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Private School #4
Skeleton Key
Trapped like a Fly - In a Web of Mounting Terror
The aliens were taking over. At first, Jennifer thought the horrible menace was confined to posh Thaler Academy. But now, she and her friends were beginning to realize that no one could be trusted. Not even the police.
The terror was growing. The hideous creatures that roamed the school grounds assumed human forms. And worse yet, the unearthly beasts knew about Jennifer-and her plan to expose them. Could she stop the escalating nightmare before the aliens bound the key to Earth's ultimate destruction?
The aliens were taking over. At first, Jennifer thought the horrible menace was confined to posh Thaler Academy. But now, she and her friends were beginning to realize that no one could be trusted. Not even the police.
The terror was growing. The hideous creatures that roamed the school grounds assumed human forms. And worse yet, the unearthly beasts knew about Jennifer-and her plan to expose them. Could she stop the escalating nightmare before the aliens bound the key to Earth's ultimate destruction?
150 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1986
1 person is currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 18, 2025
Spoilers ahead but you already knew that right?
One point that this book has in its favor is that the cover art is a book accurate scene when Jennifer goes to swim at the Thaler Academy pool and one of the alien wolf forms goes after her.
Skeleton Key is also a plot related title because the were-aliens are close to figuring out how to alter our planets oxygen but are missing the one final key to decipher it.
It has been two days since librarian Pauline Klopher and Professor Borden Overbrook, the only two adults who believed Jennifer and her friends, have gone missing. The teens were following behind Overbrook's motorcycle but were ran off the road by a pitch-black vehicle and once they recovered themselves, they discovered the abandoned motorcycle.
Lee and Gordon haven't voiced their opinions, but Marysue believes they might be dead, yet Jennifer can't give up hope that they may still be alive. She decides that the next adult they need to turn to is another police officer in Staines named Rumbel that Lee told her about. He is a big and sweaty detective who has it out for teenage delinquents and seems to harass Lee the most.
Jennifer knows her townie boyfriend can break into houses and hotwire cars, but he is also smart and intelligent to be attending special classes at Thaler. Gordon also looks like a football playing titan but he's actually shy and quite the sci-fi nerd so Jennifer can't understand anyone having it out for her friends.
The person who Jennifer knows with actual reason to go after her friends would be the dean of the school, Peter Dramon. Discovering Jennifer snooping through Pauline's library front desk, he tells her to report to his office. Jennifer tries to flee by escaping to the basement and what she discovers is Professor Overbrook, who has been hiding for two days without food or rest.
Jennifer is able to hide him in her room at the school, and they develop a secret knock, as Jennifer cannot hide from Dramon forever. Marysue and Monica are both gone from campus in their respective cars, Lee has a bike and Gordon's car was wrecked out of commission, so Jennifer has no way to leave and now...a professor is hiding out in her room.
It is made quite clear by the dean that he is one of the aliens and that he is going to make sure that Jennifer and her friends won't stop what is close to coming. I'll give the book another positive in that Jennifer is a really good protagonist because she plans to expose the aliens even if she has to do it alone.
Even though the other characters are important, Jennifer is our hero, and it is also made clear by Dean Dramon that they have no intention of killing her, but all of her friends are expendable.
And so, the story goes on with two books left.
One point that this book has in its favor is that the cover art is a book accurate scene when Jennifer goes to swim at the Thaler Academy pool and one of the alien wolf forms goes after her.
Skeleton Key is also a plot related title because the were-aliens are close to figuring out how to alter our planets oxygen but are missing the one final key to decipher it.
It has been two days since librarian Pauline Klopher and Professor Borden Overbrook, the only two adults who believed Jennifer and her friends, have gone missing. The teens were following behind Overbrook's motorcycle but were ran off the road by a pitch-black vehicle and once they recovered themselves, they discovered the abandoned motorcycle.
Lee and Gordon haven't voiced their opinions, but Marysue believes they might be dead, yet Jennifer can't give up hope that they may still be alive. She decides that the next adult they need to turn to is another police officer in Staines named Rumbel that Lee told her about. He is a big and sweaty detective who has it out for teenage delinquents and seems to harass Lee the most.
Jennifer knows her townie boyfriend can break into houses and hotwire cars, but he is also smart and intelligent to be attending special classes at Thaler. Gordon also looks like a football playing titan but he's actually shy and quite the sci-fi nerd so Jennifer can't understand anyone having it out for her friends.
The person who Jennifer knows with actual reason to go after her friends would be the dean of the school, Peter Dramon. Discovering Jennifer snooping through Pauline's library front desk, he tells her to report to his office. Jennifer tries to flee by escaping to the basement and what she discovers is Professor Overbrook, who has been hiding for two days without food or rest.
Jennifer is able to hide him in her room at the school, and they develop a secret knock, as Jennifer cannot hide from Dramon forever. Marysue and Monica are both gone from campus in their respective cars, Lee has a bike and Gordon's car was wrecked out of commission, so Jennifer has no way to leave and now...a professor is hiding out in her room.
It is made quite clear by the dean that he is one of the aliens and that he is going to make sure that Jennifer and her friends won't stop what is close to coming. I'll give the book another positive in that Jennifer is a really good protagonist because she plans to expose the aliens even if she has to do it alone.
Even though the other characters are important, Jennifer is our hero, and it is also made clear by Dean Dramon that they have no intention of killing her, but all of her friends are expendable.
And so, the story goes on with two books left.
December 6, 2018
As usual quite action-packed and full of 80's nostalgia, I love seeing the story unfold and following the adventures of Jennifer and the gang.
November 22, 2014
The conspiracy keeps getting bigger. They figured out the alien's plan but have no way to tell anyone and be believed. And now the aliens seem to be through playing cat and mouse games.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews