Customer Reviews

The Ghosts of Lone Jack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is quite pleasing to read a book aimed at youth readership which has a bit of everything in it and is able to hook the reader on the first page. This remarkable story opens as Jared Millhouse, a young lad who spends the summers with his widowed father and grandfather on the family farm in Lone Jack, Missouri, is playing in a very important baseball game. Unfortunately Jared is by far the worse player on the team and as he misses a game winning fly ball hit to his right field position, he encounters a ghostly figure of a woman as he searches for the lost ball he misses.

The story picks up steam here and is pretty well non-stop action until the final page. This is a rather unique read in that the author has been able to incorporate several genres within the covers of one book. We of course have a very well written supernatural ghost story that is bound to raise the hair on the back of any kid's neck. We have a very good story; quite accurate actually, of a little known Civil War Battle that teaches while entertaining. We have a story of youthful friendship very reminiscent in the coming of age story based on the Stephen King novella, "The Body," and we have a very good and accurate profile of small town life in the Midwest. Tightly written prose, with a touch of humor here and there, makes reading this one a pure delight.

Drifting from the supernatural to the real world and back, the author has taken a rather difficult premise and made it sound and read quite natural. His highly accurate description of the town, surrounding country and people who inhabit it is quite remarkable. Living near this area and having visited the town and battlefield of Lone Jack many, many times over the years, I can attest to the fact that the author has his facts in a very straight line. As a matter of fact, I have a round of grapeshot from that battle setting on my desk as I write this review.

Lance Lee Noel also seems to know children of the age he writes; their emotions, unpredictability, attitudes towards adults and peers and general outlook on life. He, the author is able to see the eyes through the eyes of a ten year old boy, using the same logic and coming to the same conclusions. This is a rare gift indeed for an adult. Not all that many writers can pull this off but Noel has done it in flying colors.

I was particular delighted with the author's description of and account of historical fact. Now reader take note...this particular battle was one of the most intense and viciously savage battles occurring on the Western Front of the war. It was an extremely personal battle as the soldiers on both sides were for the most part all "local boys" and as one historian has put it...."both sides were the home team." More than 280 men died in this battle it is said, although I suspect this figure is much higher in reality. I make this statement in that the author is quite vivid in his description of parts of the battle as he is quite vivid in his description of some of the supernatural, ghostly, ghoulish characters in this work. This is good, as this is what most kids want in their reading; I only mention it to warn the parent. There has been some mention that the language some of the children use may not be appropriate, nor their disrespect for adult authority. I can assure you that if you are around this group age very long, you will find that the author has actually been quite easy on the kids. Don't fooled...kids do talk this way and kids do act out this way quite frequently. Don't take me wrong, there is no hard profanity here, only the poo poo jokes and giggling over farts and the like. The young reader will most certainly be able to identify with each and every character in this work.

When not dealing with the ghosts and problems of the past, we have a group of kids dealing with the ordinary problems of kids now days; bullies, dysfunctional parents and households, abusive authority figures and the simple insecurities of youth on the edge of adulthood. Life is life, even in a good fantasy story.

I do highly recommend this one and might add that I know of quite a number of older children; indeed, adults, that will take delight in reading this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Jared Millhouse has lost his mom, his dad is deep in depression over his life as the two of them settle in for the summer at his grandfather's farm in Lone Jack, Missouri. Due to a course of events Jared becomes friends with several of the local children and becomes a member of the Crossroads Gang. Unfortunately all of there lives are challenged by the local bully who is intent in making their summer miserable.

Along with that, strange things are happening in Lone Jack, ghosts of soldiers from the Civil War show up fighting each other. Indians with two faces appear out of nowhere and Jared, his friends, and family, along with escaped convicts, find themselves in the midst of a terrifying time warp where the spirits of those passed are trapped and the entire town is in danger of death. Will they escape and will the ghosts of the past finally be put to rest? I'll never tell.

Inside the pages of this outstanding read you will find a story that grabs you right from the start. The characters are very well defined, and we have Jared who pulls at your heartstrings from the start. A ten year old boy, who is well behaved and trying his best to face life after the death of his mom, he is one you will admire. A grandpa who is full of wisdom and love and a father who is deeply hurting. Add with that Sirus, the groundkeeper of the cemetery and a local who shares at first the secrets of the ghosts with young Jared and his friends and gives you insight into the history of these ghosts and what is taking place. You are in for the ride of your life. Action packed this novel moves you from this realm into the parallel one of trapped souls with the whirl of the pen. One minute you are in a corn field, at a race, walking along a dirt road, and the next you are battling for your very life with ghostly attackers as you become one with the character in the read. Creepy! but oh so good. What is it that these ghosts want and how will Jared and his friends end this nightmare?

This book is not just for the YA group. I feel that adults will truly enjoy this story and both will learn quite a bit just from reading it. It's action packed adventure at it's peak, with characters you will both fear, love and actually giggle at intertwined in a storyline that never gives you a dull moment.
Very well written, excellent job by author, Lance Lee Noel. Recommended.

Title: The Ghosts of Lone Jack
Author: Lance Lee Noel
ISBN: 978-0-9800369-0-9

Did you ever see Stand By Me? You know, that wonderful book about the group of boys discovering the dead body in their small, unknown town? Every part of that movie was fantastic (applause goes to Mr. King for writing it in the first place.) Well, I must say, this book reminded me so much of that movie that I absolutely fell in love with it by page five.

Jared Millhouse is a ten-year-old boy who lives in the small town of Lone Jack, Missouri. Now, although the town is small, the historical significance of the place makes it a strange and wondrous world. A very long time ago, one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War happened in this town. Here, the Blue and the Gray went crazy, killing the other side on sight as they each tried to gain ground in the War Between the States.

Jared lives with his father and grandfather on an old, weather-beaten farm that is falling apart. Grandpa has emphysema and Jared's dad is simply wasting away in a liquor bottle. He can barely be a father to young Jared anymore because his heart and soul are dying since the loss of his wife to ovarian cancer. Because of these issues, Jared is mostly on his own. He tries with all his might to cheer up his father. He even took up baseball - which he absolutely can't stand...and that's where our story begins. Sure enough it's the final game to go to the playoffs and a ball is hit to Jared out in right field. Jared's mouth goes dry and tears flood his eyes as he watches the ball soar over his glove and land in the dense trees and grass behind him. He dives into the grass looking for the ball, but instead finds a woman with gnarled hair, black circles under her eyes, and fingers like a witch, who screeches at Jared and disappears. Suffice to say, the ball game is lost and Jared's heart feels like its going to explode out of his chest. He rides his bike home, but its so far a distance that he stops at the cemetary outside of town.

Sirus, the groundskeeper of the cemetary, listens to Jared's strange tale about the woman "hovering" in the trees. The man's skin grows pale as he talks about having seen the souls himself - orbs that flicker in the air. He tells Jared that he believes the people who lost their lives in Lone Jack are still there and trying desperately to find a way out of the world and into "heaven." It's like they're stuck and have no idea how to move on...and up. Now everyone in town believes that Sirus is simply an old man losing his mind, but Sirus believes that when people grow older they can see things like ghosts and souls because they are moving closer to the grave themselves. (I loved and completely agreed with that part. We tend to "label" the older generation when they are way smarter than the rest of us.)

On we go to Jared's house as he tries to tell what he's seen. Yet again, there is so much depression and lifelessness in his own home, that no one can understand the ridiculous fantasies of a young man. Many children - friends and non-friends of Jared - begin to enter the story, and this is what reminds me of Mr. King's imaginative tale. The kids in this book are called names like Shanks, Suds, and Porker. When Jared is asked by Suds to become part of their group - the Crossroads Gang - the other boys scream that Jared must go through an initiation to become one of them. Jared goes into a lonely, dark cave and ends up finding a gold star buried deep within the old mine. Sure enough, after that find, ghosts of every sort come after him screaming at Jared to give them "the key."

I won't give away this story because I want all of you to read it. This is yet another YA that is also perfect for adults who want to venture into the past and enjoy a roller-coaster ride of fun. You will not remember enjoying anything quite so much; you will sit down and go into a world that offers historical battles, a haunted baseball diamond, and fields that are intensely quiet - that only the departed inhabit. The story is completely fascinating and a whole lot of fun. I've been to the battlefields at Gettysburg, and I was always amazed at how quiet they were. After all, they were a huge tourist destination and there were cars and busloads of visitors everywhere. Yet, when you walked those fields, it was like the ghosts of the soldiers were speaking to you, telling you what went on. The author of Lone Jack does a fantastic job with the writing of situations such as this. I was immediately transported back in time to a field that I had walked as a child, listening to the ghosts of the past.

