Rate this book

Skeleton Creek (2009)

by Patrick Carman(Favorite Author)

3.3 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0545075661 (ISBN13: 9780545075664)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Scholastic Press

series

Skeleton Creek

review 1: I was not prepared for the level of scary in the videos. I mean, I'm not really a horror person, but I thought, a fourth grade level book, should be fine, right? Nope - I almost through my computer across the room at the end of the second video. That aside, I really enjoyed how the videos played into the story (even if the acting is not quite as good as some webseries I've watched on youtube - they're kids, and the story is still good). The story itself is great - just the right level of mystery and intrigue. The only downside is I can't always read very far in one sitting. I can't bring myself to read past the video postings, so sometimes I have to wait until I'm near a computer.
review 2: I thought the concept of combining video clips with a novel was, well, ... morereally novel but this particular execution suffered in several areas. First, the writing was rather abysmal. I found it repetitive, as if it were trying to convince me things (that Ryan and Sarah were actually friends, that there was some sort of tension driving the story, that not being able to communicate with a friend is not only horrible but actually makes sense given that the issue was that they got into trouble together, that the story was scary, etc.) merely by stating things rather than showing things. In the end, the whole thing came off as very fake to me. The characters especially lacked some oomph, both in feeling like real, complicated people but also having some chemistry. It didn't help that the acting in the videos was also rather terrible. Going back to the fake feeling, the special effects, especially the video "static," didn't do much to make things seem real. Yes, they were startling, but the scenes were often needlessly drawn out without getting to the point quickly or feeling at all natural. Anyway, it seems like a fun way to read and kids may be less critical than I am so this may still be worth a shot but I'd definitely recommend that the discerning adult give it a pass. less

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