The Devil's Footsteps by E.E. Richardson

This book was recommended by several students, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Bryan's brother disappeared five years earlier while they were in the woods. His brother stepped on some stones, The Devil's Footsteps, while saying a rhyme and was never seen again. Bryan figures out that the Dark Man has been taking children for many years, but he doesn't understand why the adults don't seem to notice or care. The Dark Man uses the fears of children against themselves, so how can they battle their own thoughts? Bryan joins up with Stephen, whose sister disappeared a year ago, and Jake, who recently moved to the town. Together, they must face their fears and figure out some way to stop the Dark Man from killing more children.

The beginning of the book seemed pretty simple and unimaginative, but I was wrong. What started out as a story like the bogeyman turned into a much larger tale of evil. The boys needed to uncover a secret hidden beneath the town, a terrible tragedy the town had forgotten. I thought the conflict was creative and offered a unique challenge, and the plot built up to a nice climax. The solution seemed pretty simple, but Bryan had a hard time overcoming his own fears and needed to make a very difficult decision in the end.