Eleven-year-old Joy Wells is a literary horror fan and proud resident of Spooking, the run-down, eerie town at the top of the hill. At the bottom of the hill is Darlington, a plastic suburban ''paradise'' where Joy and her brother go to school. When the mayor of Darlington announces that a water park is soon to be constructed over the Spooking Bog, Joy knows she must act quickly if she''s going to save her ancient, beloved town from becoming just as cute and icky as Darlington.

But the Spooking Bog holds many mysteries... Could the legend of the Bog Fiend be true? Who is the bizarre woman that lives there in the house on stilts? And what will become of it all when the bulldozers come rolling up the hill from Darlington?

Joy is on a mission to find out, but someone wants to stop her, and they''ll do whatever it takes...