Lisa reads: <i>Ghost in the Machine</i> by Patrick Carman

Lisa reads: Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman

Posted on September 29th, 2009 by Lisa Hura

Sometimes, when a book is really good, you start counting the days until the sequel comes out as soon as you finish the last page. Back in April, I reviewed Patrick Carman’s Skeleton Creek and I immediately started clamoring for a sequel. The book ends with a real cliffhanger — it involves ghosts, a broken leg, a dead battery and a secret room — and I wanted to know what happened next! In his follow-up novel, Ghost in the Machine, Carman continues the story of Ryan and Sarah and the Crossbones Society.

(Check out the trailer for Ghost in Machine here.)

The really interesting thing about Skeleton Creek and Ghost in the Machineis the way that Carman mixes the written word with technology. Kids who are Ryan and Sarah’s ages have grown up with the internet, YouTube, MySpace and text messages. They are accustomed to using technology to stay in touch. In both books, Ryan and Sarah have been forbidden to see each other. Their “investigation” into creepy sounds and a possible haunting at the old dredge in the woods near Skeleton Creek resulted in an accident that was nearly fatal for Ryan. They continue their investigations surreptitiously — Ryan does his research online and Sarah buzzes around town with her video camera, filming the townspeople in a variety of suspicious circumstances, and uploading the video to her website. Their hidden relationship is a flurry of text messages, encrypted passwords and secret meeting places.

I was surprised in the first book by how really frightening the videos were. That is not so much the case in Ghost in the Machine, at least early on. The fright in Ghost in the Machine was more mental – Ryan doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble is coming to him. There are scrawled messages on the wall of his bedroom and his father may be involved in the mystery he and Sarah are trying to solve.

There’s not a lot more to say without giving away too much. It’s a fun mystery, a great mix of text and video and I think young readers will enjoy a good scare. For more information, check out Carman’s websit,e http://www.patrickcarman.com.