Invasion Of Crooked Oak

The Crooked Oak Mysteries #1

by Dan Smith

Stranger Things meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this fast-paced, horror adventure with an ecological twist.

Something sinister is happening in Crooked Oak …



Ever since the fracking site closed, Nancy’s parents have been acting weird. Their eyes are blank, they won’t eat – it’s like they’re no longer themselves. And now the symptoms are affecting others as well ...



Nancy and her friends Pete and Krish are determined to find out what’s going on. But the deeper they dig, the scarier the mystery gets. A dark presence is spreading its tendrils across Crooked Oak. Can they stop it before it takes over the whole town?

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade, Fiction

104 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great solid spooky story which races through the plot and has some hairy moments at the end where you still don’t quite know if it will end well. Have already issued this to my first customer, a keen and improving dyslexic reader who snapped it up.

[Chris Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastically chilling adventure from Dan Smith. The spooky vibe from the very beginning did not let up, with countless horror film and book references creeping in too.
Delightfully disturbing!

[stefiereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good for a short story.

[Björndotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Läst för jobbet. Äntligen en lättläst mellanåldersbok med språkligt flyt och hög spänningsnivå!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this is brilliant. It’s a bit scary, action-packed and smart. Zombie-esque fighting, brilliant kids! What would you do if the adults in your town starting changing and acting all strange? Well it’s down to 3 kids to solve the mystery and save the day, ofc. I’d love more from this place!

[A Severs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid short sci-fi mystery story - dyslexia-friendly as it is a Barrington Stoke book. Some nice nods to the likes of Stranger Things, Hot Fuzz and Sean of the Dead.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything was fine in Crooked Oak until the fracking started. Nancy, Pete and Krish remember the good times they had at Carpenter's Field. When the field was fenced off and work happened, the strangeness started too.

Others in the town might not have noticed but Nancy's parents are acting weird; they won't go out during daylight hours, don't eat and have dead eyes. What makes it worse is their head teacher has the same look

Crooked Oak has always been a quiet town. Nothing ever seems to happen and they have often said they had a boring life, though Nancy, Pete and Krish think they might have stumbled into a mystery, one that might get them killed if they don't solve it

There is the mystery of what has caused the change in Nancy's parents and their head teacher, but when most of the town's people start to look the same, our three heroes have to do something drastic to make things right. This also means they risk becoming like them as there is a way the zombified townfolk can turn others into zombies. What remains to be seen is if they can turn them back to normal

Dan Smith has created a zombie horror with an environmental twist. The dangers of fracking are very real and used to great effect here. What I thought was a nice touch was the place names: Carpenter's Field, Elm Street, Ridley Lane and Mr King the shop owner. They are all names of horror or sci-fi places, authors or directors. I decided to play a game of spot the names and had a lot of fun doing it. I expect other readers will too. Dan gives us a creepy tale of life in an old town with a difference; our three heroes might not come out of their ordeal alive.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete, Krish and Nancy live in Crooked Oak, a quiet village where nothing much ever happens... until it does. Fuelled by their hobby looking up the latest weird stories on their favourite website – The Mystery Shed, the story takes off quickly. At its heart The Invasion of Crooked Oak is a sci-fi adventure story with a fast moving plot that will keep you turning the pages. When you stop to reflect, however, you’ll find there is more depth than you first thought. There is a strong environmental theme, including a child friendly description of fracking with the potential negatives illustrated by the community’s objections. Author, Dan Smith, also skilfully introduces a diverse cast of characters without losing sight of the central story. (Indeed, it’s the first time I’ve registered a character who suffers from chronic pain in a children’s book). Overall, "The Invasion of the Crooked Oak', students enjoyed the story, got them primed for good discussions, and lots of teachable moments whilst in a zombie like apocalypse novel.

[Miloo · Rating 5 out of 5]

WoW vilken härlig, Underbar, Spännande & Välskriven Bladvändare👍
Vi njöt av varje Sekund av denna Perfekta, Läskiga Pärla.
Allt vi kan göra är att Rekommendera den till er andra som älskar
Zombier Bara  WoW🧟‍♀️
Vårt Betyg blir helt klart
🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️ av 5st Smittade🧟‍♀️💕

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is why I should read the blurb! Can't believe it turned out to be a zombie book! 😱

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book.
It is easy to read and ideal for those who are learning to read

[Rob Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read rip roaring adventure.

[Lauren Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy to read book. Nice short chapters and excitement to grab you from the very beginning. Bit of a Stranger Things vibe to entice those who like the creepy and mysterious.

[Roos ❤️]

Fun short story to read for Halloween

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a quick book before I started another series. A fantastic story line that had some great twists. Would highly recommend to anyone with a spare hour.

[Hilde Kathrina]

I definitely enjoyed the spooky first part more than the action-heavy last part. But I did enjoy it! Didn’t want my metro ride to end until I’d found out what was going on... and I will certainly recommend it to dyslectic and/or reading-reluctant 8th graders at my school.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and spooky.