What do you think?
Rate this book
Terror Academy #4
Spring Break
Holed up with her family at a remote lakeside cabin during her spring break, Laura Hollister finds her vacation turning into a nightmare when a group of locals decide to terrorize her family. Original.
202 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1993
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 27, 2011
This book . . . was just goddamn ridiculous. Like Wrong Turn with Eliza Dushku ridiculous. Deliverance for the teenage crowd.
It starts with this teenage relationship that’s so grossly overblown that I couldn’t help but wonder if the author was actually not-so-subtly poking fun at teenagers. It was that amped up and OMG I LOVE YOU it was laughable. Laura’s big secret that she carries for two chapters because she’s so worried it’ll end her relationship is that she has to go spend time with her family for two weeks over spring break. Her biggest concern was her boyfriend getting mad because of that and dumping her. I can’t even. Of course she proceeds to be a stupidly spoiled brat through packing and traveling up to Maine with her family that you just start to wish she’s fall under a moving tire already.
Enter the hillbillies who use words like purdy to describe the grossed out Laura. Of course Paw (that’s how it’s spelled in the book, no lie) wants the purdy city girl to marry his son (no, really) because this is what happens in real life but dad steps in and a cop shows up and scoots everyone along and the first confrontation is ended. Laura ends up meeting with the yokels again and they nearly kidnap her so they can take her to their trailer and have her do woman things for them (I am not lying) but the cop saves the day a second time and escorts her back home.
Well them hillbillies don’t like being spurned so they plan an all out attack on the cabin that includes breaking and entering to kidnap her only Laura, thanks to a birthday gift of a Ouija board, has some spirits squatting inside of her head that give her advice on what to do in this trying situation (I’m still not lying). Thanks to the voices in her head she kills some slack-jawed dudes and leaves one to be mauled by a moose (which she didn’t originally know was a moose despite the fact that she’s from New England, couldn’t recognize it and apparently all you need to do to get a MOOSE to go away is wave your hands and say shoo, go ahead, try THAT) but we don’t know if he’s dead and OH THE SUSPENSE.
Head spaces are royally screwed as they all go back to Port City but, of course, the horror isn’t over. Young hillbilly son Jacob that’s sweet on our protagonist somehow found his way to her house, broke in (he sure is adept as doing that) and tries to kill her. Enter head ghosts and Laura’s finally successful at laying the monster truck smack down on his ass and finally kills him. Once ghost voices depart she knows nothing, Jon Snow, and is back to her giggly old self, going Romeo and Juliet all over her boyfriend (because they’re pre-engaged, totally, at 16).
So, um, no. This was just dumb. Not scary, not even entertainingly cheese. Just downright stupid.
1
It starts with this teenage relationship that’s so grossly overblown that I couldn’t help but wonder if the author was actually not-so-subtly poking fun at teenagers. It was that amped up and OMG I LOVE YOU it was laughable. Laura’s big secret that she carries for two chapters because she’s so worried it’ll end her relationship is that she has to go spend time with her family for two weeks over spring break. Her biggest concern was her boyfriend getting mad because of that and dumping her. I can’t even. Of course she proceeds to be a stupidly spoiled brat through packing and traveling up to Maine with her family that you just start to wish she’s fall under a moving tire already.
Enter the hillbillies who use words like purdy to describe the grossed out Laura. Of course Paw (that’s how it’s spelled in the book, no lie) wants the purdy city girl to marry his son (no, really) because this is what happens in real life but dad steps in and a cop shows up and scoots everyone along and the first confrontation is ended. Laura ends up meeting with the yokels again and they nearly kidnap her so they can take her to their trailer and have her do woman things for them (I am not lying) but the cop saves the day a second time and escorts her back home.
Well them hillbillies don’t like being spurned so they plan an all out attack on the cabin that includes breaking and entering to kidnap her only Laura, thanks to a birthday gift of a Ouija board, has some spirits squatting inside of her head that give her advice on what to do in this trying situation (I’m still not lying). Thanks to the voices in her head she kills some slack-jawed dudes and leaves one to be mauled by a moose (which she didn’t originally know was a moose despite the fact that she’s from New England, couldn’t recognize it and apparently all you need to do to get a MOOSE to go away is wave your hands and say shoo, go ahead, try THAT) but we don’t know if he’s dead and OH THE SUSPENSE.