Congratulations Lance Lee Noel! I can't wait to read more.

Until Next Time,
Amy
[...]

A nice visit for the summer to grandfather's home seeming relaxing, right? Well not for Jared Millhouse. It seems that he has lost his mind when he runs into the ghost of a Civil War innkeeper. In "The Ghosts of Lone Jack", author Lance Lee Noel presents a fun, mysterious, fact-filled tale about Jared Millhouse who comes a cross a ghost of the civil war while spending the summer in Missouri at this grandfathers house. What has trapped all this ghost in Lone Jack? To find out Jared will need the help of his dad, his grandfather, his new friends -- the town eccentrics and two "professional" ghost hunters. Balanced with engaging characters and spine-tingling suspense "The Ghosts of Lone Jack" will keep young readers wanting to know more including will Jared be able to save the town from its ghosts? Recommended for readers ages 12 and up who will find themselves enjoying this original story while learning a bit of American Civil War history at the same time! A teacher's guide is being developed to use this book as a starting point for discussion about the causes of the Civil War, the divisions it caused in communities, the realities of nineteenth century battle and the lingering effect of war, appropriate to today's effects of war. "The Ghosts of Lone Jack" is especially appropriate for middle and intermediate school libraries, community libraries, and young readers with an interest in well-crafted fantasy fiction.

Tonya Thul-Theis
Reviewer

Ten year old Jared Millhouse and his dad plan to spend an uneventful summer on his grandfather's farm in Lone Jack, Missouri. This plan is swiftly derailed once Jared runs into the ghost of a Civil War innkeeper. At first Jared thinks he's imagining things but he soon discovers that others are also seeing these images. It quickly becomes clear that the Lone Jack ghosts are dangerous.

With the help of his grandfather, and some interesting local characters, Jared and the other members of the Crossroads Gang uncover the truth about the Civil War battle that has trapped so many bloodthirsty ghosts in Lone Jack.

This is an action-packed story aimed at young adults which combines a number of different contemporary life messages with the history of the Battle of Lone Jack fought in 1862. Jared is a very likeable character and it is easy to relate to him and his adventures.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

A simple summer in Lone Jack, Missouri turns into a nightmare for ten year old Jared Millhouse, beginning from the time a long, hard baseball hit takes him out of the ball game and into some gnarly brush behind the field.

There, a close encounter of the ghostly kind with a female apparition with wild eyes and jagged teeth convinces him that Lone Jack is sharing space with a spectral population for which a historic 1862 Civil War battle is still under way.

Battling live bullies, undead ghouls and some none too bright law enforcement is bad enough, but things get even worse with the arrival of a gang of escaped convicts, and Jared, his friends, the local geezers and a pair of socially-challenged ghost hunters have to band together to save the day.

Their outlook is already pretty grim when home-town ghouls from both sides of the Civil War swing back into action, with some fierce Osage "Injuns from beyond the daggum grave" in the mix, and when the battle lines between living and dead are crossed and the bloody body parts start flying, it becomes apparent that some serious paranormal activity is afoot in Lone Jack.

Vividly descriptive and a tad gruesome in places, this book is a definite choice for reluctant male readers from around ten or eleven, once they don't spook too easily.



Amanda Richards
December 5, 2010

As a former Language Arts teacher at the Junior High and High School levels, I'd have given anything had "The Ghosts of Lone Jack" been available to entice those reluctant young readers!

The reader immediately empathizes with Jared, a ten-year-old boy who, with his widowed father, is visiting his ailing Grandfather for the summer. Jared, in an effort to please his father, is playing baseball with the local ball team, only to miss a catch in the outfield resulting in the team's losing the game. As the outsider, Jared becomes a social pariah amongst his peers, but with kindness, little by little, Jared wins the locals over, and thus begins as exciting summer.

Mr. Noel's plot development is extraordinary, carrying the reader from adventure to adventure seamlessly. Likewise, his character development is thorough, but concise, leaving one with the feeling of fully knowing the various individuals, from the bright, sensitive mature-beyond-his-years lead character, Jared, to the laughably inept pretentious rotund local law enforcement officers.

