The Black Slide

The sudden appearance of a mysterious black tube slide brings unease to the Osshua Elementary School playground, capitalizing on the fear of impending adolescence, in this genuinely bloodcurdling thriller by Ocker (The Smashed Man of Dread). When bully Ozzie Aldridge dares fifth grader Griffin Birch to be the first down the eerie Black Slide in exchange for a year’s reprieve from Ozzie’s torment, Griffin readily agrees, but upon entering the tube, feels like “something grabbed him by the ankles and yanked.” After falling for an indefinite duration (“The Black Slide was not this long. Not this long by a lot. And yet he kept sliding”), he experiences a “lifetime inside that darkness,” and finally emerges with an inexplicably broken arm. But that’s the least of Griffin’s concerns as his classmates begin disappearing at an increasingly alarming rate, including his best friend. While a seemingly singular focus on the sinister elements over character makes it occasionally difficult to connect with the cast, Ocker’s contemplative, metaphor-laden narration (“Griffin felt the inevitable next moment like a choking haze in the room”) lends pensiveness and gravitas to this dread-inducing novel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alex Slater, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Aug.)