The book that launched Actionopolis - a new venture from the creators of online comics publisher KOMIKWERKS - Woodlark's Shadow follows the story of a young boy, as he comes face to face with a terrible monster haunting the woods near his new home. When his policeman father is injured on the job in Brooklyn, Justin Woodlark and his family move to the small New England town where his ancestors have lived for generations. Here Justin makes friends, and becomes involved in the traditional game of "Old Man of the Forest." But the game soon turns deadly, and Justin and his friends, Alice Crane and Rob Prichard, find themselves confronting a creature sent by the sinister Forest King...

The first installment of what promises to be an exciting fantasy sequence, Woodlark's Shadow is also an easy read, with a good text-to-illustration ratio that will appeal to reluctant readers. I enjoyed the references to The Green Man, who appears in the guise of the villain here, and hope the sequel, Woodlark's Winter, will not be too long in materializing. Recommended to beginning chapter-book readers looking for fantasy fiction, as well as to anyone seeking "hi-lo" (high interest level, low reading level) books for struggling readers. ( )

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Justin Woodlark is quite sure of two things: the forest surrounding his new home in a small town in the middle of nowhere is nothing like the hustle and bustle of New York City, and that same forest is home to a creature unlike anything he's ever known before.

Sure, he was scared of the forest at first, especially when he got lost. But now he's spent lots of time under the shade of the trees, in daytime and at twilight, playing games with his friends like "Old Man of the Forest." Still, though, there's something about the forest that disturbs him, and it's somehow connected to the iron poles set into the ground throughout the woods; poles that are impossible to dislodge.

Then two things happen that prove to Justin that the woods hold an ancient evil. First, there's the old man Smith, who likes to ask questions about Justin and his time in the woods, but who refuses to answer questions. When he frightens Justin, leading the young teen to push the old man, tensions escalate. And when a game of "Old Man of the Forest" goes terribly wrong, ending up in lots of aches and pains, not to mention fears, Justin knows that there's something alive and sinister in the woods surrounding his home.

When he sets out to investigate with his two best friends, Alice and Rob, the three teens find more than they bargained for--a monstrous creature with gigantic fangs and skin that resembles leaves. Can they overcome this evil with the help of the mysterious iron poles embedded in the forest floor, or is this creature simply a sign of things to come?

THE FOREST KING is an easy, quick read, perfect for younger teens, pre-teens, or older reluctant readers. The constant action and fantasy elements will appeal to young readers, who will be happy to know that this is the first book in a series. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but Dan Mishkin packed quite a story into these 101 pages. A coming of age story of sorts, The Forest King is the story of Justin Woodlark, who has moved with his family to his father's childhood home in New England after his father, a police officer, is injured and unable to to work in the police force anymore.

Justin makes several friends within months of arriving, and one of their favorites games is to play Old Man of the Forest in the woods behind town. During one of these games, Justin discovers that there is in fact a monster living in the woods, who Justin believes to the actual Old Man of the Forest. He has to decide to either run away from his fear and let the monster continue to stalk the woods, or stand up to his fear and confront the monster.

The accompanying illustrations by Tom Mandrake really accent the story well and do not take away from it at all. If anything, the illustrations make the story even better. ( )