Ok, this was a well-written, very spooky October read, but I had a bone to pick with the title. This is no reflection on the author, or the cover artist, but whoever wrote the title – it set me up to expect a story about monsters, shape-shifters, werewolves, ghoulies, *something* paranormal and creature-ish lurking in the woods.
Which this is NOT about.
It's a haunted house story.
I totally felt duped.
That being said, I continued to read, and I'm glad I did, because I think it's the scariest middle grade read I had all season, and I'm going to highly recommend it, for that reason.
Ginny Anderson's dad takes a gig remodeling a haunted hotel in Michigan, Woodmoor Manor. While initially rumors of "hitchikers" living in the nearby woods scare her, that's quickly dropped – entirely – to explore how the house-turned-event-venue is haunted.
It's a mansion, and her dad lets her choose her bedroom first, before her older brother does. Of course, the one she chooses belongs to the ghost of a dead girl, complete with a creepy mannequin in a ball gown bolted to the floor in the corner. Ginny sees a dead girl in her reflection in the mirror. The mannequin comes alive at night and skitters ominously across the floor! Her door is locked so she can't escape. And shadows in the ballroom have creepy red eyes.
But Ginny's not convinced the ghost is evil. For her, it's a matter of finding out, what does the ghost want? What's her objective? Is she trying to force Ginny and her family out of the house, or does the ghost have something else in mind?
With her big brother's kinda-help, and help from a cute fellow-summer-visitor, Will, can Ginny decipher the ghost's clues and help her spirit to pass on to the other side by fulfilling her last wish? And do it without ruining her father's reputation and tanking his remodeling career?
I won't spoil how it ends. It's a great, creepy read! Just…ignore the title. 😉
Enjoy!
