Coming July 15th!
The woods remember. The river listens. And some secrets refuse to stay buried.
It Happened in the Hollow
Landis has never stayed anywhere long enough to call it home. Shuffled from one foster house to the next, he’s learned not to get attached. But when he’s sent to live on an Idaho farm, something about the place feels... different. The dense woods whisper his name, and the river hums with something just beneath the surface.
Benji knows he doesn’t belong—because he’s dead. Trapped in the space between, he watches as his parents refuse to give up searching for him. He doesn’t remember how he disappeared, only that the woods were the last place he felt alive. And his mother carries a guilt too heavy to bear. If he can uncover the truth, maybe he can finally let go.
As Landis is drawn deeper into the trees, he begins to sense someone watching. The forest holds a secret—one tangled in grief, guilt, and blood. Benji, desperate for answers, begins to learn about his death and himself. Their stories weave together, leading them both toward the answer to “Why am I here?”
But the river is rising, the woods are waking, and what happened in the hollow could finally answer that question.
It Happened in the Hollow
Reviewed by Shelley Stoehr- Author and ALA Best Book for Crosses
Murder. A town divided. A missing boy. With dazzlingly crisp prose, Brenda Stanley delivers a
literary work that transcends the conventional young adult mystery novel. It Happened in the
Hollow examines the corrosive power of secrets as they devastate a woman, a family, and an
entire community. Through the interconnected stories of two boys—one dead, one
abandoned—Stanley constructs a narrative of extraordinary emotional depth. Her deftly plotted
story allows readers to uncover lies and discover truths alongside her characters, creating a
compelling exploration of resilience, belonging, and the enduring strength of familial bonds.
This is literary fiction at its finest—both gripping and profoundly moving.
It Happened in the Hollow
Reviewed by Misty Inglet KPVI-TV
I was able to get an advanced readers copy of It Happened in the Hollow, and I’m so glad I got to read it. Once I sat down and opened it, I couldn’t put it down and read the whole thing in two days. It was such a poignant story about not feeling like you belong anywhere, the burden of loss, and ultimately what family really means. Yet it still had some haunting undertones of intrigue and mystery. I kept turning the pages wondering “What DID happen in the hollow? I have to know.” Overall, it was a well thought out story with some great lessons to be learned – and a few little surprises thrown in for good measure. This goes toward the top of my ‘Brenda Stanley need to read’ list.
It Happened in the Hollow
Reviewed by Mikki Nuckels- Librarian, Hillcrest High School
I just finished reading It Happened in the Hollows by Brenda Stanley and I can’t stop talking about it to friends. This book had you hooked from the very beginning. Sharing the views of the two main characters had you guessing and second guessing at every page. Brenda has kept with the tradition of keeping you hanging right up to the last page to find out what really is happening. Or in this case–happened. I also learned a lot about how to fly fish.