The Crossroads

Eleven-year-old Zack Jennings knows that not everyone senses the spirits trapped in trees that he does. Luckily he, his father and new stepmother are moving out of New York to North Chester, Connecticut, where his father grew up. Little does Zack know, however, that he also will be encountering sinister spirits all over in the country. Not only does he think he is moving away from the nasty tree, he is happy to part ways with the ghost of his dead mother in his old apartment. His mother was a mean-spirited woman who suffered a great deal before dying in a makeshift hospital bed in the dining room. Zack can still hear her telling him to stop being silly and making up stories. He is ready for a new start. While a few of the local boys seem just like some bullies he knew in New York, the strange-speaking Davy is a lot of fun and helps direct Zack on how to build a tree fort. His father even buys him a great dog named Zipper. His stepmother, Judy, is an author of children's books and likes stories. She also wears purple on her wedding day and acts like Zack is a pleasure to be around. Things seem to be looking up for him. There is still a scary tree on Zack's new property, and a cranky old lady comes every week to leave flowers at the cross nailed to it. She yells at Judy and Zack, warning them not to defile her shrine to "her beloved Clint," even though it is on their property. Davy seems to live in a field and is always appearing without warning. The boys see a group of army men and other strange people around the tree. Bad things start happening there, and the boys begin planning to get rid of the tree. Judy spots some strange folks herself, including a mysterious man helping her change her tire at night. She decides to investigate what happened to Clint and learns that a bus and car accident years ago killed 40 people at the crossroads by the tree. The bus driver, who lost his life, had the same name as the individual who changed her tire. The spirits are getting restless as the anniversary of the accident approaches, and the villain in the story wants to become a live person again so he can get his revenge on families of those he thinks wronged him. Others would prefer to let sleeping spirits lie, while Zack and Judy wishes for the tree and all it represents to go away. They might be the only ones who can help both the living and the dead move on. Chris Grabenstein is an author of adult mysteries, but his first book for younger people will not disappoint. While he is known for his humor, readers should be prepared for many scary twists and turns in this very dark story, which will tie together secrets across grandparents, fathers and sons. Zack is funny and curious but finds his true heart in his battle with evil from living people and ghosts. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Zack Jennings is a fairly average kid. He's just moved from the city to Connecticut with his Dad and a fabulous new stepmom. Now he can even have a dog. It's a chance to start over after the death of his mother, except there is this mean, nasty ghost who has been waiting for fifty years to get revenge on those who played a roll in his death, and the Jennings family happens to be on his list. While there is nothing particularly special about this horror novel, I found I enjoyed it much the way I enjoyed the movie, The Frighteners. That's the one where Michael J. Fox has developed psychic abilities after his wife is killed in a car accident. The movie is not exactly a comedy, but comedic moments are skillfully thrown in to mitigate any scene being too scary, and Grabenstein has applied this same device to The Crossroads. Whether it be the over-the-top country-boy accent applied to Zack's friend Davy, the freakish burger cravings of a possessed plumber, or the crazy, dangerous antics of a lady too old to physically hurt a fly, The Crossroads makes for a fun summer read. Oh, and the best part is that the stepmom and a librarian provide the key clues to solving the mystery of this ghost. Who says stepmoms are evil and librarians are boring? For additional reviews, please visit my site.

Chris has written an excellent adult series, a fabulous series for those older kids and young adults and now he has followed up with this new story that is perfect for the younger readers out there. The story is fast moving and exciting and guaranteed to catch the attention of even those kids who do not like to read. Great book!

"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. Grabenstein, author of the John Ceepak/Jersey Shore mysteries, and the Christopher Miller holiday thrillers, has tried his hand at a book for young readers, ages 9 to 12. And, he captures boys and ghost stories beautifully. At eleven, Zack Jennings is moving to his father's hometown, North Chester, Connecticut, with his father and new stepmother, Judy. None of them know that their house sits on a haunted crossroads, an intersection where 41 people died in a collision with a car, a bus, and a police motorcycle. There are stories about the intersection and the killer trees at the crossroads, but newcomers have to discover the horrors themselves. Zack is haunted by the memories of his mother, a woman who died of cancer. Because she blamed him for her life, he blames himself for her death. He'll discover a new life in Connecticut - a fun stepmother, a dog, a best friend unlike any friend he could imagine. And, he'll meet the woman who still tends the memory of her dead fiancé by bringing roses to the tree at the crossroads. When Zack's father said they'd move for a new life, he had no idea what Zack was getting into. My compliments to the author for avoiding stereotypes. Judy, the stepmother, is a wonderful character, a children's author who enjoys Zack and his imagination. And, as a librarian, I appreciate the Mrs. Emerson, the public librarian. She does her job well, but she also shows spunk. And how many adult readers picture librarians going to "submarine races"? 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 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.

Kirkus Reviews Grabenstein, Chris 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. (Fiction. 10-12)