Patrick Carman

(4.5 / 5)

Five books in, I’m starting to feel like every time I’m ready to read the next book, I should re-read all the ones before it again to remember the important details. I know some of that is my own memory problems, but there’s just so much happening over the course of these books. It’s hard to keep up with who might be bad, who definitely is bad, and who seemed to be good but double-crossed someone else. Little hints that aren’t followed-up on right away get lost in the show more greater story. The fact that this bothers me probably means that I’m enjoying the series, though, and I am. I just may have to start taking notes about what’s going on.

Somehow I knew that when, in my review for the previous book, I said that a future book might give me a different look at the Holts than the family of meatheads they’ve been portrayed as so far, it would end up happening soon, and I was right. Though really, it’s only the eldest son, Hamilton Holt who has a bit of character development here. I thought it was weird that after receiving actionable intel, he takes part in some kind of family capture-the-flag game before telling his dad that they need to get moving. Makes little sense. I also didn't really get how the black circle was a big enough deal in the book to be put in the title. But overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series. show less

(Written by my 8-year old son.) This book was AWESOME – 5 stars. I liked the plot the best, it was interesting and I liked the characters, especially Leo and Remi. They teamed up and they saved the Whippet Hotel.

One thing that makes the book so interesting is that every single hotel room is different and not like your average hotel room. There was one that was a life sized pinball machine, one that was a railroad room and one that was a HUGE junk maze.

“The entire thing appeared to be show more made of junk, pile after pile rising all the way to the ceiling. Chairs, old dishwashers, cans of paint, picture frames, books, shelves, computers, telephones, car tires – it went on and on and it all looked like as if it might crumble to the floor any moment.” The author described the rooms really well so that I could see them in my head.

I can’t wait to read the next book and find out what happens to Leo and the Whippet Hotel! show less

This was fast paced and action packed and it was wickedly good. Unlike Alex Rider it's not overly sad and unlike Cherub - I like the main characters. As a reader, I relate to Amy but I love Dan's way of looking at things. They're a great team. Nellie, the au pair, is hilarious. She's laid back and loyal and can speak a seemingly million different languages. The rest of the Cahill family kind of suck, but what's an adventure story without a villain? Or ten? The plot is riveting - the mix of show more fiction and history is fascinating and I'm flying through the series. They're not particularly long - but then this kind of book never is - or at least never feels like it is. I can't wait to read the rest. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.


Partnership with Hamilton Holt! Didn't see that coming. But it made sense and it was nice that they worked together - and that he didn't turn out to be a jerk at the end of the book like Ian did. Not enough Nellie in this one and noooooooo, don't let her be traitor. I still have so many questions - can't wait to get some answers.
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There are so many things I want to discuss about Skeleton Creek, a unique concept book by Patrick Carman, that I don’t know where to begin. Do I discuss the possibilities for reluctant readers, the importance of 21st Century Literacies, the research buzz about male readers or do I just review the story itself?

Mr. Carman & Scholastic have done a great job promoting this tile, but I’ll start by giving you the premise: The town of Skeleton Creek is hiding a secret. Teenage writer Ryan lets show more us into his journal just as he’s released from a two-week stay in the hospital. Something sinister has happened to Ryan and his parents have decided the best way to keep him out of trouble is to keep him away from his best friend, Sarah, a film aficionado. But you know that’s not going to happen. They’re teens!

Sarah & Ryan communicate through email and a secret password-protected website. Every twenty-five pages or so, the reader heads off to the computer to access one of Sarah’s viral-style videos, building clues to solve the mystery of Skeleton Creek right along with Ryan and Sarah.

21st Century Literacies:
Some have called it interactive reading or cross-platform storytelling or split media, but really, the NCTE probably coined the best phrase: 21st Century Literacies. Educators, Librarians and Reading Specialists have been buzzing about 21st Century Literacies for quite some time. Finding best practices to utilize our new technologies and competing with the multimedia-driven society are nothing new. However, Skeleton Creek is a first. 39 Clues (another Scholastic title and also touched by author Carman’s hand) has a fantastic gamer-interactive slant to it, but I believe Skeleton Creek is the first to make use of the YouTube, viral, conspiracy, Easter egg hunting craze. For this alone, I am impressed.

Reluctant & Male Readers:
But impressing little old me isn’t important. I’m a strong reader, one of those sorts who LIVE inside a story; I wouldn’t have picked reading as a profession otherwise. I think stopping to go watch a video is a massive buzz kill, but I’m not the sort of person this story is aimed towards. The reluctant reader, the youth of daily YouTube perusals, the boys who never go near a book are going to be enthralled by this. That’s my educated opinion.

I saw a few reviews criticizing certain aspects of Skeleton Creek. Each time, I kept thinking, “But you’re a book reviewer! You love to read. You’re missing the potential” As a reading teacher who’s seen her share of struggling readers, I can really get behind this format. The short bursts of text; the climactic plot, and the multimedia format all add essential support for a struggling reader. Read a few pages, boom, you get to go watch a supporting video that not only further enhances the experience, but amplifies the plot.

Story & Videos:
The bottom line is that an entertainment experience is only as good as the story. I can dissect certain elements of being in real time with the journal writer, of telling a non-linear story to reluctant readers, but Skeleton Creek is one of those along-for-the-ride stories. And those are the ones that seduce a reader. You’re in on a secret, the foreshadowing hints abound, and the plot – not descriptive brilliance or character worship – drives the tale. And, I was scared. I read this at night and was afraid to leave my bedroom to get my laptop!

As for the videos, I could play Roger Ebert discussing acting plausibility and sound effect oddities, but the videos are meant to be viral. Think Blair Witch or Cloverfield without the nose hair shots or queasy camera shaking.

Conclusions:
My only real concern involves accessibility. I’m a Mac geek; I’m never unplugged (see that Twitter button over there →). But, I wonder if the story would wait until I could get to a computer, especially if I lacked Internet access excepting at school or a library. Yet, we wait months for Lost, filling our hunger with Internet theory sites until the plot continues. So, I’m hopeful Skeleton Creek could do the same (see crazy theory site below – Ha!).

Teachers would be well served to explore Skeleton Creek because this is going to start a trend. Mark my words (and just remember when we thought YouTube book trailers were the bomb).

Full review at:
Review first published on Reading Rumpus show less