"The Pricker Boy" by Reade Scott Whinnem

Stucks Cumberland is used to spending his summers at his parents lake house. It should be peaceful and serene with lots of swimming and relaxation. But there is an ancient, mysterious creature lurking in the woods. It's definitely not human, and local legend says its body is covered in sharp thorns, and it's on the hunt for new victims. Stucks and his friends have been haunted by nightmares, and begin to see strange and terrible things in the woods near their house. Is the Pricker Boy just part of their imagination, or are their lives actually in danger? This book terrified me. If you scare easily, make sure to read it in the daylight hours.