Fans of The Crossroads will enjoy eleven-year-old Zack Jennings's second adventure. Zack's ability to see ghosts helps him understand the bloody history of an old theater as he's called on to save two young costars from a director-turned-necromancer. Grabenstein's plot combines action, humor, and lots of ghosts for an entertaining read that will appeal to horror fans moving on from Goosebumps.

Thrills and chills of the ectoplasmic and mildly gruesome kind abound in this exciting, humorous sequel to The Crossroads (2008), the author's first novel about 11-year-old Zack Jennings, who sees and vanquishes ghosts. Zack and his famous-author stepmom Judy arrive at a regional theater in Connecticut where a musical based on Judy's popular books is to be produced. There's more to this theater than greasepaint and sawdust, however. (Hint: Not for nothing is it called "The Hanging Hill Playhouse.") Before long Zack encounters all manner of specters who met their demise in and around the place, and readers are let in on the secret, demented doings of the director, whose dabblings in necromancy are designed to resurrect brutal killers. A new friendship with a famous young film star develops realistically, and Zack and other benevolent ghost hunters are soon on the breathtaking case. Readers will race through terse sentences and demonically paced chapters to reach the satisfying, Indiana Joneslike and, yes, thought-provoking ending—and they'll be hanging on for the next installment. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Gr 4-7 The Hanging Hill Playhouse has a long, dark history as Zack soon discovers. The 11-year-old, who has the ability to see ghosts; his stepmother, Judy; and his dog arrive at the theater for rehearsals of Curiosity Cat , the musical Judy has written. They are unaware of anything sinister until a series of mysterious ghosts appears and strange things begin to happen. Zack and Meghan, a young actress, nose about while the "psycho" director loses himself in necromancy. An endearing element in the novel is the warm relationship between Zack and his stepmother. The plot is fast paced and there are numerous characters, especially toward the end, with frequent scene switches that demand a lot of readers' ability to visualize the goings-on. All in all, this successor to The Crossroads (Random, 2008) is a successful stand-alone. The story line is hauntingly delicious as the fully fleshed-out creepiness comes tempered with humor. It's a throwback to the kids' matinees of yore. Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL