Escape from Hillcrest House

Finnigan lives with his parents and brother at Hillcrest House, a creepy mansion deep in the woods that he has never left, not even once.

The world beyond its gates has become unlivable since "the Happenings", when atomic warfare resulted in mass destruction and transformed humans into blood-drinking creatures. That's why Finnigan and his family must stay inside. Still, Finnigan's life at Hillcrest House is busy with chores, tutoring and the strange memory exercises that his strict parents insist on. Then one day he stumbles upon a secret room in the basement filled with evidence that his life is built on a bed of lies. Shocked by what he finds, Finnigan realizes that if he ever wants to find out the truth, he will have to brave the outside world—before it’s too late.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

David Warriner grew up in the UK and escaped to Quebec right after graduating from Oxford. A professional translator for nearly two decades, David nurtures a healthy passion for Quebec fiction and has translated a range of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s fiction titles by Quebec authors for British and Canadian publishers. He lives in Penticton, British Columbia.

• Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard SelectionCommended 2026

Sandra Dussault is an author and elementary school teacher from Quebec City. She has been writing stories for young readers since 2010. During the school year, she travels far and wide to meet her readers and talk about her three favorite things: reading, writing—and her cat Francis.

Illustrator Martin Côté started his career in the 1980s as an advertising illustrator. In the early 1990s, he tried his hand at scratchboard, a technique similar to etching. His signature style has remained very similar to etching, even as he’s moved into the digital age. His illustrations have been used in corporate branding, on promotional documents, book covers and beverage labels—and even in movies.