Head spaces are royally screwed as they all go back to Port City but, of course, the horror isn’t over. Young hillbilly son Jacob that’s sweet on our protagonist somehow found his way to her house, broke in (he sure is adept as doing that) and tries to kill her. Enter head ghosts and Laura’s finally successful at laying the monster truck smack down on his ass and finally kills him. Once ghost voices depart she knows nothing, Jon Snow, and is back to her giggly old self, going Romeo and Juliet all over her boyfriend (because they’re pre-engaged, totally, at 16).
So, um, no. This was just dumb. Not scary, not even entertainingly cheese. Just downright stupid.
1
October 1, 2021
Another awesome piece by Nicholas Pine. Really enjoyed the setting of the dark cold woods, the figures in the dark, and the ending was 😳
September 27, 2023
But…why?! 🤣
January 6, 2026
Rounded up to 3 stars for GR.
I always enjoy finding these Terror Academy books for decent prices on Thriftbooks to add to my bookshelf. Sometimes more from the collecting standpoint and not the overall plot of the book.
Spring Break is a time-honored tradition of the YA horror novel and the book here has Laura Hollister not wanting to be trapped up at a cabin in Maine on Moosehead Lake for two weeks with her family.
Her younger sister and brother aren't the only reason but mostly because her parents don't like her dating, Charlie. Laura spends far too much time with him even though he works non-stop to support himself and his mom washing dishes at a diner. Charlie isn't from the rich side of Port City, so Laura is ready to even run away on the trip and catch a bus back to town for him.
Her plans hit a snag when it starts to snow on the drive, and both of her parents take turns driving to reach their destination. Each one nearly gets the whole family killed and the second run-in with a truck full of men in orange hunting caps goes all kinds of crazy.
The teenage boy takes a shine to Laura calling her "purty" and his daddy almost beans in Laura's dad's head with an axe handle before a police officer shows up at the last gas station for miles.
This comes back to bite everyone in the ass.
Her parents don't want Laura spending time with Charlie so they let her BFF Kimmy come for a visit on Laura's birthday up to the cabin by picking her up and then having a bus take her home.
Kimmy's idea of a birthday present is to give Laura...a Ouija board.
We all know that is a bad idea and even worse, Laura has been feeling eerie vibes the entire time at the cabin. She is also having nightmares that warn if she abandons her family, leaving them alone...all of them are going to die.
There was a little bit of promise in Spring Break but then it just went completely off the rails.
A sort of fake out ending and then the real ending was just so weak. We have hints of supernatural things going on but it is never explained clearly enough to even warrant its existence.
Laura also isn't a very likeable person.
I get not wanting to be with your family 24/7 but she is paranoid that Charlie is going to find another girl during their two-week break from school. The only person in her whole family that is not completely awful is her sister Amy. The men they meet in Maine are meant to be the bad guys, but Laura's father needs to learn not to provoke the wilderness folks, judging them the same way he does to Charlie.
Actually, Charlie is the nicest character in the book because he is also not the dumbest person in the Spring Break.
Being only the fourth book in the Terror Academy series, I can understand it not being the best but the three books before this one were far more interesting.
I always enjoy finding these Terror Academy books for decent prices on Thriftbooks to add to my bookshelf. Sometimes more from the collecting standpoint and not the overall plot of the book.
Spring Break is a time-honored tradition of the YA horror novel and the book here has Laura Hollister not wanting to be trapped up at a cabin in Maine on Moosehead Lake for two weeks with her family.
Her younger sister and brother aren't the only reason but mostly because her parents don't like her dating, Charlie. Laura spends far too much time with him even though he works non-stop to support himself and his mom washing dishes at a diner. Charlie isn't from the rich side of Port City, so Laura is ready to even run away on the trip and catch a bus back to town for him.
Her plans hit a snag when it starts to snow on the drive, and both of her parents take turns driving to reach their destination. Each one nearly gets the whole family killed and the second run-in with a truck full of men in orange hunting caps goes all kinds of crazy.
