The Crossroads

Changes are afoot for Zack Jennings. His father has just remarried and the three of them are moving from New York City to Zack's father's hometown in Connecticut. Zack is actually very excited about most of these changes. His new step-mother Judy is sweet and seems to be genuinely interested in Zack's life, unlike his late mother who only complained about how Zack was ruining her life. And maybe Zack will be able to make some friends in his new home, something that has always been difficult for him to do. At first, things seem to be going swimmingly, but strange things are happening. First, a tree in Zack's back yard, home to a memorial kept by old Miss Spratling for her dead fiance, is struck by lightning. Zack has a new friend in the form of local farm boy Davy and the two of them are building a tree fort in Zack's backyard, but Davy isn't able to help with any of the work. A plumber is called to fix the pipes in the bathroom of Zack's new house, but he returns later and tries to attack Zack. Slowly, Judy beings to uncover a a mystery surrounding a terrible car crash that took place fifty years ago at the crossroads near their new home, and realizes that there are a few connections between these past events and the strange things that are happening to her new family now. Could ghosts of the dead from this crash be haunting the crossroads? And why does Zack seem to be their target?

In his first novel for kids, Chris Grabenstein has created a mesmerizing ghost story. The chapters are told in alternating points of view, switching between Zack, Judy, Miss Spratling, the plumber, and the menacing ghost of Clint Eberhart. This allows the reader to see how the ghosts affect each of these characters in turn and how this mystery pulls each of them together. The story unfolds slowly but builds up plenty of intrigue to keep readers turning the pages. And let's face it - parts of this novel are just CREEPY, and a few scenes are somewhat disturbing and not for the faint of heart. I'm not normally a fan of ghost stories myself, but this one was very well put together and kept me rooting for Zack and Judy to finally bring these spirits to rest.

Overall Grade: A