Skeleton Man

Rating:
Summary: A story that hits all the right buttons
Review: This book does a number of things very well. The story is tremendously creepy and scary which is something intermediate grade readers always enjoy. Molly is a great character. She is strong and resourceful and ultimately saves herself. She also does something very sensible, intelligent and believable in the context of the story. She TELLS a trusted teacher about her situation and concerns with her "uncle." Even better, the teacher believes her and tries to help. So often as a reader I wonder why a character doesn't just TELL someone they need help. The background of the Native American folktale is terrific. The final scenes are absolutely gripping.

Rating:
Summary: The mixture of reality and storytelling keeps you guessing
Review: This one keeps you jumping back-and-forth between reality and "folklore."
Molly has the Mohawk legend so "alive" in her mind that she mixes it alot with her reality. The first chapter about turned us off but we were glad that we kept going with this book.
Skeleton Man is a good example of how folklore (and a very strong dose of imagination) can mix to terrify you.
It was a big hit with my middle school mystery club kids!