The Upstairs Room
The Upstairs Room is a YA supernatural thriller novel forthcoming from Sourcebooks Fire April 2027.
“In three days, I’m going to die. And if you’re listening to this, you are too.”
Cover art by Jana Heidersdorf
APRIL 20, 2027
A summer of nannying takes a terrifying turn when Blair discovers a legacy of mysterious deaths connected to their employer's sprawling summer estate...but the secrets Blair is harboring are just as deadly. A pulse-pounding new YA horror thriller from acclaimed author Dana Mele.
1. Lock the doors and shutter the windows at sunset.
2. Never leave the house after dark.
3. Stay far away from the Hathorne family.
The last place Blair Carver wants to spend the summer is on the remote Pearl Island. Still, nannying for the reclusive Hathorne family off the coast of Maine is hardly an escape from a complicated junior year and home life—especially with all the rules that must be followed.
Stepping onto the island is like traveling back in time. Raven’s Nook, the Hathornes’ estate, sprawls around a century’s-old lighthouse. A cemetery on the property conceals family secrets, a creepy collection of dolls won’t stay put, and a forbidden upstairs room seems to hold the key to what the family is hiding.
The Hathorne children are cold and stand-offish, and when they start hazing Blair with a series of escalating—dangerous—pranks, the town’s whispers about the Hathorne curse grow louder. Postcard perfect Pearl Island conceals a sinister history. Blair has dark secrets too, family secrets that have been passed down for generations, and if Blair’s not careful, this summer will be their last...