The teenage boy takes a shine to Laura calling her "purty" and his daddy almost beans in Laura's dad's head with an axe handle before a police officer shows up at the last gas station for miles.
This comes back to bite everyone in the ass.
Her parents don't want Laura spending time with Charlie so they let her BFF Kimmy come for a visit on Laura's birthday up to the cabin by picking her up and then having a bus take her home.
Kimmy's idea of a birthday present is to give Laura...a Ouija board.
We all know that is a bad idea and even worse, Laura has been feeling eerie vibes the entire time at the cabin. She is also having nightmares that warn if she abandons her family, leaving them alone...all of them are going to die.
There was a little bit of promise in Spring Break but then it just went completely off the rails.
A sort of fake out ending and then the real ending was just so weak. We have hints of supernatural things going on but it is never explained clearly enough to even warrant its existence.
Laura also isn't a very likeable person.
I get not wanting to be with your family 24/7 but she is paranoid that Charlie is going to find another girl during their two-week break from school. The only person in her whole family that is not completely awful is her sister Amy. The men they meet in Maine are meant to be the bad guys, but Laura's father needs to learn not to provoke the wilderness folks, judging them the same way he does to Charlie.
Actually, Charlie is the nicest character in the book because he is also not the dumbest person in the Spring Break.
Being only the fourth book in the Terror Academy series, I can understand it not being the best but the three books before this one were far more interesting.
May 31, 2024
This book is very uneven 3.5 rounded up to 4. This book follows Laura she is looking forward to spring break so she can spend time with her boyfriend Charlie and best friend Kimmy but her parents have other plans and she has to go to Maine for two whole weeks. She panics and is afraid Charlie will find someone else and when she finally tells him he does the grossest thing and buys her a pre engagement ring. I mean what junior does that. Omg. But anyways the family goes to Maine and it’s so cold and is snowing. They run into some local mountain men who are overly forward towards Laura, talking about marriage and serving the son of the mountain men. It was really alot I was not expecting it. It’s all really moves slowly until the mountain men try to make that a reality. Also durning the time in Maine Laura has her birthday and Kimmy gifts her an ouija board. And soon it helps Laura during the climax as well as a voice in her head. The ending was kinda weird and crazy. But it was really brutal. Then the twist at the end was dumb idk just dumb.
April 30, 2025
I really enjoyed the woods settings with its scary atmosphere, and the development of the main character was one of the best aspect in the story despite the plot wasn't the best.
There are some supernatural things that happened that I was hoping the story would explain but unfortunately they were left hanging and this is one of the negatives of the book along with the main antagonists!
The book presented an average story with a creepy atmosphere and good characters, but it needed to explain some events to increase the depth of the plot.
****************************************************************
#Verdict
(7/10)
There are some supernatural things that happened that I was hoping the story would explain but unfortunately they were left hanging and this is one of the negatives of the book along with the main antagonists!
The book presented an average story with a creepy atmosphere and good characters, but it needed to explain some events to increase the depth of the plot.
****************************************************************
#Verdict
(7/10)
April 1, 2015
Okay, so the plot isn't too imaginative. It's basically about one girl fending off bad guys from doing any harm to her family but the great suspense and action scenes make up the bland plot.
I really enjoyed the setting where it's deep in the forest without civilization in reach. It definitely heightens the suspense for me.
I'm not warmed up to Laurie, the main character. She's the typical teenage girl as she doesn't want to go to family trip but rather stay with her boyfriend which makes her moody and she plans to run away from her family trip despite being miles away from home and she doesn't seem leave any message where she would be to her parents. She sort of realized the importance of family but later she's traumatized in last couple of pages so overall she's two dimensional.
There's also some weird supernatural aspect. At first, when things got supernatural, it got me curious but at the end I'm left confused. What were these so called "spirits" and why did it help Laura? Without any backstory for the supernatural, I feel like it should be left out considering the plot.
But overall, it's a fun book and I quite enjoyed it and don't mind rereading it some other day.
I really enjoyed the setting where it's deep in the forest without civilization in reach. It definitely heightens the suspense for me.
