Skeleton Creek

by Patrick Carman

Skeleton Creek tells the tale of two teenagers, Ryan and Sarah, who discover that something strange is going on in the woods at the site of an old gold-digging dredge. What they find turns their lives upside down--and results in their parents banning them from ever seeing or speaking to each other again. But they're too immersed in the mystery of Skeleton Creek to let go of it now, and they decide to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of it. The book is told partly through Ryan's journal, and partly through videos that Sarah films and sends him, making this an entirely unique experience of a story. (You are given passwords to see the videos online as you read.)

I adored this book. I honestly didn't think I would--the whole mixed-media, part movie/part book idea seemed kind of gimmicky to me. But it worked incredibly well and was a truly clever, effective way to tell the story. It brought the intensity to an entirely new level and helped make the book even more compelling than it already would've been. The videos also aided in completely freaking me out. Skeleton Creek reminded me of The Blair Witch Project--another fictional story told documentary-style, allowing it to feel extremely real and terrifying. A fantastic and scary ghost story, this made me want to read more books made in this innovative, "video-book" format.

Oh, and I really really really need the sequel. MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.