Johnathan Rand

Sandy and her brother are transported to an alternate dimension filled with scary creatures, and they must find the Stone Key if they want to get home. Reading this book is like being told a story by Sandy, as everything is in first person past tense, with some interjections of "You know how it feels? That's how I felt." Chapters are very short, the paragraphs within are very short, and they follow a very predictable pattern. Every chapter ends with a "scary" cliffhanger that is immediately show more resolved at the beginning of the next. The action keeps up, though, pulling readers along. The fantastical creatures accentuate the fact that we aren't on Mackinac Island any more (which makes the title slightly misleading). It doesn't matter how poorly written and predictable this series is, 2nd and 3rd graders will continue to clamor for them, at least until the next big scary series comes along. show less

I spent this book alternating between fear, with the horror themes, and nitpicking inaccuracies, since the island is near and dear to my heart, and I've been there a couple times. (There's no porch. And no outside door to the tower...) but the idea of writing about the island is one that has caught my fancy several times, and I'm impressed that Knight followed through with it.

Read by Anjie, Summer 2006:
"I chose this series because I'm always looking for books that the LD population could enjoy. The evolving plot carriers the readers interest and provides enough vocabulary so that the reader doesn't feel like they're reading "baby" books. The books are fiction, but include facts about each state. This might spark an interest in a state report. Rand offers his fans a fun and interactive we site: www.americanchillers.com. His books are considered self-contained; show more however, in the last few chapters Rand cleverly includes a glimpse of his next book to entice the reader. I could see using this series in literacy circles to encourage reading for teens that are lower level readers who struggle to find books that keep their interest without frustration. Students can connect with the books by reading about places they've been to. Rand also has a Michigan series. " show less

The American Chillers Series are very popular in our library so it was fun to see what the kids are all so excited about! I think this was a fun story that uses suspense and gruesome descriptions to really hook the reader. Curricular connexions could be developing expressive writing and intense, adjective filled descriptions. Also, building up the suspense through a chapter and then leaving the reader hanging...