Eddie Pipkin, otherwise known as Pip, a 10 year old orphan is being sent to apprentice at sea. Luckily, he manages to escape and ends up in the town of Hangman’s Hollow. There is something strange about this town, perhaps Pip wasn’t so lucky after all. The creepily, humorous illustrations definitely complement the story. At 165 pages its fast pace and sense of danger may be just the hook needed to move students into longer chapter books. This is the first in a planned trilogy and therefore several lines were left untied. Happily, the second installment is available in the U.K. and should be here soon. This review is based on an advanced readers' copy from BEA 2012. ( )