''The Crossroads'' is the first children's novel by author

Chris Grabenstein Christopher Grabenstein is an American author. He published his first novel in 2005. Since then he has written novels for both adults and children, the latter often with frequent collaborator James Patterson. He graduated from the University of Te ...

Plot summary

Zack Jennings, his dad, and his new stepmother Judy have just moved back to his father’s hometown, in Connecticut, not knowing that their new house has a dark history. Fifty years ago, a crazed killer caused an accident at the nearby crossroads that took 40 innocent lives. He died when his car hit a tree, which is in Zack's backyard. Since then, his

malevolent spirit In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...

has inhabited the tree. During a huge storm, a lightning hits the tree, releasing the spirit, and the spirit began looking for the descendants of those who cost him his life, starting with Zack, whose grandfather started it all.

Audio

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...

of the novel has been released, read by J.J. Myers; wife of the author. It was officially sold in America on May 27, 2008. J. J. Myers won a "Headphones award" from '' AudioFile'' magazine for her performance of the book.

Reception

Connie Fletcher in her review for ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' said that the book was "An absorbing psychological thriller, as well as a rip-roaring ghost story, this switches points of view among humans, trees, and ghosts with astonishing élan". ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' described it as having "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". Jessica Miller in her review for ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' said that "this riveting tale is written in short, easy-to-read chapters, making it a good choice for reluctant readers. Throughout the story, the main characters grow closer to one another and gain heroic traits while the "bad guys" reveal greater depths of wickedness and insanity. Readers will relate to Zack and enjoy the book's scare factor and adventure."

Sequels

Three books, ''The Hanging Hill'', ''The Smoky Corridor'', and ''The Black Heart Crypt'' were written by Chris Grabenstein as sequels to this book.

Notes

ratio

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crossroads, The 2008 American novels American children's novels 2000s horror novels Anthony Award-winning works Novels set in Connecticut Ghost novels Agatha Award-winning works 2008 children's books