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Read The Black Heart Crypt (2011)

The Black Heart Crypt (2011)

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Rating
3.9 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
037586900X (ISBN13: 9780375869006)
Language
English
Publisher
random house books for young readers

The Black Heart Crypt (2011) - Plot & Excerpts

The black heart crypt is the fourth book in the series and I read books 1 and 2. They were pretty good although they were kind of comfusing in the beginning.This book is about a boy named Zack and he comes from a family who can see and hear ghosts. It's almost Halloween, the time of the year when the border between the spirit world and the human world are very thin, almost thin enough to break through. Then when the thirteen Ikleby ghosts sense that Zack is a Jennings they want revenge for what happend to them long ago. Unaware zack and his friends accidentally open the spell locking them inside and now they're free and murderous.I picked this book up because it looked good and because the first two books were pretty good so I wanted to read this one.I finished this book because I wanted to find out what Zack would do to stop the Ikleby ghosts.I would recommend this book to Gabrielle because she likes to read horror books that have to do with zombies and stuff like that so i think that she would like this book.

I read the previous 3 books in Chris Grabenstein's haunted mystery series. I think this fourth book, "the Black Heart Crypt", is the best so far. Zack Jennings is back with the ability to see ghosts. It is nearing Halloween and the spirits are restless. Especially the 13 ghosts that are trapped in the Ickleby mausoleum at the Haddam Hill Cemetery. They want their revenge on the youngest Jennings, which happens to be Zack. I think I enjoyed this story because his 3 grand-aunts come to the rescue to put back the Ickleby ghosts which they originally put in 30 years prior. The story moved quickly and there were several stories within the story that I enjoyed tremendously. I think even my 10 year old daughter would enjoy it as much as I did. Its scary, but not wildly scary that it would be put off by the age group its targeted for. There are lots of fun parts that balance the scary parts.

What do You think about The Black Heart Crypt (2011)?

Zack is back, and this time he is trying to get help for seeing ghosts. Part of this help arrives in the unlikely guise of three quirky aunts, in whose trunk Zack and his friends find a heart shaped puzzle. They unwittingly set free centuries worth of Ickleby ghosts when they take the puzzle apart, and they must put up with a gruesome cast of evil doers in order to redo the spell and save their town for being brutalized by the Ickleby criminals. Zack's stepmother Judy is supportive as always, and Zack's mother continues to make creepy appearances, although this time she is more apologetic and interested in making amends.Strengths: Good, creepy story with great ghosts and a strong supporting cast of ghost fighters. A bit icky at times, and similar to John Bellairs in its creepy factor.Weaknesses: I almost wish that these titles were not in a series, so that students could pick up the volumes independently.
—Ms. Yingling

This one has more humor & lacks a little of the poignancy of the first two, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Zack is lucky enough to have both friends & family on his side now, & his fight against ghosts out to do harm to living humans is more fun & less lonely now. For this Halloween ghost extravaganza, he's got three "herbologist" great-aunts in addition to his beloved dad & stepmom (he thinks they might actually be witches) & his two closest friends, who may not be able to see the ghosts they're fighting, but still bring a lot of enthusiasm & smarts to the table. Which is good, because Zack's got to deal with the ghosts of thirteen very angry members of the outlaw Ickleby family, who are out for revenge against the Jennings family - & they have their sights on Zack.
—Brett

Another winning story starring Zack, Zipper and Judy. At times it reminded me of a cross between Scarecrow of Romney March and Sleepy Hollow the movie. Not quite as graphic as the previous book but an exciting tale to while away the hours and being thankful not to see/hear ghosts! A side note, I would have expected the author to further the storyline about Zack's biological mother, perhaps even writing a whole book around it. There was a build-up to her reappearance and yet she ended up being just a small blip in the storyline.
—Susan

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