Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town by Scott Neumyer ~ review

Synopsis from Amazon.com

For Jimmy Stone, life in "Boredsylvania" has been pretty tough. His mom's died, his dad's completely checked out, and he spends his days running from the Coogan Boys, the local bullies. It isn't long, however, before "Boredsylvania" gets a lot more exciting. With his new friend, David and his dog, Trex, by his side, Jimmy discovers that the woods beyond his backyard hold the key to a world he could never even imagine. Soon, he ends up in Ghost Town, where he’s greeted by his ghost guide, Gasp, and receives an ominous prophecy.
“Seven things you must find.

One thing for each day.

Seven things you must find.

Or else they all will pay!
Suddenly Ghost Town becomes as scary as it sounds, and Jimmy Stone realizes that he's in way over his head.

My take on this book:
Jimmy Stone has had several disappointments in his life. The book starts out with him as a third grader, anticipating his mother bringing his new baby sister home from the hospital, her name would have been Charlotte. Instead, when his mom comes home, she brings Jimmy a puppy, which he names Trex. Shortly after his mother dies, and his grandmother goes away. All he has left is his dad and Trex, and his dad really doesn't act the same as he did before his mom died. When his dad announces that he is going to move them to rural Pennsylvania Jimmy is less than thrilled.

Fast forward Jimmy is in the fifth grade, in a state he refers to as Bordsylvania. In school he is targeted by bullies. When fellow classmate David McGee, steps forward to teach him how to deal with the bullies, Jimmy makes his first friend ever. An evening trek into the woods finds Jimmy, David and Trex embarking on an adventure to a place called Ghost Town, where they must find seven things in seven different realms, before they can ever return home!

The authors writing quickly transports you into the world of Jimmy Stone. Even though Jimmy had several tragedies in his young life, his determination and spunk really shines thru. While the story is a quick read, the author packs alot of twists into the story, so that it never becomes boring. I found myself speeding thru it just to see what would happen next. I think one of my favorite scenes was when Jimmy was hiding out in the bathroom, I could so easily picture it! Although when Trex speaks was pretty awesome as well!

While this book is geared toward ages 10 and up, I honestly think it would appeal to young and old alike. I know I really enjoyed it.

Overall a very well written book, with an ending that will leave readers anxious for more!



Selling for only .99 cents, at places like Amazon.com ,and Barnes & Noble it is definitely worth picking up!


rating 5/5