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The Haunting of Derek Stone #4
The Ghost Road
Could the road to the afterlife be a two-way street? Reader reviews are in, and Tony Abbott is capturing the middle-grade fantasy audience with this new series!
Derek can't claim to be a normal fourteen-year-old anymore. Not after what he discovered at the Red House. His role in the war against the dead is more pivotal --- and more terrifying --- than he could have imagined.
And so it all comes down to this. The Rift between the worlds of the living and the dead has to be closed . . . forever. It seems like an impossible task. And it rests squarely on the shoulders of a slightly overweight, not especially brave kid named Derek Stone.
If Derek is ever going to become a hero, now's the time.
Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 9/1/2009 Pages: 144 Reading Level: Age 8 and Up
Derek can't claim to be a normal fourteen-year-old anymore. Not after what he discovered at the Red House. His role in the war against the dead is more pivotal --- and more terrifying --- than he could have imagined.
And so it all comes down to this. The Rift between the worlds of the living and the dead has to be closed . . . forever. It seems like an impossible task. And it rests squarely on the shoulders of a slightly overweight, not especially brave kid named Derek Stone.
If Derek is ever going to become a hero, now's the time.
Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 9/1/2009 Pages: 144 Reading Level: Age 8 and Up
162 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
16 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Tony Abbott
210 books403 followersTony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 7, 2023
This series amazed me. I devoured the four books, and was elated by the ending, but left wanting more in the story arc. According to the author's website, that might be possible. We can only hope there will be more books featuring Derek Stone. Derek always thought he was just a normal 14 year-old, but now he knows that is not so. He is being chased by dead people, reanimated by returned souls; he can hear them and feel their presence. He can see ghosts. Along with the reanimated body of his brother and a coma survivor, they are the last hope of humanity. But will he become evil to defeat evil, and will he sacrifice his humanity to save all of humanity? These are questions Derek struggles with in this the fourth book in the Haunting of Derek Stone Series.
These books were great, and they would make an amazing movie or TV mini-series. The story is compelling and highly addictive. You feel for the characters and realize the issues they are struggling with have deep personal consequences. All in all, the four books were riveting.
Tony Abbot amazed me with this series. I could not have told you his name, but I was aware of his series The Secrets of Droon, yet had not read any of them. The fact that he has over 70 books published means that if they are all the calibre of this series I have a lot of good reading ahead of me. Tony Abbott is most known for his Secrets of Droon series and his bestselling novels, Kringle and Firegirl. He is the author of over 70 books, many of which are now on my to-read list.
These books were great, and they would make an amazing movie or TV mini-series. The story is compelling and highly addictive. You feel for the characters and realize the issues they are struggling with have deep personal consequences. All in all, the four books were riveting.
Tony Abbot amazed me with this series. I could not have told you his name, but I was aware of his series The Secrets of Droon, yet had not read any of them. The fact that he has over 70 books published means that if they are all the calibre of this series I have a lot of good reading ahead of me. Tony Abbott is most known for his Secrets of Droon series and his bestselling novels, Kringle and Firegirl. He is the author of over 70 books, many of which are now on my to-read list.
July 1, 2010
I loved, loved, loved this book! I read the whole series twice!
March 15, 2017
I think it was a great book and if you are into horror you should defiantly read because it is the best one out of the series but you should read 1, 2, and 3 so you can follow the story all the way through
March 21, 2010
Strong ending to a great series. Good read alike to Skeleton Creek.
November 23, 2011
A cute story that starts out in the middle of a chase scene so your hooked right away.
November 28, 2011
The begining was fantastic. Thrilling, suspensful, and action on every page. The endding I felt was rushed.
September 29, 2018
A kind of disappointing climax for a relatively engaging book series.
After reading the first three, I was really excited to see how the series resolved, especially with the interesting but kind-of-predictable plot twist towards the end of The Red House.
The ending left me with more questions than answers, and definitely felt a little rushed. It didn't feel like the end of the series, rather, it ended in much the same manner as the other three books. It felt more the ending of a chapter.
Anyway, it's a fun story. Relatively engaging. Virgil is by far the most interesting character in the series, and I actually found him really endearing. If you have a free afternoon, it's probably worth finishing.
And here's just a small sampling of the things that I'm mad were never addressed.
After reading the first three, I was really excited to see how the series resolved, especially with the interesting but kind-of-predictable plot twist towards the end of The Red House.
The ending left me with more questions than answers, and definitely felt a little rushed. It didn't feel like the end of the series, rather, it ended in much the same manner as the other three books. It felt more the ending of a chapter.
Anyway, it's a fun story. Relatively engaging. Virgil is by far the most interesting character in the series, and I actually found him really endearing. If you have a free afternoon, it's probably worth finishing.
And here's just a small sampling of the things that I'm mad were never addressed.
October 18, 2018
The book was an amazing finale to the series because the dramatic ending makes you really feel for the characters even though they are just fiction. I think that this is probably the 3rd best book series I've read. Derek has the worst life but pushes through it even after everything everyone says to him, he knows what he has to accomplish even after everything. This book i would recommend to anyone.
July 28, 2020
A great creepy ending to this series.
May 25, 2021
I didn't like the beginning of the book. It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. The book was just moving to fast. Anyone who likes horror stories may actually like it better than I did.
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January 8, 2024how am i supposed to read this?
