What if the monsters from your favorite horror books were real?
Eddie
Fennicks has always been a loner, content to lose himself in a mystery
novel by his favorite author, Nathaniel Olmstead. That’s why moving to
the small town of Gatesweed becomes a dream come true when Eddie
discovers that Olmstead lived there before mysteriously disappearing
thirteen years ago. Even better, Eddie finds a handwritten,
never-before-seen Nathaniel Olmstead book printed in code and befriends
Harris, who’s as much an Olmsteady as he is. But then the frightening
creatures of Olmstead’s books begin to show up in real life, and
Eddie’s dream turns into a nightmare. Eddie, Harris, and their new
friend, Maggie, must break Olmstead’s code, banish all gremlins and
monster lake-dogs from the town of Gatesweed, and solve the mystery of
the missing author, all before Eddie’s mom finishes writing her own tale of terror and brings to life the scariest creature of all.
The beautiful cover illustration is by Steve Stone, copyright 2009. The jacket was designed by Ellice M. Lee.
"Dan Poblocki begins a fantastic career with The Stone Child. My old writing mentor, John Bellairs, would have loved this tale!" -- Brad Strickland, author of The John Bellairs Mysteries
"A fast-moving, suspenseful read, filled with the thrills and chills young people love!" --Mary Downing Hahn, award-winning author of Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, the town where I spent most of my childhood, was filled with mystery. Local legends abound there still. When I would travel from New York City to visit my family, I was constantly reminded of how fascinated I once was by these creepy places. The mansions and roads in the Bernardsville Mountains were always on my mind... I guess they crept into my writing as well. I began to imagine a town where the local legends were real. Eventually, I asked myself the question... how? What if a mystery author wrote about these places in his books? What kind of person would he be? And what if he wasn't around for anyone to ask?
