. R. Alexander

Narrated by Cassandra Morris

Josie always liked visiting her grandmother in the countryside. But when her mother loses her job in the city and they're forced to relocate along with Josie's sister, Annie, she realizes she doesn't like the country that much. Especially because Grandma Jeannie has some strange rules: Don't bring any dolls into the house. And never, ever go near the house in the woods behind their yard. Soon though, Josie manages to make friends with the most popular girl in the sixth grade, Vanessa. When Vanessa
eventually invites Josie back to her house to hang out, Josie doesn't question it. Not even when Vanessa takes her into the woods, and down an old dirt road, toward the very house Grandma Jeannie had warned her about. As Josie gets caught up in her illicit friendship with Vanessa, Annie is caught in the crossfire. What follows is a chilling tale of dark magic, friendship, and some verrrrrry creepy dolls.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Release date: Aug 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781338660333

Reviews for The Collector

[Selina Cooper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun, nice, scary, creepy story. Aimed towards a tween audience, but enjoyable nonetheless. I thought the narrator did a fine job. I enjoyed listening to her voice as Josie as she relates this scary monster-like story.....☺️

[Renee Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was a creepy read if you dislike dolls good for younger kids

[RichardKevinWilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As only K. R. Alexander can do! To think that these books he writes are for young kids and teens, and I am 61 and I LOVE all his books that I have read now. Can't wait to start 'The Collection'
Hoping Beryl does not pop up!
5 Creeps!

[Sarah Ecrivain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the collector for multiple reasons. Now I read at night and that means I may not fully feel the impact of a scene or the atmosphere of a setting but I thought it was pretty great. The first reason I enjoyed it was because of its unsettling atmosphere and events. Another reason I enjoyed it was because of its vague warnings of danger that let the protagonist determine whether or not they should be taken seriously. Dolls are a bit of a trope in horror and it would be fair to say that dolls are generally overused in the horror genre, but in this story I thought the authors usage of dolls was clever. The ending was satisfying and creepy. Some of the cons were Jose’s lack of questioning and unwillingness to consult her family about the problems made her seem a little bit dumb. Personally, I found it unrealistic that she would trust a person she had only known for a couple of weeks more than her grandmother and sister. It annoyed me that she wasn’t picking up on the very obvious red flags. However as the protagonist needs to get herself in trouble for the problem to become worse, I’ll let it pass because the collector is of the horror genre and her ignorance was important to the cause and effect of most of the story’s main problems. Also I found it was unintelligent of the protagonist to not report Venessa’s suspicious behavior during the cop investigation. The constant violation of Grandma Genie’s rules and assumption that she was senile was also something that made Jose seem a few letters short of a keyboard. The dialog quote “I am preserving her” was creepy and a detail I enjoyed. The notes that appeared in Jose’s locker were creepy. Also I liked how here dreams warned here of reality. It was a nice detail. Overall even though I found the main character to be not the brightest bulb in the toolbox I enjoyed its atmosphere, characters, vivid description, details, and ending. And would I recommend this book? If you like horror then sure! Overall good book.