November 4, 2012
Reviewed by YoungBibliophile for TeensReadToo.com
Derek Stone is not feeling like himself. Maybe that's because he just found out that he really isn't himself.
That's because when Derek was four and almost drowned in a pond, he really did. The soul of an ancestor, Ulysses Longtemps, translated into his body to wait for the time when he could fulfill his purpose. Which just so happens to be closing The Wound, a giant hole between this world and the next that will be reopened during a reenactment of the Civil War battle that killed Ulysses the first time around.
Plus, the reenactors have been translated into souls helping the Legion. All that Derek has to help him is a cryptic unfinished poem written by his ancestor/former self. Things aren't looking so good for Derek.
Derek is literally racing against time in this story, fighting to close The Wound before more people get translated. The Civil War reenactment backdrop is a thrilling setting, combining past with present in a spooky way.
THE GHOST ROAD, the fourth story in THE HAUNTING OF DEREK STONE series, is so exciting and surprising, I could hardly put it down!
Derek Stone is not feeling like himself. Maybe that's because he just found out that he really isn't himself.
That's because when Derek was four and almost drowned in a pond, he really did. The soul of an ancestor, Ulysses Longtemps, translated into his body to wait for the time when he could fulfill his purpose. Which just so happens to be closing The Wound, a giant hole between this world and the next that will be reopened during a reenactment of the Civil War battle that killed Ulysses the first time around.
Plus, the reenactors have been translated into souls helping the Legion. All that Derek has to help him is a cryptic unfinished poem written by his ancestor/former self. Things aren't looking so good for Derek.
Derek is literally racing against time in this story, fighting to close The Wound before more people get translated. The Civil War reenactment backdrop is a thrilling setting, combining past with present in a spooky way.
THE GHOST ROAD, the fourth story in THE HAUNTING OF DEREK STONE series, is so exciting and surprising, I could hardly put it down!
August 3, 2016
This is the first book in a new series. The link goes to the first book in the series only. Amazon will direct you to the remainder. This series is a new twist on the zombie tale and has a very Gothic feel. The dead are coming back! Derek Stone, his father, and brother are in a terrible train wreck exactly where another train wrecked many years before. At first he believes his brother Ronny to be dead, then Ronny's body returns inhabited by the soul of Virgil Black who was killed in the original accident. The books are not really stand alones, each leaves too many unanswered questions that you hope will be forthcoming in the next of the series; hence the entire series being listed under one entry.
March 31, 2015
Derek has come a long way since the train accident and a lot has happened. Derek had trouble accepting the fact that the dead were coming back, but now, he has to accept he is apparently one of them!
And at the same time, he has to close the wound to stop the Legion from taking over the world.
Well, this is the end of this story for Derek. From what I read on the author's website, there might be Derek Stone books and I definitely hope so. This was a great series. It is fast paced, lots of twists and action. I've really enjoyed this series and the last book is just great. I'm wondering now though, what will Abby and Derek be doing? How will they go back to their lives after this, especially Derek? Anyway, it was a great book.
And at the same time, he has to close the wound to stop the Legion from taking over the world.
Well, this is the end of this story for Derek. From what I read on the author's website, there might be Derek Stone books and I definitely hope so. This was a great series. It is fast paced, lots of twists and action. I've really enjoyed this series and the last book is just great. I'm wondering now though, what will Abby and Derek be doing? How will they go back to their lives after this, especially Derek? Anyway, it was a great book.
November 9, 2010
The final chapter, is by far the most exciting. This is the part, where soon Derek will have to close the rift. The rift is where the two worlds of souls would collide. Now the whole army of the dead are after him. He has too decide what to do. And those voices don't leave him alone. The Rest? Read the book.
The whole series of books, was a great collection. I wished the books went to a 5th and 6th part. This part has many twist that soon unravel.
The whole series of books, was a great collection. I wished the books went to a 5th and 6th part. This part has many twist that soon unravel.
November 19, 2013
I was really back and forth on this book. Some parts were interesting and I enjoyed it, sometimes I couldn't wait to finish it because I just didn't care anymore. I really did not like that Tony Abbott left some things, a lot of things actually, unfinished. It kind of made me wonder what the point of the whole story was, there were so many loose ends. I think I would have loved this if I had read it when I was 10, if only for the creepiness. But as an adult I am kind of disappointed.
July 1, 2013
Pretty good conclusion to this story, but with a 2 book build-up, I can't help but feel a little let down by the ending. Plus, there were still some outstanding questions I had. But all in all it was a pretty good, exciting and interesting story throughout all the books.
January 25, 2011
The end! Now I can move on to something else. 8-) I'm wondering if my nephew would like these ...
June 12, 2011
Weird series.
May 8, 2013
Great ending to an awesome series. :)
Book thoughts to come...
Book thoughts to come...
April 10, 2012
This is a great book The Ghost Road was the first book i have ever read since 1996 on June 10 i started. it is a great book to try even if you haven't read one chapter
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May 10, 2013An Amazing book It was a mystery sorta but amazing
August 8, 2015
Final book in the series. A little too drawn out for my taste, but the boys will like it.
March 15, 2016
I LIKE IT, NO, I ACTUALLY LOVED IT........(psst.... its the last part, and i read it before so actually i didnt qiute get it ;) oh jk it is brilliant)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews