Dear Patrick:
I told you I didn't like scary books.
When you were here in September, I told you how I went and book-talked your books to four schools, and I told them all that SKELETON CREEK would be perfect for them if they liked scary books, but that I didn't like scary books so I had to put it down after chapter four and couldn't watch any of the videos. And what did you say?
"Melissa, just remember that it's me who wrote them! You've met me. I'm the man behind the curtain. I'm not scary!"
Or something like that.
Okay. I thought, I'm a children's bookseller! I am almost 40 years old. I can read a book designed for ages 12 and up and be just fine. Patrick is really nice. I'll just remember that, and I'll be able to get through the book.
I got to page 135. I skipped all the videos. And I freaked myself out so much I locked myself into the bedroom last night.
DEAR PATRICK I DO NOT LIKE SCARY BOOKS THE END.
If you like scary books, this is a scary book. You may not find it all that scary, if you are a connoisseur of scary books; you may read this and think I am a wimp. I am fully prepared to accept that. I like princesses and ponies. And I can tell you, Patrick Carman is an AWESOME writer. He did exactly what he set out to do: scare the pants off me. (Yes, it is all about me.)
Oh, what's the book about, you ask?
A guy named Will suffers from a horrible, crippling phobia. His doctor sends him off with six other teenage phobia sufferers to Fort Eden, a place meant to help people with this problem. None of the teens know anything about what's going on there...except Will. Will's been sneaking into his doctor's files, and not only knows a lot about his fellow patients, but has a lot of info about Fort Eden itself. When they're deposited there, he disappears into the woods with a backpack full of supplies, determined to observe from the outside and see what's really going on.
The teens are put into weird rooms where they are forced to face their worst fears, and when they emerge from the rooms, they seem to be cured. But of course there's more going on here than that, and Will is determined to get to the bottom of it.
Like Patrick's SKELETON CREEK, TRACKERS, and 3:15 series, DARK EDEN includes a lot of electronic content. You can go take The Fear Test. Also at that page is the awesome trailer, and a link to where you can buy the fully interactive book app. With the app you can read the book, watch videos, look at maps of Fort Eden, and really immerse yourself in the book fully. You all know I am not the biggest fan of e-books, but this one is truly special, and I absolutely appreciate what Patrick is trying to do with it: make it irresistable to teens who might have left reading behind or turning to other things. And it WORKS. He is pretty much a genius at this sort of thing, and he's got a great team working with him.
BUT IT IS STILL TOO SCARY FOR ME. I will wait for the sequel to FLOORS, thank you very much.
Page 135 is a victory! Thank you for overcoming your fear. Means a lot (author smiles). Enjoy your day : ) PC
Posted by: Patrick Carman | 10/12/2011 at 09:58 AM