The main character in this book was named Zack. In the book there was a ghost of the town that was out to kill Zack. Zack's mom had died earlier that year so no figure he had a step mom. Zack was one of those smart but popular kids in his 8th grade classes. Except in English where he thinks the teachers looks like his mother. If anything went wrong during his day he would hear his mother's voice say something that she would of said if she was alive at that moment.

What a unique story with fun twists and turns.

This is exactly the type of book I searched for when I was in Middle Grade. I loved this fast-paced, spooky, suspenseful story which was sweetened by a pretty amazing step-mom who inherently trusted her 10-year-old step-son, in spite of his tendency to weave wild tales.

Awards Won: Agatha and AnthonyHave you ever wondered if one action can set off a series of events? This book uses imagination to address such a question. The Crossroads does contain some passages that may not be suitable for younger readers.

Very good!I have had to stop myself from reading this in class because I loved it.This is a good horror/mystery book that I would recommend it to anyone except young kids.There is a lot of death and gore but this was an amazing book.I have not read many horror and mystery books like this.Highly recommended!

Here's a good tween ghost story with a lot of plot twists and some creepy/somewhat-violent moments. It took me a while to get used to the main character Zack's shyness and introversion after just having read the confident, cocky narration of the boys in "Frindle" and "Swindle." Also, I read this one in spurts, and lost track of some of the characters and their...state of being living. So you might want to read this uninterrupted. I liked that there was an evil old lady, but NOT an evil stepmom.

I enjoyed Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library, so I did a search on more of Chris' books and decided to read this. This book did not disappoint. However, I'm not sure I will recommend this to the young ones. I think it a wee bit too intense. Firstly, this is a ghost story with suicide, murder and violent intents thrown together. Secondly, there's a backstory of how a mom ( with serious emotional and perhaps mental health issues) who died could still affect her son. It didn't feel directly releva...

Loved it! I will definitely read more of this series! Fun!

I'm not going to lie, this book got me back into reading. it wasn't an amazing, life changing story but it had a great plot that made just want to keep reading. I finished it in two days and started reading more. I had been in sort of a book funk where nothing I was reading was getting me excited. Thank God for The Crossroads.

I was very torn on how to rate this story. It is definitely a page turner, full of action and spooky moments. Then there were other moments that were so intense that I found it difficult to remember that the intended audience is middle graders.I would suggest to any parent or teacher who is thinking about letting their children read this to take into consideration how sensitive their children may be to certain topics. While the author doesn't always go into depth, some of the subjects covered ar...

I am not a horror fan but really like the other books I've read by Chris Grabenstein, so I found this series at the library. Still not a fan of the genre, but also really like these books. Way to confuse myself. Suspense is about as far as I usually go and since this is a kid's book, I can live with it, though I still had to be a little careful about when I read it.

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.comThere's a tree that stands watch over the crossroads of County Route 13 and Connecticut State Highway 31. There's a memorial on the tree. Someone leaves a dozen fresh roses there every Monday. And the tree is at the back edge of Zack Jennings's new yard. Zack, his father, and his new step-mother have left the city and moved to Connecticut. Zack lost his mother to cancer, and now that his father has remarried, the family is making a new start in Zack's fathe...

This proves that one cannot judge a book until one has finished reading the story in its entirety. I so loved the first 3/5 of the book -- it's dark, it's sinister, it's mysterious. The short chapters with many surprising or cliff-hanging end-sentences work really well. It's also fun to have an adult who acts somewhat child-like and who helps with solving the issues but not in a condescending way. And then, the story becomes loose at the resolution part. First, there are simply too many quick de...

Brilliant horror story for pre-teens. Absolutely ADORED this one. Eleven year old Zack Jennings's abusive mother has just died of cancer. He still hears her berating him, and feels fault on many levels. His father works out of town a lot, but just married a cheery woman, Judy, who is eager to be a nurturing step-mother to Zack. They move back to Mr. Jennings's hometown to a new construction at the crossroads of Hwy 31 and Hwy 13. This crossroads and the enormous Oak tree is the center piece of t...

Loads of fun, will recommend to family! Kids get the best stories!!! I'm already reading the second in the series, which I picked up after loving the first Lemoncello book. Really pleased with it as it tackles some very adult material (emotional abuse, trust and lies, friendship) in a way children can process. I also liked that chapters are of varying length; that's something that appeals greatly to the young reader in me, and that you learn a little at a time so you keep on reading. Very good!

The book was a fascinating tale, a mix of horror and mystery. In the story a young boy called Zack lives with his dad and step mom Judy. As a beginning, Zack moves to a house by the cross roads. This place has a lot of history. Zack has this special ability were he can actually see ghosts. It's been bothering him since his mom died. Zack thinks he is finally rid of this, but maybe he wasn't so right.As Zack moves to this new house, were an old tree captures the evil spirit of Clint eberhart (I'm...

A real great read! I just started this book because I'm in children's horror phase but man oh man, wasn't it so exciting that I needed and did read it in one sitting. I'm glad I found author Chris Grabenstein. His story telling is easy and engaging, there is not one boring slump in whole book. It's fast-paced and interesting right from the start with right amount of humor. It's ideal for middle-grade but suitable for younger kids too and even adults will find it enjoyable.

I have finally found the book that satisfies my craving for good, old-fashioned, creepy ghost stories! This would be the perfect campfire read this summer! But a word of caution...do not read it alone at night, especially if your house is surrounded by trees (like mine).Zack, his dad and new step-mom have moved to a small town in Connecticut. And it just so happens that their new property includes a tree that designates the site of this community's worst accident in which 41 people died. And whi...