I'm not warmed up to Laurie, the main character. She's the typical teenage girl as she doesn't want to go to family trip but rather stay with her boyfriend which makes her moody and she plans to run away from her family trip despite being miles away from home and she doesn't seem leave any message where she would be to her parents. She sort of realized the importance of family but later she's traumatized in last couple of pages so overall she's two dimensional.
There's also some weird supernatural aspect. At first, when things got supernatural, it got me curious but at the end I'm left confused. What were these so called "spirits" and why did it help Laura? Without any backstory for the supernatural, I feel like it should be left out considering the plot.
But overall, it's a fun book and I quite enjoyed it and don't mind rereading it some other day.
April 14, 2021
Well that was a weird one. Deliverance meets auditory hallucinations. And death by moose. The beginning before the cabin trip began was almost cloyingly bad. Who is that in love in high school?
April 17, 2022
Well, I sure wish it was a wendigo story.
Our protag spends most of the book freaking out about being away from her boyfriend for two weeks, wondering if their relationship will survive while she is whisked away for a family vacay at a cabin in the middle of nowhere Maine. Tough stuff.
I really thought the meeting of the unsavory backwoods boys was a red herring and that she was having paranoid delusions. Lol nope. Very straightforward—they think she’s “purty” and must have her. No mystery here.
They attempt to kidnap her with the intention of a forced marriage and there’s a whole city folk vs. rural folk type of thing going on, and things eventually escalate into a big gun fight at the cabin.
She’s…not the brightest, and I found this to be so frustrating. The Ouija board and spirit voices give her explicit instructions on what she should be doing (Ouija board says “Run” and she’s like “but where????) and she continues to waste time asking questions!! Doesn’t matter. The voices help her when she isn’t in the presence of the board anyway. Like, just run, girl.
But with the trusty help of her fam, The Beyond, and a moose (?) she is able to FIGHT BACK, escape, and ultimately kill all the backwoods boys and their father.
Slow, kinda boring, but bloody.
Our protag spends most of the book freaking out about being away from her boyfriend for two weeks, wondering if their relationship will survive while she is whisked away for a family vacay at a cabin in the middle of nowhere Maine. Tough stuff.
I really thought the meeting of the unsavory backwoods boys was a red herring and that she was having paranoid delusions. Lol nope. Very straightforward—they think she’s “purty” and must have her. No mystery here.
They attempt to kidnap her with the intention of a forced marriage and there’s a whole city folk vs. rural folk type of thing going on, and things eventually escalate into a big gun fight at the cabin.
She’s…not the brightest, and I found this to be so frustrating. The Ouija board and spirit voices give her explicit instructions on what she should be doing (Ouija board says “Run” and she’s like “but where????) and she continues to waste time asking questions!! Doesn’t matter. The voices help her when she isn’t in the presence of the board anyway. Like, just run, girl.
But with the trusty help of her fam, The Beyond, and a moose (?) she is able to FIGHT BACK, escape, and ultimately kill all the backwoods boys and their father.
Slow, kinda boring, but bloody.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2024
Back in HS I read this book so many times it fell apart, I haven't picked it up in forever and it probably wouldn't read the same, but I will always remember this book being the gateway book to all my thriller/spooky/scary/horror obsessions lol
March 25, 2026
Laura’s worst nightmare comes true when she is forced to spend two weeks with her family in a secluded cabin for spring break away from her boyfriend whom she pines for. But her nightmare gets much worse.
This was Deliverance in YA style
3.5-4 ⭐️
This was Deliverance in YA style
3.5-4 ⭐️
April 27, 2026
Eh - I mean, I don't expect an elaborate plot with these books. However, I found the ouija board plot to be a bit forced and weak. The premise of the book would have been okay if the family were just being stalked by people and were trying to murder them.
December 22, 2018
Read this when I was in elementary. I liked this book and my sister had nightmares after reading this. She dreams all the time about what happened in the books that had an effect on her.
May 5, 2021
Garbage.
Currently Reading
February 12, 2024Last Read: Chapter 15
August 5, 2024
Wild! Like the movie Wrong Turn before there was a movie called Wrong Turn!
February 3, 2013
Read this when I was in the eighth grade. Still get the heebie jeebies from time to time.
May 6, 2015
Read this when I was in 6th grade I still remember the characters and the plot and all I still think this one is really scary
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews