This one kept me up until one in the morning

books:


	• The Creek Jennifer L. Holm, 2003 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Creek was a Great Book!!!!

"Caleb Devlin is a legend, the boy who terrorized the entire town before being sent away, before Penny and her family moved there. Now he's back, older and more dangerous than ever, and terrible things have begun to happen again. The whole town knows he's responsible, but the police can't do anything without proof. So Penny and her friends try to stop him themselves. Except now he's after them."
This book is about a girl named Penny, who is excited for another great summer. But then, Caleb Devlin (a young criminal) came back into town. The kids on the street have built a fort near a creek, but after a few mysterious incidents, their parents make sure the kids aren't anywhere near there, due to Caleb. After a few odd happenings that happen to Penny (such as finding a skull in the creek, danger symbols on their fort, and such), she is convinced Caleb is after her. So, she does everything to try to stop him. She messes up his car, spies on him, and (after many of those things), lets him fall to his death. Penny is the only one who knows he is dead, but weird things continue to happen. Everyone is certain that it is Caleb's doing. But it isn't. Finally, after a few clues, she figures out that Zachary (a weak, scared boy) is the real culprit. This book was great, because it had suspense, scary parts, and had many twists.
The Creek was suspenseful in many parts, such as the time when Penny found real animal guts in a bucket of fake guts that she was using for a haunted house. Other suspenseful moments include when the woods where the kids play was set on fire, and when Caleb Devlin did some nasty things when he was with Penny, and then Penny let him fall to his death.
The book was also scary, like the time when Penny found one of her friend's sister's dead body when she was hiding in the sewer. It was also scary when Penny was swimming in the creek, trying to retrieve someone's glasses, and instead brought up a small skull out from the bottom of the creek. Finally, one of the scariest parts was when Zachary (the real criminal) was in Penny's house, alone with her, and he nearly killed her.
Finally, the Creek had many twists in who you thought the culprit was. First, it looked like Caleb Devlin did everything, because it all started when he came back into town. Second, it looked like Mr. Schuyler (the neighborhood's grandfather) might have done the crimes, because he started acting unusual. Finally, it it turned out to be Zachary, the weak, timid, friendless boy who appeared to be afraid of everything.
The creek was excellent, because it had just the right amounts of suspense, scariness, and twists.
-Elizabeth H.

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Roller Coaster Ride

A town legend, famous for terrorizing the town, intent on stopping you put him away again. Penny hasn't been living in the neighborhood for a while, but has heard of Caleb Devlin. He even put a kid in a coma, that's how unstable he is. He's back in the flesh, and things start to happen. People's pets are being pet napped, the kids fort was mysteriously burned down, while Penny and her friends Mac, Oren, Benji, Teddy, and the outcast, Zachary were in it, Teddy get beaten up by a man, not sure who it was, and Benji's sister, Becky, was found dead in the woods. Everybody assumes Caleb did all of this, but the police can't arrest him when they have no evidence against him. Penny knows Caleb couldn't have done any of these things, because she watched him die down at the bottom of the ravine. She vows to find the one responsible and clear Caleb's name. Zachary goes to Penny telling her that he committed all of the crimes Caleb was suspected of, and then tries to kill her. The boys try to save her, and then Zachary stabs Benji in the chest. The parents come inside to see what's wrong, they take Zachary to the police station, take Benji to the hospital, and Penny finally feels peace. Caleb's body is found a few days later, everyone suspects Zachary killed him, and Penny lets it all go away. This book was a suspenseful roller coaster, changing roles fast enough to make your head spin.

The Creek had a very good plot. After a hot day at the pool, everyone goes to the fort in the woods. Penny is still wondering why Caleb would come back to such a place that would spread lies about him when she smells smoke. They climb onto the top of the fort take off their shirts, (Penny has on an undershirt) and climb down the trees. They run to the nearest hose to call the fire department, and the fire department get there just in time to stop the fire from spreading to the houses. When Penny was swimming at the creek alone, she looked around to see if Mr. Cat (her cat) was around, because he was missing. She dived into the water and came up for air. While up for air, she saw Mr. Cat. She called for him to come to her, but he wouldn't move. She looked closer, and saw that he was dead, and someone had stuffed him and put red marbles where his eyes were supposed to be. Penny screamed and yelled for help. The guys came to see if she was ok. She told them about Mr. Cat, and he was gone. Everybody thought that she was kidding around, but she really did see Mr. Cat there. Near the end of the book, she was inside her house alone. Zachary came in and asked if wanted to play flashlight tag with the kids on the block. Penny said no, because she had other things on her mind. He asked what were on her mind that maybe he could help her. She confessed her investigation to find Becky's killer because she knew for a fact that Caleb had not killed her. In his hands, Zachary played with a red marble. Penny asked where he got it. Zachary said that Oren had given it to him. It all made sense. Oren was the mastermind behind the whole plan. Penny looked at Zachary and he ran to the kitchen, pulled out a knife and told Penny that he was sorry, but she had to die, and lunged the knife towards her.

This book was very suspenseful. One night during flashlight tag, Penny was hiding by herself. Her flashlight batteries ran out and became very scared and almost started to run, because Caleb's ghost haunted her. Zachary came up behind her and started to look with her. Penny found Becky hiding close to the floor. She tagged her, but Becky wouldn't get up. Penny put her hand on Becky, she was cold, lifeless. She knew she was dead by the red smear on her neck. Later, as Zachary chased Penny with a knife, he told her the whole plan. He did all of this so that the guys and her would like him. He would look like a hero if he found all of the pets, of cool if he could actually play with them and they could trust him. Penny hid in the attic, behind the dressers up there. Zachary came in the attic and started talking to the air it seemed. He repeatedly stabbed the bags of clothes and walked closer and closer towards the dressers. When he didn't see her, she grabbed teddy's baseball bat. She ran out and started hitting him with the bat. He threw her up against the wall, and just as he was bringing his knife down, Mac ran in and pushed him out of the way. Lastly, the guys ran in and started to run out of the way of Zachary. Benji fell down and Zachary stabbed Benji. Penny hit Zachary with the baseball bat across the face and he fell to the floor. Penny ran to Benji, and started to cry. Benji was dead because of her. The parents ran in to see what was going on. Penny's dad ran over to Benji and checked his pulse. He was alive.

The Creek had very detailed characters. Penny, the main character, was portrayed as the sweet innocent girl next door. Yet, she wanted to be something else, and she didn't know what she wanted to be. At times she was a girly girl, she was a girl with a dark secret, and in the end, she was a woman. Zachary was the cute little kid everyone knew and loved, and would never believe that he was a cold-blooded killer with a dark, haunting past. The author did not release too much information about Zachary because then people wouldn't think too much about him and wouldn't suspect him. Caleb Devlin. Even his name puts chills up your spine. Every book needs a mystery man that you despise from the beginning. You hated him to begin with, but after you heard his part of the story, he wasn't a bad guy after all.

This book, The Creek was very suspenseful, kept you guessing, and was an all-around wonderful book!

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This one kept me up until one in the morning

The Creek was a great read. I was completely terrified by Caleb Devlin, the alleged criminal. I kept my mom updated with everything he did, and then continuously posted her on character complexities, and plot progression.

However, I was a little disappointed by the ending, it seemed weak and hurried and certainly didn't leave the reader either wondering or wanting more. I was a little disgusted, I have to say.

I actually read this book just because I pulled it randomly from a shelf in the teen section at my neighborhood library branch. I couldn't stop reading it or thinking about the book, and it kept me up pretty darn late one night.

Jennifer L. Holmes has some other books, namely the Boston Jane trilogy, which I absolutely loved, but they are much, much better than The Creek. I would recommend The Creek, but I would recommend Boston Jane MUCH more highly.

Nevertheless, this is an excellent read with just a weak ending. It certainly has many surprises and I always suspected the wrong person, and was very surprised to find out the real criminal.

On the subject of the real criminal: I never really understood WHY the killer did it (I'll avoid saying who it is for the purpose of a prospective reader) and it happened so quickly that I was sort of baffled when the book was over, because it seemed like the author had a big deadline to finish her book and so had to race through the last scene. I understand that the killer did all the unspeakable things he did because he wanted attention, but it's unclear why he wasn't satified with all the attention he got from his mother and new friends, and Penny, the main character.

Still, this is a deliciously terrifying read, and I would without a doubt recommend it.

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This one kept me up until one in the morning

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Caleb Devlin is a legend on Mockingbird Lane, the boy who terrorized an entire town before he got sent away. They say he hurt other kids, tortured animals, set fires, and did things grown-ups speak of only in whispers. But that was all before Penny and her little brother moved here.

Now Caleb's back, older and more dangerous than ever, and terrible things have started happening again. The whole town knows he's responsible, but the police can't do anything without proof. So Penny and her friends have no choice but to try to stop him themselves.

Except now he's after them.

A sleepy summer is filled with dread in this tense and absorbing thriller by acclaimed Newbery Honor author Jennifer L. Holm.

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