 |
by Chris
Grabenstein |
Ages 10-12
From
the
reviews
"Have you ever seen a face hidden in the bark of a tree and known
that the man trapped inside wanted to hurt you?" It's
the perfect opening for Chris Grabenstein's ghost story,
The Crossroads.
Ghosts vengeful and benevolent, evil possession and dark secrets
from the past all figure in this suspenseful page turner
destined to grab reluctant readers, especially boys, and
R.L. Stine fans. When 11-year-old Zack Jennings moves
with his father and new stepmother from New York City to
rural Connecticut, he becomes the target of a hateful
old woman and the ghost of her 1950s sweetheart, now a
body-possessing demon bent on wreaking vengeance on
Zack's ancestor by murdering the boy. Brief, fast-paced
action chapters, tight plotting, several murders and a
sympathetic main character keep things moving, as
long-buried clues to the mystery of a tragic accident
are revealed with some help from kindly phantoms. One
friendly ghost in particular may come as a surprise.
Fans of the genre won't mind some of the
implausibilities; they'll keep reading.
It is perhaps the perfect nexus of war,
politics and beachside bravado, and the latest in his
Jersey Shore mystery series. This time, ex-MP and
current Sea Haven, NJ cop John Ceepak and his young
partner are investigating the rest-stop death of a
soldier who recently returned from Iraq and may have
known too much.
"Grabenstein does a wonderful job bringing this
ghost story to life. He includes the urban legends so
many kids enjoy scaring themselves with —the motorcycle
cop who died, but came back to prevent another accident,
the woman hitchhiker who disappears. He adds his own
creative ghost story, one fifty-years-old, and adds
humor. There are explosions and fire, kidnapping,
ghosts, and wild chase scenes.
The story is fast moving and exciting and guaranteed to catch the
attention of even those kids who do not like to read.
The Crossroads is a perfect book for summer escape reading. And, if you can pry
it from your kids' hands, it's enjoyable summer reading
for adults as well."
Pivotal
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