Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
ZACK, HIS DAD, and new stepmother have just moved back to his father's hometown, not knowing that their new house has a dark history. Fifty years ago, a crazed killer caused an accident at the nearby crossroads that took 40 innocent lives. He died when his car hit a tree in a fiery crash, and his malevolent spirit has inhabited the tree ever since. During a huge storm, lightning hits the tree, releasing the spirit, who decides his evil spree isn't over . . . and Zack is directly in his sights.Award-winning thriller author Chris Grabenstein fills his first book for younger readers with the same humorous and spine-tingling storytelling that has made him a fast favorite with adults.From the Hardcover edition.
Is The Crossroads appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
This middle grade supernatural mystery features a malevolent spirit targeting children and references a mass casualty accident (40 deaths), with scary thriller elements balanced by humor. The violence is age-appropriate peril rather than graphic detail.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death, mass death, and car accident (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Kids who love spine-tingling mysteries with humor will enjoy Zack's race against an evil ghost haunting his new hometown.