Skin

Night Fall ™ #2

by Rick Jasper

It looks like a pizza exploded on Nick Barry's face. But bad skin is the least of his problems. His bones feel like living ice. A strange rash―like scratches―seems to be some sort of ancient code. And then there's the anger...

Something evil is living under Nick's skin. Where did it come from? What does it want? With the help of a dead kid's diary, a nun, and a local professor, Nick slowly finds out what's wrong with him. But there's still one question that Nick must face How do you destroy an evil that's inside you?

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Mystery

106 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Rick Jasper is a former middle-school teacher and a long-time magazine editor and writer. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his daughter.

Reviews

[Janie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So my niece bought this book while visiting us and she zipped through it in about a half a day if that. She left the book behind because she thought I might also like it. This is a YA good VS. Evil story and is part of a pretty long series and the book only has a little over 100 pages, so it was a very quick read. I found it to be quite interesting and I did find myself pretty engrossed by the story. It was quite different from other YA horror/thriller stories. I feel like even though it was very different, it was lacking that excitement that I expected it to have. I wanted more thriller aspects to the story. There were some intense scenes to the story, but I feel like it could have been a lot more than it was. The ending seemed too easy, or maybe it felt rushed. Either way, I do think that I will pick up other books to this series.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting, its about a boy who all of a sudden comes down with a terrible case of acne, worse than anyone has ever seen, and he has to figure out what went wrong. With the help of a priest, a librarian, and a doctor he figures it out. it sounds intriguing but it falls short due to improper character development, there is literally nothing worse than when the character is nonchalant about ridiculously huge details. 2 more things that bothered me were my library started putting a big sticker that shows the reading level, this book was for a third grader and i just could not wrap my head around how morbid it would be for an eight year old. the last thing that bothered me is that this is the second book in a series, which makes no sense because nothing even happened the first half of the book.

[Tanika Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin is a fiction novel written by Rick Jasper published in 2010. This book is about a young boy in high school named Nick Barry who has this demand from hell inside name Al. People pitch in to help Nick out; to try to get Al out of him. Do they succeed? The author purpose for writing this book is to entertain but also using real life issues. Rick Jasper organized “Skin” in very short chapters but they flow and in his style he asks questions but gets them answered right after. He also gets into details really good so the readers can picture what’s going on. The book made me not want to put it down because I was always anxious to know what was going to happen next. The book did achieve its goal. It was very interesting to read, this was my first time reading this author but I enjoyed him. If you are into possessed books but entertaining at the same time then “Skin” is a great pick for you. I recommend you read it and it’s a pretty quick read if that’s what you’re looking for at that time. I will read another one of this author books.

[Will Knapp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book in 3rd grade at a scholastic book fair, I am now in high school. This book was the most misleading horror, I was scared to read it. In a scholastic book fair for children, somehow this book was sold. I read the back and just assumed it was about a kid with a skin condition who got over it. As I read on the horrors of the book continued. It would also be the oddest book, the main character had a dream where he woke up with his clothes soaked in blood and acted like it was kinda normal like wtf

[Vanessa Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

The main character was a freshman so I would assume that this book was written for that age in mind, but it seemed written for a lower grade level. It seemed a decent enough idea for a "horror" story, and though not my usual genre I still felt like this storyline was still lacking. It is a rather short book, so perhaps that's why they kept the story so simple. It was a quick read at least, but more odd than scary.

[Sheryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to a review from a student and decided I had to read it. I didn't enjoy it as much as the last one she suggested. This was a short read, which is why I purchased it years ago, for the reluctant readers. I was shocked to find that a young boy had hanged himself, even if it was to try and rid the world of an evil. Now I'm wondering about the others in the 'Night fall' series.

[Michael Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent high school reader with all the most common themes: outsider status, invisibility, awkwardness, social incompetence, medical examinations, pits of hell, the screaming mouths of the damned, attempts at understanding the other gender/s, the priest, the wise old retired English teacher, the bully as Assistant Principal, the coach, the friend as fiend, and other topics, a

[Raegen Mckenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. It was cool how (as a speculate) AL took over him at night when he was dreaming, and killed those people (at least thats what I theorize.) When Nick was dreaming he was killing those people in the dreams. But AL when killing them in real life. Overall a great book in my opinion.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite. I am e big fan of YA lit., but this one left a sour taste in my mouth. I was disappointed by the forced character interactions and the rushed plot. I felt like it needed more time to develop, but I can see how the length was designed to appeal to a student.

[Cortney Mere · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay if you're looking for an orange level book for a high school audience.

[Malisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had great potential, but it was like doing a dot to dot with missing dots and HUGE gaps between the dots given. This book needed about 100 more pages and a lot more development to be good.

[Skylar Ferrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story gets you on the edge of your seat and the ending is fantastic.

[Lynn Caygle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read for teens who have trouble reading. Lexile is only 600.
Pretty good Horror fiction

[Justin Enamorado Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Amanda Brandes Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used for read aloud and book groups. Not earth-moving writing, but entertaining and engaging while still being school appropriate. Accessible horror-mystery that is more mature than Goosebumps.

[Shelly Ogroske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short listen but suspenseful & interesting.

[Julie Moshier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing story, I love it so much! I read it back in the 6th grade for class and absolutely fell inlove

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was good, but the ending kind of lost me when the ghosts came back and everything.

[Pam Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in my "special value books" section at our school's book fair.
Read it in a couple of hours. Entertaining and I recommend it to my Jr high students.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another creeptastic installment in the Night Fall series from Darby Creek. If the cover doesn't skeeve you out, then the contents surely will. And it'll have you looking at your own emerging zits in a whole new, and terrifying, light.

