By: Patrick Carman
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 192 
ISBN: 978-0545075701
Rating: ***

Synopsis: Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek. and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her video cam. The two move deeper into the mystery they've uncovered, determined to discover the secrets buried in Skeleton Creek, in the conclusion to Patrick Carman's thrilling series.

In this groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts -- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.

Review: The second book in the Skeleton Creek series picks up with fast paste where the last book left off. Creating for the reader a sense of immediate urgency for the characters and the situation that they find themselves in.   The world that this book takes place in is small and limited to the confines of the small town where our two heroes are from.  I always have enjoyed stories where the protagonist is a kid in a world full of clueless adults and GHOST IN THE MACHINE is no exception.   Ryan and Sarah are both realistic characters living in a town that seems to be on a downward slump when they find something incredible.  Given the conflict of being grounded and banned from seeing each other, the two characters manage to get into enough trouble to turn the small town on its head.

One of the unique aspects of this book is that it is an interactive multi media experience that is very ambitious.  Sarah, has a video-blog where she posts messages and clips from her investigation for Ryan to check out at home.  The catch is that in order to view her video’s Ryan needs a password. Each chapter heading provides the password for a live website that readers can then log into to watch the video adventures of Sarah. It is a great way to get young readers involved.  It also creates breaks in the narrative that allow the intended audience the change to feel that they are living out a real experience which draws them into the fictional world of the main characters. 

The only problem I had with the book was that often times I wouldn’t be near a computer when reading and could not watch the videos, which at times, are essential to the following chapters of the story.  Overall it was a fun read that anyone can enjoy.

Publisher’s site: http://www.scholastic.com/skeletoncreek/books/index.htm

Author’s site: http://www.patrickcarman.com/