Mr. Noel's use of descriptive language and dialogue allows the reader to visualize and experience each scene. His subtle use of humor serves to deflect the overall horror and intensity of the ghostly encounters. The use of the paranormal captures the anguish and brutality of the civil war battle of Lone Jack with a vividness that surpasses even modern day battle reenactments.

Mr. Noel is a compelling writer and it's hoped that "The Ghosts of Lone Jack" is the first of many books to come.

A popular belief among paranormal researchers is that spirits will often haunt the place where they met an untimely and/or a violent death. Many will supposedly hang around in an attempt to tend to unfinished business. Author Lance Lee Noel utilizes this in "The Ghosts of Lone Jack."

While spending the summer at his grandfather's farm, young Jared Millhouse and his friends find themselves face to face with ghosts from one of the bloodiest battles in American Civil War history in Noel's book. When Jared first encounters the ghosts, he is frightened by a woman behind the outfield of a ballpark. She demands a key from Jared. As the story continues, the ghosts begin to show themselves more often. In some instances, they play out their part in the Battle of Lone Jack, facing off against each other in an eternal struggle for the James Guns. Osage Indians and slaves also haunt the area, striking fear into Jared and his friends.

While most members of the community don't believe the children, a local cemetery worker named Sirus does. He agrees to help the kids, collectively known as the Crossroads Gang, find out exactly what is going on with all of the ghosts and why they are looking for a "key." They enlist the help of "Yankee" ghost hunters and a few other people as well. To top it all off, murderous convicts have escaped from a nearby prison and are hiding out in the countryside of Lone Jack.

Can the Crossroads Gang find the "key" to the ghostly activity in Lone Jack? You'll have to read the book in order to find out.

Personally, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I really enjoy history, and author Noel litters this book with plenty of factual information as it is related to the Battle of Lone Jack. All of the ghosts mentioned by name in the book actually existed and played a part in the battle.

The kids in the book are fun to read about as well. They deal with bullies, blown catches in baseball games, love, and elder members of the community in typical tweener fashion. Characters such as Sirus and Ned add plenty of humor to the story also.

Particularly interesting was Noel's description of the Osage Indian ghosts. They are very unique and I won't spoil them for anyone reading this review by revealing their unique qualities.

I believe that most kids (particularly young boys) over the age of eleven will really enjoy this book. There's a little bit of violence and a couple of violent deaths, but overall this book is a safe choice for parents to let their children read. I highly recommend it.

Ten year old Jared Millhouse and his father Rob are spending the summer with Rob's father Virgil. Jared welcomes the change of scenery - his father has never recovered from the death of Jared's mother and is drinking too much - even though he has to deal with a few bullies. But soon Jared has more than bullies to worry about - ghosts of Confederate and Union soldiers are refighting a Civil War battle and killing humans along the way. It will take the efforts of Jared, his new friends, his father and grandfather, and the entire town of Lone Jack to stop the ghosts and save the town from utter destruction.

"The Ghosts of Lone Jack" is an interesting mixture of history, the supernatural, family drama, (with even a little romance) novel for young adults. The book works well on all levels. Jared is a good character, still mourning the death of his mother and neglected by his depressed, close to being an alcoholic father. Some of the best parts of the book are the scenes with Jared and his friends - children just being children, having fun, avoiding bullies, and just starting to notice the opposite sex. Jared's home life is also well portrayed, especially his ailing grandfather and his father. The townspeople are also nicely done including the old-timer that everyone tries to avoid yet is wiser than most, and the bumbling cops. The historical aspects are never heavy-handed and fit nicely into the book. The supernatural aspects are also well done - a bit scary and bloody, but not too overwhelming for young readers. There is also a nice sense of humor throughout the book that relieves some of the tension. Throw in some convicts on the run and author Lance Lee Noel has created a rip-roaring adventure.

"The Ghosts of Lone Jack" is good fun for readers of all ages.

The town of Lone Jack has a creepy problem on its hands. Ghosts from the Civil War battle fought there in 1862 have come back to life for one last skirmish. Jared Millhouse and his band of mischievous buddies make saving Lone Jack and ridding the town of its deadly inhabitants their dangerous mission. What ensues is a wild ride that readers will definitely enjoy.

The style and camaraderie of the characters in the book brought back memories of Stand by Me and The Goonies (great movie from 1985 for those of you who aren't familiar). The close-knit group of friends fight haunted baseball fields, caves, cornfields, and historical battlefields.

I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it.