Haunted Mystery Series:

The Crossroads

Book 1

The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Grabenstein

Middle Grade (9-13)
Random House, 2008

ISBN: 9780375846984

FULL SERIES

Haunted Mystery Series

The Crossroads

Book 1

AWARDS

2010 Anthony And Agatha Awards Winner (Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel) • A Top 10 Crime Fiction Book For Youth (Booklist) • Children’s Choice List (Children’s Book Council/International Reading Association)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Zack, his dad, and new stepmother have just moved back to his father’s hometown in Connecticut, 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 forty 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!

REVIEWS

“An absorbing psychological thriller as well as a rip-roaring ghost story, this switches points of view among humans, trees, and ghosts with astonishing élan. Expect lots of requests.”
—Booklist, starred review

“Brief, fast-paced action chapters, tight plotting, several murders and a sympathetic main character keep things moving, as long-buried clues to the mystery of a tragic accident are revealed with some help from kindly phantoms.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A well-told ghost story with plenty of twists and chills.”
—School Library Journal

EXTRAS

Series Book Trailer