Title: The Dead Man in Indian Creek

Author: Hahn, Mary Downing

Book Preview:

Parker and Matt went camping near a creek.  When they went to the creek they stumbled upon a dead body.  Across from them they see a man walk quickly away but not before Parker recognizes him as George Evans, a local antique storeowner.  Parker is worried because his mom is dating George.  Does George have something to do with the murder?  Parker will do anything to prove that George is guilty.

Rating:

I thought this book was a page-turner because it was not boring, and it was hard to put the book down. One example is when Parker and Matt were walking to the creek and saw George. The author made this mystery very deep by having parts that made you get closer and closer to solving it.

My favorite character was Parker because he had most of the exciting parts, like when he was fighting Flynn and punched him in the face. I also liked him because he always knew where to go and what to do.

The ending was one of the best parts in this book. The end solved the mystery, but it did not give the mystery away until the very end. I think the author did this so that the reader would not stop until the end. Most books end 3/4ths through the book and then talk about something else. This book does not.

This book was not well organized because it was bouncing around from one part to another. For example Matt was talking about a bird, then it was talking about Parker hearing the sounds of a car. That bounced from one topic to a completely different topic.

There were a lot of exciting events in this book. One was when Parker and Matt were in the antique shop and two cars drove into the parking lot. That made me read as fast as I could so I could find out if they got out or not. There were many more very good events in this book, but they would give the book away if I told you them.

The reason I did not give this book a four is because it could have been a little better. I would have put more exciting parts, and the beginning could have been better. Another thing that I would have changed would be to not bounce around from place to place. For example Parker and Matt were running to the police station, then the author talked about how Parker’s sister just getting there. Those would be the only things I would change in this book.

There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. One is when Parker and Matt were fighting Flynn and that Otis came in and saved them. That was one of my favorite parts in this book. Another one is that it is a mystery book and my favorite book is a deep mystery book, a book where when the mystery does not really end. It keeps going and never stops. [Mike]

The descriptions in this book held my attention. I could easily visualize what the author was trying to say. I really liked how she described the dead man.

The introduction really grabbed my attention, and I didn’t want to put it down. The book didn’t ramble on. It just got to the point. I also enjoyed the setting around Halloween.

I found the ending to be very suspenseful. It was a real "cliff hanger" that was unexpected and exciting. It was action packed.

The Dead Man in Indian Creek was well organized and easy to follow. It didn’t bounce around and really focused on the main topic. Everything was spread out and was not crammed together.

The characters in this book were likeable and interesting. I really could relate to them. The one character I really liked was Jennifer. She was really funny and gave a lot of excitement to the story. [Amy]

The description was well written and made me want to move onto the next chapter and to find out what happens. There was one part that I want to point out. It was when they described the dead man’s face and how it was placed it the river. It put a clear picture in my head.

Each event leads into another and always stuck to the point. It didn’t bounce around like other books I’ve read. All the events were very exciting. For example, when they were at the fair I didn’t suspect what happened.

It didn’t bounce around and one thing had an effect on something. This made me think, how will this affect the story. The plot was very good and stuck to the point.

They brought out my interest and made me want to move on. I could really put myself into their shoes but they were close to an average kid. The characters were very unique and have totally different personality.

Description and questions that would be answered latter in the book kept my interest. There weren’t too many questions, but the few where very good. In there was a part when I didn’t want to read on because there wasn’t any question or much description.

This book was a type of book that I liked. It was a book I could put myself into their shoes, since I could do that it made me want to read on. There were also times I could not do that and made me not to read on. The author also had some spots where there was not much description and no questions that I could ask myself. Those made me not want to read on. I think the author should’ve always had a couple of questions at the end of every chapter. She probably didn’t do that that because she might’ve thought she had questions in the chapter. [Craig]

The introduction to this book was ok because it gave away the good part the problem. Other than that in was an exciting beginning.

The description was great. For example (I don’t really remember this but I know that it had great description) Matt and Parker were running though the woods trying to get away from George Evans.

The organization was ok, because in some parts it jumped around. For example Matt and Parker were running from George Evans and all of a sudden they were in this woods area.

The events were suspenseful. For example when George Evans walks in his store while Matt and Parker where still there. It was really suspenseful and there was also joy when everyone was safe at the end.

The ending was great. Parker finally got to see his mom happy and got the criminal in jail. [Ian]

It had great description and was full of details. An example of that was when he describes the dead man by saying his face was a pale white, his eyes were wide open as though he was scared to death, and there was a bullet hole right in the forehead.

I also thought it had very interesting events. An example is they found drugs in the shop. Also when they found the dead man.

The book was also very well organized. Every part was in order. Also the book didn’t jump around, it stayed on the same topic.

The characters were also interesting. For example Matt’s little sister and her attitude, Matt’s family (His father and Mother), Parker’s mother (Pam) a.k.a George Evans girlfriend, the townspeople (The police officers, the neighbor), etc.

Another thing that is interesting about this book is its real life lesson, which is to always do what you know is right.

I think this book is better than Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets because it has more exciting events, and more mystery. [Marc]