Customer Reviews

Skeleton Creek (book 1)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Skeleton Creek. Part book, part online movie. It incorporates text and video in a way that has not been done before. Skeleton Creek will be the topic of some debate, folks (What is reading? What is a book?). None of it would be worth much if the book wasn't so much fun to read.

The story moves from the get-go. We find out that the book is really Ryan's journal. Ryan is a compulsive, passionate writer who would be lost without the ability to put pen to paper. In handwriting-style font, Ryan describes a recent accident that has left him bed ridden, separated from his friend Sarah, and wrapped up in a mystery that he is in no position to solve. Skeleton Creek, a tiny mountain town that was once bustling with gold rush activity, has been host to some strange goings-on. The abandoned dredge in the nearby woods may be haunted. Ryan and Sarah's first nighttime visit to the dilapidated old machine nearly killed Ryan. Sarah, a curious amateur filmmaker, wants to get to the bottom of things. The two are forbidden (by their parents) to talk, but communicate anyway though email and videos that Sarah sends (and the reader watches). As the mystery becomes more complex, involving family members, Ryan and Sarah become increasingly brazen in their investigation. It all culminates in a genuinely scary middle of the night trip to the Dredge that ends with our protagonists in peril.

It's the kind of cliffhanger ending that will leave some readers frustrated. Scratch that - outright displeased. But it's for the right reasons. There is a sequel that will be released in September `09 (Ghost in the Machine), so that will ease some readers, anxious to know how it will end. Initially, before I knew about the sequel, I thought it was up to the reader to piece together the ending through online clues - man am I glad they didn't go that route. However, there is a large amount of online content for readers to delve into before the sequel hits shelves for those who are so inclined. All of the sites associated with the book treat the story like it really happened, increasing the scare factor.

The smooth combination of text and video is impressive. Every couple chapters, Sarah sends Ryan a message with a password. You head to the website, type in the password, and the video begins immediately. Some videos show Sarah talking, but most are from the field, revealing new characters or information about the dredge. Fans of scary will love these, while easily spooked children's lit bloggers may choose to watch them with all the lights on, and the stereo playing. And the TV on.

There are moments that distract from the storyline. One occurs when Ryan is writing down his escape from the house as it happens. I know the author wanted to express the tension of the moment, but make sure your disbelief is set to "suspended" for this scene. Also, the character who plays Sarah occasionally lapses into some "just spit it out!"-type moments. Thankfully, these flaws are fairly minor, and do not have much of an impact on the work as a whole.

There will be those who question the legitimacy of the format, but here's the bottom line:

It's an entertaining read, an engaging mystery, and it should perk up the ears of even the most reluctant of readers. You will be doing yourself a favor by adding it to your collection.

After a "accident" happens while exploring the old dredge (a huge mining machine), Ryan McCray is left with a broken leg and a encounter he'll never forget. While Ryan is recovering, he starts recounting his story in his journal, whereas Sarah takes things into her own hands and starts getting to the bottom of this chilling mystery one video at a time. Two teens, one ghost, and a town full secret society members. Something is wrong with Skeleton Creek, but can the twosome find the answer before they burn the dredge to ground and all it's secrets with it?

*****

Master of creepiness or an artists with panicky words? That is the question. When I first started reading this book I noticed that how the author got you scared was with simple words and phrases like "fear", "too terrible to write down", "dredge", "watching", or even "window". I hate windows at night. And wouldn't you know it, that is how the "ghost" is introduced... peeping through a window (see book cover). Is it just me or do I feel a chill? Hmm, oh well. The first two videos are creepy and I would highly recommend a buddy being there with you. Good news though, the rest of the videos are fine. No creepy things popping up, mainly stuff about the mystery. The mystery parts were actually quite interesting and I'm anticipating the next book, but I'm a little nervous about the videos. I can't say that I was so scared out of my pants that I couldn't continue, but it was enough to creep me out. I don't particularly like ghost stories unless I have a good hunch (and it turns out to be true) that the so-called ghost is a real person just scaring people. (I think I watched too many Scooby-Doos.) I thought combining text and video was a really neat idea and, although I prefer to read rather than watch, I think this new idea is a great way to get kids to read. I really don't agree with this book being labeled 9-12 because if someone younger than twelves picks up this book, chances are they'll have a hard time going to sleep. I would recommend to anyone age 12+, but definitely not anyone younger.

If you like ghost mysteries, grab this book and let the story of Skeleton Creek suck you in. Hey, this would even be a great thing to read during a sleep-over. But if you're faint of heart or don't like to be scared, then you know you shouldn't read this book.
No goosebumps? Great. Well here's your chance to experience Ryan and Sarah's adventure yourself because I'm giving away a signed copy of Skeleton Creek. I'm 90% sure that I'm going to give away some other books along with Skeleton Creek, so it might be a few more weeks till this book is actually up for grabs. Please stay tuned!

Ready for the next chilling adventure? Don't hold your breath 'cause Book 2, Ghost In The Machine (Skeleton Creek) will be here October 1st, 2009.


Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Age Group: YA, ages 12+
Content: Spookiness

Every now and then you come across a book that is so unique, so different, so incredible that you just want to share it with everyone you know. This is one of those books. I read it three times in a week, and still want to go back over it again, in case I missed anything. What makes this book so incredible is that it is actually more than a book; it is a new entertainment experience. It is a book, it is a movie and it is fantastic. The story is told in two parts.

It is the story of Ryan and Sarah, who live in Skeleton Creek Oregon. They become fascinated with the town's name, and the fact that it only changed to that recently. While investigating the mystery of the name, they find out about a ghost story of a man named Joe Bush who died in a mining dredge outside of town. While investigating the dredge, something strange happens and Ryan falls and breaks his leg. That is where our story begins. Ryan is in the hospital recovering and he starts to tell the story in his journal so he can make sense of it, and in case something happens to him. But the story is told by both Ryan and Sarah. Currently their parents will not allow them to see each other because they believe that it will encourage their investigative efforts.

Yet the two are staying in contact over the web. Ryan is writing the story in his journal, which is our book, and Sarah is creating videos and posting them on her website[...]. Combined they tell the story. It is a great new media/literary adventure. Even the packaging and presentation is new. The book comes in a sleeve like a cover on a new DVD that says: "Read the book ... Watch the videos." Once you slide the book out, it looks like a hard cover journal, and it looks like it was hand-written. The journal has illustrations and, what appears to be items taped inside it.

This story is incredibly well done. It is a ghost story for the net generation. You have to read the book and watch the videos and follow groups and websites online to find out more details and background to the story. It is well-written and the videos are amazing. I did read the book the first time to see if it could stand alone without the web component and it does, but the videos take the book to a whole new level of reading entertainment. Some of the websites that you can check out are:
[...]
The only bad thing I can say about it is that it ends with a cliff-hanger and the conclusion, Ghost in the Machine - Skeleton Creek Book 2, is not due out until September 2009. This book has made my top ten all-time fiction list. It is a ghost story extraordinaire. So as the cover says, read the book and watch the videos - you will be drawn in and amazed by the story!

(First published in Imprint 2009-01-09.)

From the beginning, the book just keeps you watching the videos and reading. It's just great! I just read and read. Ryan talks about his thoughts and about Old Joe Bush and the dredge. The dredge is a big machine that filters the gold out of the rocks. When Ryan and his friend Sarah snuck out to see the dredge, Ryan broke his leg. All this happened before the book and he is forbidden to see Sarah. While he is laid up, he starts contacting Sarah and she sends him videos. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE NEXT ONE!

Son of V.Wright, reviewer

Skeleton Creek is a new kind of book-the text we're used to seeing in books, but also links to a website where you can enter passwords and watch short videos relevant to that part of the book. Here's a bit of a summary: Ryan and Sarah are determined to get to the bottom of the weird happenings in their town of Skeleton Creek (including where that name came from). But after a mysterious accident injures Ryan and leaves him housebound, their parents forbid them from seeing each other and they are forced to communicate (and mystery solve) in private. The storyis told Ryan's journal entries and Sarah's videos.

I'll admit that at first I wasn't sure about the idea of combining a traditional book with web videos as part of the storytelling. I know that kids and teens (and boys in particular) are reading less now and using the internet more (and yes I'm aware that I'm using the internet to review books), but the idea of saying, "Hey, read 20 pages of this book and you can watch a video!" gave me a little pause.

I was really surprised, though, just how much I did enjoy the format and the book. While it's listed as being for 9-12 year-olds, I think older readers could enjoy it as well (I know I did). I also think the video integration was done really well so that younger readers really can read the book because except for the last video, the journal entry following each video explains enough in Ryan's reaction that if one did miss the video, they could go on with the story.

What this means is that parents could go through and watch the videos to see if they had a problem with them for their kids (some of them might startle you or be creepy but nothing's violent or bloody or has bad language), and not allow them to watch those specific ones.

I hope I explained that well enough...

The book is in all caps (in a handwriting type font so it's not annoying) except for when other papers are pasted in so it's easier for younger readers to read but the writing finds that great balance between being easily understandable...yet not sounding like it's only for ten-year-olds.

Basically, I think the writing, the style, and presentation of Skeleton Creek are done so that readers of almost any age can read it (maybe with some parental oversight, but still). (I might be wrong and some of the plot points might be too complicated for younger readers but because nothing goes too in depth, I think it's okay.)

I loved that the passwords for the videos were literary-I think that'll encourage kids to possibly check out the respective tales.

My one real complaint is that there's a character named Ranger Bonner and knowing as many 12-year-old boys as I do, well, I can see potential trouble with the name. I know some others, however, I might loan this to. Now, to wait for book two...



9/10 for this one
[...]

My teacher read this book as a read aloud in our classroom. I loved it!!!!! The videos made it easier to understand the book and more into the book too. My class didn't want my teacher to put the book down!!! The videos some of the videos you did not want to stop and some were to short. I loved the way they ended on a cliff hanger.

Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek . . . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it. But after an eerie accident leaves Ryan housebound and his parents forbid him from seeing Sarah, their investigation takes two tracks: Ryan records everything in his journal, while Sarah uses her camcorder to search things out. . . and then email the clips for Ryan to see.

