Review: An unforgettable character in an unforgettable story.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2011
An unforgettable character in an unforgettable story.Right from the very beginning, I was quickly sucked in the story and life of  young Jimmy Stone.  The sudden loss of his baby sister and his beloved mother, Jimmy is left with a father who is absorbed within his own world and has no time for his son.  What time he does have for Jimmy is filled with verbal and emotional cruelness.Jimmy tries to make himself as invisible as possible, but still ends up being targeted by his school's bullies.  It is during this time that he meets and becomes close friends with another boy, David, who managed to break free from the same bullies' grasp.It is during a time when David, Jimmy and Jimmy's dog, Trex, are visiting in the woods behind Jimmy's house that fate takes a twist all it's own.  The three soon find themselves in a realm completely unlike their own, and meet a ghost who tells them that their adventure is just beginning.  Jimmy finds he is meant for greater things than he ever thought possible and it is up to him to bring peace.Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town is a delightfully engrossing story that will draw even the most hesitant of readers in.  Honestly, while I was reading, I was reminded a bit of the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, only for an older audience.  Perhaps it was the tree and the fact that touching it made them travel to this other realm, as well as the fact that Jimmy must put clues together to discover the final result, that made me make this connection.  Whatever the case, it hooked me in and I can't wait for the next in the series.I greatly enjoyed Scott Neumyer's writing style and while not overly scary or spooky, his writing brings a realistic touch to the story.  Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town is entertaining and emotionally locks the reader into Jimmy's persona and life, creating a bond that follows through the entirety of the story.  I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.