Customer Reviews

Creepers

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

13 year old Courtney has just moved to town with her parents, the first thing she notices about her new house is the abundance of ivy covering it, (no matter how much ivy her father removes it just comes right back) also the cemetery next door. In the cemetery Courtney meets Margaret Geyer and her father Christian, they give tours of the cemetery. Soon they share a secret with Courtney, they have relative, Prudence, that is supposed to be resting in the cemetery but they know her body is not there.

Prudence and her father, also Christian once lived in Courtney's house. When young Prudence died her father was beside himself and allowed a witch to try and help him bring Prudence back to life. But where is Prudence? And is the Ivy trying to tell Courtney something? This is the story of Courtney and the Geyer's quest to find Prudence and reunite her with her father, even in death.

This is a sweet little mysterious story, a great summer or fall read for junior high aged kids. Courtney senses something different about Margaret and Christian Geyer but can't quite put her finger on it, I think readers will have a fun time guessing just what is up with these two characters. I'll tell you this, I guessed wrong! I found the ending a little too vague for my own tastes. And not all my questions were totally answered. But who knows, maybe that was the point. Not everything always has to be wrapped up neatly.

Each chapter is started with a news clipping, or other piece of information that helps piece the puzzle together. There are also several images throughout the book and pages of the 1st Christian Geyer's diary. I really liked that aspect of the books design, it created a world for this story to take place within. To compliment the abundance of ivy (a character itself) in the book there is ivy growing on the pages of the book! Very smart book design!

Creepers was not a very creepy story. I was expecting a sort of thriller with some scary aspects, but it fell short for me. In fact, some parts of the book were kind of boring. The story definitely had some interesting parts, but they never really caught my attention enough to where I was absorbed in the story.

One of the things I did not like was that the main character, Courtney, did not really act like a thirteen year old girl. The way she acted and spoke made her seem far older at times. Another problem with this book was the writing. I noticed many grammar errors and overall the writing was just sloppy. Creepers had potential, but it did not reach it.

Creepers is a really good book - and beautiful. Lots of creepy atmosphere and a ghost story that keeps you guessing all the way through. The pictures are great and add to the creepy atmosphere. This was a winner.

Creepers is a modern day gothic mystery, aimed at young adults. The book itself is beautiful; there are rich illustrations throughout the novel and there is ivy running through the pages (which is a recurring theme in the book.) It makes for a wonderful reading experience, helping to envelop the reader within the pages.

However, I was a bit disappointed by the book. I had heard many good things about it, and maybe my expectations were too high. I just didn't think it was as good as it could have been; while the mystery was interesting, it wasn't captivating. Also, gothic mysteries do well with a sense of creepiness, which this novel seems to lack. Basically, it is a great young adult novel, but might leave adults looking for more.

That being said, Creepers does have its own sense of enchantment. Dahme builds a scene very well and it is easy to get lost in the atmosphere of the town of Murmur. The pages interspersed between the chapters of diary entries and signs are well-placed and help add to the ambiance of the novel. Whoever was in charge of designing the book did extremely well.

While I did want something more out of Creepers, it was an easy read that young adults will definitely enjoy. I look forward to Dahme's next novel, The Plague, which is being released in May, 2009.

The first thing that caught my eye about this book was its fantastic shade of green and the shiny ivy leaves crawling along the spine. Quite appropriate, since the ivy "twisting up the trunks of the trees and dribbling across the lawn" was the first thing that Courtney noticed when she arrived at her new home - a Puritan era house next door to a centuries old cemetery. The ivy seems to have a mind of its own as the days go by and Courtney can practically watch it grow. The cemetery also catches Courtney's interest, especially when she notices a father and daughter who repeatedly visit the same grave.

Creepers is a Gothic mystery, a tale introducing early teens to history and spirituality. We begin to wonder if there is life beyond the grave and Courtney even becomes a bit of an activist when the cemetery becomes threatened. The author does a fantastic job of making things just scary enough, planting doubts that what we see is all there is. The plot is accessible for younger teens but still engaging enough for adults who like the genre - and Dahme doesn't just spit out the answers at us, things are left unsaid to let our imaginations take a turn. Courtney is a believable teenager who finds herself suddenly very interested in the past and how it intertwines with the present. I love how the author uses different media to make the past come alive - letters, journals and newspaper articles. Even the pages have a green tint and the occasional picture that make the book's Gothic feel even more apparent.

I think this is a great pick for mother-daughter book groups or for teen reading. I know I'll be holding on to my copy until my own daughter is ready to read it with me.

Courtney O'Brien has just moved with her parents into the small New England town of Murmer where they've bought an old home next to a cemetery. The first thing she notices is the ivy, which covers everything from the house to the gravestones and seems to have a life of its own. Then she meets Margaret and her dad, who conducts historical tours of the cemetery. From them Courtney learns about a centuries-old mystery involving Margaret's ancestors, the cemetery and Courtney's house. Together they work to unlock the secrets hidden behind the ivy.

I had a hard time putting this book down once I got started. It's easy to transport yourself to a small New England town of old where messages were carved into headstones and witches were burned at the stake. I also started noticing English Ivy everywhere: clawing its way up tree trunks, crawling across lawns, clinging to the sides of buildings. Creepers is fast-paced, and each chapter starts with a diary entry, newspaper story, community announcement or definition that keeps the book moving along and adds something to the mystery. Creepers is my kind of suspense novel: it's wonderfully creepy and it gave me goosebumps without being gory or making me afraid to go to sleep at night.