What a unique and fantastically creepy book this was. Firstly, the book looks and is written in journal entries by Ryan. You know he and Sarah are trying to uncover the secrets of their town. Why the town is called Skeleton Creek? Why little by little its inhabitants are moving away - to where it's even resembling a ghost town. The strange skull and bones symbol they've uncovered. And even what happened at the dredge on the outskirts of town... why it closed down?

Of course, these kids are full of questions and on their quest to find answers they've uncovered a mystery that might be deadly in nature.

The coolest thing about this book - the neato passwords scattered throughout the story. That's right, after every couple of chapters, Ryan receives passwords from Sarah to her website ([...]) and, guess what, you get to go along for the ride and see her videos. Which are quite creepy and made me jump a time or too. She is a bit reckless and doesn't put too much thought to things before she acts (if I were in her shoes, I'd be running for the hills) - but in the end, her antics are what keep you on the edge of your seat.

The actress who plays Sarah may be in need of some acting classes - but nonetheless, these videos really gave it a spooky feel. Ryan's entries are very detailed and, you, as the reader, are just as scared as he is while reading them. There were a few parts that were not very credible since Ryan writes them in the present tense and there is no way someone could write these things as they are happening. Especially some of the more tense situations.

All in all, this was a very spooky, thrilling, emotional roller-coaster story that has an ending that will leave you with your mouth hanging wide open and in NEED for the next book. This is great for young adults and even the young tweens who like a quick fright of a read. Very cool and highly recommended.

When I first started this book, I didn't know how well the whole "read a chapter, then watch a video" thing would work. But even though I got annoyed with having to put down the book, turn on my computer, and then watch a video before I could start reading the next chapter, I thought the whole novel + video thing worked well.

The actual writing part of the book was much better than the videos though. It was interesting to see things told from the afraid person's perspective, instead of having it be told by the fearless one. Hearing about his theories and worries really helped make the book as suspenseful as it is. He isn't much of a developed character (though he is believable because of his worries), but I think that this book is more of a plot driven book anyway. The book is supposed to encourage the reluctant readers to read, which I think it will do because of the plot and videos. Even though I thought the videos were kind of unbelievable.

I thought the girl who played Sarah was a very unrealistic vlogger. Maybe I'm biased because I watch a bunch of vloggers on youtube and are used to real people just talking without a script (or at least seeming like they didn't have a script) But when Sarah wasn't vlogging, I really enjoyed the videos and thought they added a lot to the story. Mostly they just added suspense, especially at the end because of the GIANT CLIFFHANGER OF DOOM! Seriously. Big cliffhanger. I want the next book ASAP.

This book was the best book I have ever read! The book was great and the movie were too! I loved it so much that I told alot of people about it, the next day a friend of mine had bought it and started reading it! So many people asked if they could borrow it! I have read this book twice I am thinking of reading it again! I love how it leaves you hanging at the end of the book so I can not wait till the second! I love that it has videos and Old Joe Bush is so scary with his dragging foot! It is so spine chilling! If I were you I would give it a try and read it!

Ryan McCray and Sarah Fincher always felt like something strange was happening in their hometown of Skeleton Creek. Their fears are fully realized one fateful night when they decide to sneak around in the old mining dredge in the woods. Ryan finds something that is so terrifying it sends him over a rail into the darkness below. The next thing he knows he is in a hospital bed with a broken leg and a fuzzy memory about what he saw.

Ryan and Sarah's parents decide to separate them as punishment, but the mystery behind the dredge proves to be too much to keep them apart. Since Ryan is housebound, Sarah captures her investigation on film so Ryan can see everything she discovers about the dredge. Likewise, Ryan spends his days researching Skeleton Creek online, finding more questions than answers. Everything they find leads them back to the dredge and the dark secret hidden inside. If they go back they may find the answers, but they may not make it out alive.

When I first saw Skeleton Creek on the shelf I thought it was a DVD because of the clever packaging. I then realized it was a book and read the description. A novel that uses online videos to tell the complete story? And a ghost/mystery story at that? My interest was more than piqued and I was all in.

Patrick Carman is a storyteller extraordinaire and from the opening lines we are effortlessly sucked into Ryan and Sarah's story. The book element of this story is written in journal form from Ryan's perspective. Carman really nails the first person narrative here and actually makes you feel like you are reading a journal. The design of the book and the handwriting font all work together well to sell the idea.

Throughout the story we are presented actual passwords to a website where we get to see the videos Sara shares with Ryan. The video element of the story is a really fun and imaginative way to get us more involved. I was very impressed with the quality of the videos and how effective they were. Even though this is a young adult story, I'm not ashamed to admit I jumped more than once during the creepiest scenes.

While this is classified as young adult fiction, I would strongly urge parents to read the book and watch the videos before your children. The story is clean, but some of the subject matter is quite intense and the videos have some really frightening moments.

Skelton Creek is the first book in this new series and Patrick Carman leaves things wide open for Book 2. Literary purists might scoff at this new storytelling concept. All I know is how much fun I had with this whole experience. I can't imagine how much work goes into creating a project like this. In the end, the results are what matters and Skeleton Creek works on every level.