The Creek

Twelve-year-old Penny Carson is looking forward to a long, hot summer of doing nothing more important than building a fort with her friends, a group of neighborhood boys. Her family has recently moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia, and Penny enjoys exploring the woods and the creek near her home. Little do her parents know that dangers lurk even in the idyllic suburbs. When household pets mysteriously turn up dead and fires threaten to destroy their fort, everyone blames the violence on Caleb Devlin, a no-good older teen who is back in town after a stint in juvenile detention following some unnamed violent crimes he committed years ago. Gradually, though, Penny begins to suspect that Caleb is not the one responsible for this new wave of terror. Penny is at a difficult age. She's not sure if she wants to kiss the boys or play flashlight tag with them. She hates the bra her mom buys for her, but she is also embarrassed by the childish sundress she is forced to wear. For some inexplicable reason, she remains drawn to her neighbor Amy, an older girl who recently hit puberty and immediately became verbally abusive to Penny and her friends. As Penny investigates the grisly threats in her neighborhood, she also explores her own conflicted feelings about growing up. THE CREEK contains some scenes of gruesome violence. These graphic situations, including threats of rape, seem to aim the book at older readers. Penny and her friends, however, are preteens and, in many ways, seem even younger than they really are, as they play tag together and become really excited when they get to go to the local ice cream parlor. Older readers may be turned off by Penny's childishness in many scenes, and younger readers may be truly frightened by the creepy "calling cards" left by the killer. If THE CREEK finds an appropriate audience, however, persistent readers with strong stomachs will enjoy unraveling the grisly clues. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

The Creek is a very good book. I think this because in the story it goes good, very good then it gets slow. Plus, the story has a very good twist. It has you guessing who the real killer is and then in the end, it shocks you.. This story is suspenseful. So if you like those kind of books, you will love this one because it has a lot of good parts. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes horor books because the Creek has a lot of scary and creepy parts to it. It starts off by kids talking about Caleb Devlin who supposedly used to kill other peoples' cat and dogs and other people so his parents sent him away to a mental school. Caleb returns and really creepy things start to happen. This story ends up shocking you in the end because you find out who the real killer is.

Well, if you never read a book by Jennifer L. Holm, here is a great book to start with. This book is for anyone that likes a good suspense novel when you have tons of time on your hands and feel like just reading a good book.Well it starts out with a girl named Penny (12) who hangs out with her friends, Mac, Benji, Oren, Zachary, and her brother, Teddy. But after a while, things start changing on the block that Penny lives on. Celab Devlin returns and things start getting really scary for everyone. Before Celeb left dogs, cats, turtles, and even people showed up hurt which makes everyone in the town, panic over his return to the neighborhood. Everyone thinks he's back to his old habits, recking havoc all over town again. But, when a girl shows up dead, Penny knows something everyone else doesn't know, which sends her on her own to find the real murderer.So if you're in need of a good book, I would HIGHLY recommend THE CREEK by Jennifer L. Holm. And if you like this book by her, read her other two history books, (which I just finished, and, even though their history, they don't seem it at ALL) Boston Jane and Wilderness Days. Enjoy!!!!

I loved this book it was full of suspence and twists the killer around so your so set on one person but it wil turn out a surpise. this book was a fun read and leaves you wanting more.

THE CREEK by Jennifer L. Holm encompasses many things. It is a psychological thriller, but it is also a coming of age story. It is the story of a sleepy suburban town, but it is also the story of a young girl named Penny. Most of all, THE CREEK shows that not everything is strictly black or white. Instead, there are shades of gray. Even the most well-meaning person can do something horrific. Sometimes, the loss of innocence is horrifying in itself. Penny and her family moved to a new town a few years ago. Her father, a doctor, and her mother, young and well-liked by her kids and neighbors, are really good parents. Her brothers are younger than she is, Teddy being only a few years her junior and Sam being a baby. Before they moved there, a kid named Caleb terrorized the town. He was rumored to have killed animals as well as other kids and rigged accidents in which people were severely if not mortally wounded. He was sent away for years.The story starts with Penny and her friends on a summer afternoon. Everything seems well and normal. That is, until Penny spots Caleb, who has returned to town. As various pets go missing, the tension rises and the accusations begin to fly. In spite of their parents' instance that they not go into the woods and not go to the creek, Penny, Teddy and their friends continue to hang out in their fort. The neighborhood's traditional softball games and block parties which used to be so safe and happy become shattered by tragedies. The routines that they used to have are now plagued by loss and fear. What is wrong? What is right? WHO is right? Penny struggles with these moral questions while simply trying to stay a kid and the only girl in a group of boys. She fights the changes that are happening to her, to her friends, and to her town. This is the summer that Penny turns thirteen. This is the summer that she is forced to grow up.THE CREEK has a very interesting take on gossip gone wrong. It incorporates growing up with childhood fears - which, perhaps, aren't so childish after all. Each character had a distinct personality, especially Penny, the heart of the story. The point is never about redemption. Holm does not make Caleb have an emotional breakdown. He never begs and pleads to be forgiven. The point is, shall we say, much sharper than that. One of the best things about this novel is that it can take place in Anytown, USA and in nearly any of the past five decades. More and more teen books make too many references to show how hip they are, but by the time the book is published, what was hot a few months ago is now cold, and the mentions make the work feel dated. I highly recommend this novel. I look forward to reading other books by Holm. If you enjoyed THE CREEK, try Friction by E.R. Frank and The Crucible by Arthur Miller, both of which deal with hysteria within a community.