SYNOPSIS: Nate just moved to a new town. When he’s exploring his new room, he finds some tapes that are from a boy who disappeared fifty years before. Then, talking dolls and bugs start showing up-not to mention the tree that attacks him and his friend Tabitha! To protect his world from the Shadows, Nate ventures through the magic gate in his backyard-and comes across things he’s never imagined.

CHARACTER QUALITY: These characters were a little cliche and not super layered, in my opinion, but this book was actually a graphic novel, which is something I don’t read very often (I actually had to start it over, because I was so confused the first time). So, for a graphic novel maybe they were really complicated characters. I don’t know. I did like Tom. He was an interesting character.

PLOT: The plot was also cliche, but I thought Greg Ruth pulled it off okay. It was predictable in some places, but it was still good.

APPROPRIATENESS: 2