If you didn't know, the Night Fall series is a YA series written specifically for the reluctant or slower reader that might not be able (or willing) to take on the bigger, heavier (not necessarily physically) tomes otherwise seen in YA. While the read is quick, it's effective. The writing's simple yet it portrays the horror the story is trying to get across. While it may be lacking in detail, the simplicity that it does provide is enough to make you question leaving the light on at night, proving that effective horror doesn't have to be a labyrinthine door stopper.

But just like the last Night Fall book I reviewed, Unthinkable, I wanted more from the story. As someone that certainly is not a reluctant reader, I wanted more depth than the story offered. The reasoning in this story is insane and oh so freakishly demented. God, I wanted more. I was craving details that I couldn't get. I wanted to feel more for Nick although I felt plenty for him already. I wanted a little more sense of his invisibleness although it was pretty evident considering those that helped him out were not his peers but adults.

Really, the only bad thing about this book was that there wasn't enough. I wanted more! More history! More Nick! More freaky ass skin issues! What was there had me freaked right the hell out. I can only imagine how creepy it would be if there was more fat to the story. I'm guessing I'd rightly lose sleep if there were any more to it because it had me cringing as it were. And it has me yearning for even more horror to come to the surface in the YA market.

If you know someone that's a reluctant reader and want to break them into the awesome that is books, the Night Fall series is a really good place to start, especially if they enjoy getting freaked out. Skin was just as good, if not better, than Unthinkable. I actually think I was a little more scared this time around. And I loved it.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you do when your face is covered with acne that you can't get rid of? Nick Barry wonders this when his face suddenly starts breaking out. He is also experiencing cold chills that go all the way to his bones and nightmares about a well out in the country. One day he is seized by uncontrollable anger and fights to help another kid who is being picked on. This earns him a suspension and a couple new enemies at school. The more problems Nick has, the more he becomes isolated from his friends and his family. Is all of this related to is breakout? Read the book and find out!

Great book and series for reluctant readers. The content is edge of your seat and very creepy! Good for grade 6 and up.

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a low level, high interest YA book and I enjoyed it. I bought it at the Scholastic book fair for my classroom and previewed it first. For an advanced reader it will be a fast read, but for struggling readers it will be perfect. It is intense with the right mix of horror and mystery, and has an exciting conclusion. I was left wondering what was happening half the time.

It felt preachy at times, but that was because of the characters like Emma and Remy. Knowing that it is a series, I will try to get more of them for my classroom as well. I think it will be a great gateway book for the students who don't like to read. Getting a book this short and finishing it quickly tends to encourage them to read more.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skin was a very interesting story, but at only 102 pages it left me wanting more. I feel like Skin could have been developed with more detail and even some more back story into a full on 200-300 page novel. Even though it was short, the writing made the story come alive. You could actually feel the fear and the horror coming through.

It became clear while reading that the author was trying to target a specific audience – young readers that are still struggling with getting through longer books. Yet and still, I find that the story and writing were interesting and appealing enough to make me want to read the other stories in the series.


For more reviews, please visit Phoenix's Library.

[Luis A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “SKIN” by Rick Jasper, this book actually a very good book because it’s content is what all teenagers are passing by bulling because you have acne.it look like a pizza exploded on Nick Barry’s face. But bad skin is the least of his problems. His bones fell like living ice. A stranger rash like scratches seems to be some sort of ancient code. And then there’s the anger. . . Something evil is living under Nick’s skin. Where did it come from and what does it want? With the help of a dead kid’s diary, a nun, and a local professor, nick slowly find out what’s wrong with him. But there’s still one question that Nick must face alone. How do you destroy an evil that’s inside of you?

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a strange story. I think the biggest reason I didn't like it was because it lacked development. The idea had promise, but the story was just too simple and events came out of the blue. However, if someone wants to read a short book that is only slightly longer than a short story, then it is an ok pick.

Nick's face starts to explode with acne, but he realizes it is more than just normal teenage hormones. Dreams plague him and wierd events start to happen. Is he a murderer? Nick tries to find out the truth about what is happenening to him.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get a kick out of some of the stuff in this series. I know it isn't intended to be funny but it cracks me up. The writing can't be taken seriously. Example: The guy with the Phd in anthropology witnesses him speaking in an old language and then the marks on Nick's body which are words written backwards and it's all good. No problem. He immediately has more important things to attend to - Really! This type of writing is typical of most the books in this series.

[Esteban Caropresi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book will be the most scariest story you will ever read. I couldn't read this book alone, I was to scared! The book is about a kid with some problems wit his face. he has friends trying to support/take care of him. a boy had the same problem he as with his face. He killed himself because of a demon that had taken over his body. the demon was harming over people so he had a choice, kill himself or harm other people. Nick was going through the same problem. Find out what choice he made.

[Maddie Trussell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skin is written by Rick Jasper. It is mystery/horror. It is about 105 pages. It is about a teenage boy with a demon living inside of him. The demon is trying to open a gate way for the underworld to come to earth. The demon is causing the teenage boy to be possessed, because it is living inside of him. He has to use a dead persons diary, that had the same demon in them, to escape from the evil. Will he keep all the demons from coming to earth?

[Eva N · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just picked it up at the library, thinking it was small so it would be an okay warm up to get back into heavy reading. I really regret it. I didn't like the writing style and nothing in the entire book had a proper work up. It was all "this happened, so this" I don't know, just wasn't my style. Also, why was the middle aged librarian so eager to be friends with the teenage boy?

[Shannon Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story that I think my 6th graders (especially boys) would enjoy. A few cusswords and some gruesome details a couple of times would make it for the 6th grade crowd and up. I enjoyed reading it because it was a shorter story. Had it been any longer I'm not sure it would have continued to hold my interest. :)