The neighborhood is tense and worried: Caleb Devlin is home again. Five years ago he did a heinous crime that the adults won’t talk about, so the kids’ imaginations run wild, and Penny starts to have panic attacks again because of all this. Penny and her brother Teddy are relatively new to the neighborhood, and Penny likes to hang with the guys. Their summer project is to build a summer fort by the creek. But thanks to Caleb being home again, the kids are forbidden to play in the woods or go by the creek. Of course, no one listens to their parents and often sneak out to play in the woods or swim in the creek. When mysterious things start happening around the neighborhood (e.g. pets missing), Caleb is immediately suspected. But Penny knows it could not be him, and struggles to figure out who really is causing all the mischief.This is a suspense/horror novel—I didn’t want to stop until I got to the end so that I could find out “whodunit.” Using Penny’s newness to the neighborhood was a good device to let the reader feel the action and the intrigue: we always know as much as Penny, thus feel like we’re part of the crowd. Penny is a likable enough character. She’s 13, and confused about many things that young teenagers are confused about. Why does Amy (the 14 year old across the street) not like her anymore? Why can’t she just be one of the guys anymore? Does she really have to wear a bra? I also enjoyed the boys around her, and her relationship with her brother. There are a couple of murders in the book, brief references to sexual feelings (v. little) and some violence (besides the murders). A good, quick read.
A 12 year old named Penny Carson is looking forward to the upcoming summer of doing nothing more important than hanging out with friends, which is group of neighborhood boys. Her family has just moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia, and Penny likes exploring the woods and the creek near her home, which is why this book is called the creek. Her parents know that dangers lurk even this rich neighborhood . When household pets start to turn up dead and fires start to destroy their fort, everyone blames the violence on Caleb Devlin, a older teen who is back in town after being in a juvenile detention following some violent crimes he committed years ago. Eventually Penny begins to suspect that Caleb is not the one responsible for this new wave of terror.Penny is at the puberty stage. She doesn't know if she wants to kiss the boys or play flashlight tag with them. She hates the bra her mom buys for her, but she is also embarrassed by the childish sundress she is forced to wear. For some inexplicable reason, she remains drawn to her neighbor Amy, an older girl who recently hit puberty and immediately became verbally abusive to Penny and her friends. As Penny investigates the grisly threats in her neighborhood, she also explores her own conflicted feelings about growing up.
What do You think about The Creek (2004)?
There was a boy, who is a legend after terrorizing an entire town before Penny and her family moved there. Now he’s back, older but more dangerous. Since his return, terrible things have started to occur again. While the police ignore the complaints of the citizens who know he’s to blame, a group of friends try to stay calm and find proof that it’s him. The only problem…… he’s after them too. The creek is a suspense thriller book. I couldn’t wait to read this book as many of my mates had convinced me to read it, and I can see why now. Even knowing that The Creek is fiction, it was hard to believe it wasn’t real with some of the detail and events shown to the reader. The Creek is now one of the books which I will read again and again as it was a great read! - Ben K
—James Hargest Library
There was a boy, who is a legend after terrorizing an entire town before Penny and her family moved there. Now he’s back, older but more dangerous. Since his return, terrible things have started to occur again. While the police ignore the complaints of the citizens who know he’s to blame, a group of friends try to stay calm and find proof that it’s him. The only problem…… he’s after them too. The creek is a suspense thriller book. I couldn’t wait to read this book as many of my mates had convinced me to read it, and I can see why now. Even knowing that The Creek is fiction, it was hard to believe it wasn’t real with some of the detail and events shown to the reader. The Creek is now one of the books that I will read again and again!
—Ben King
Hm.. what to say about this book? Well, it honestly creeped me out. It wasn't really scary, but just.. creepy and odd.Penny is the main character and she's very adventurous and she's a tomboy, which reminded me of when I was younger. She has 3 main guy friends: Oren, Mac, and Benji. She hangs out with them all the time.. who knows what happened to the girls in the neighborhood? I guess none of the neighbors had any around her age.. except for Amy, but they weren't friends anymore.But then Caleb Devlin comes back into town and havoc starts up (again). Penny suspects him at first, but then she realizes who it was at the end. I probably would never have seen it coming if I hadn't skipped to the end. Really, what the heck? Twelve-year-old's these days are so psycho.. On other note, I really did love Caleb in this book, even though Penny really detested him. Oh and Benji too! He was adorable. ♥
—Jenny
