"Denise Farber has just moved back to New Orleans with her mom and step-dad. They left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and have finally returned, wagering the last of their family's money on fixing up an old, rundown house and converting it to a bed and breakfast.Nothing seems to work around the place, which doesn't seem too weird to Denise. The unexplained noises are a little more out of the ordinary, but again, nothing too unusual. But when floors collapse, deadly objects rain down, and she hears creepy voices, it's clear to Denise that something more sinister lurks hidden here.Answers may lie in an old comic book Denise finds concealed in the attic: the lost, final project of a famous artist who disappeared in the 1950's. Denise isn't budging from her new home, so she must unravel the mystery-on the pages and off-if she and her family are to survive..."
Review:
This was a truly wholesome ghost story. Almost an oxymoron, right? It's true though, this story is mostly about a girl in a new town, adjusting to a new life in New Orleans, a place her family has history with, but somewhere she's too young to be connected to. It's the summer, so she can't exactly make new friends at school, but she still keeps in contact with her friends from back home. She's trying to navigate her new life, while also renovating their new home that they're turning into a bed and breakfast, that also happens to be haunted. It was very optimistic, aside from a rough start with one local girl, everyone is friendly and open. Even more so, no one denied the house being haunted, even the adults. They were on board with the theory which was really surprising.
Keep in mind, it is geared more towards teens or, more so preteens. But this story is no less interesting. Reading the comic book along with the main character allows us to be a part of her fitting the pieces together on what happened to the people haunting the house. Overall it was a fun adventure. Not only that, but the book lightly touched on gentrification and the effect it has on the local residences. I really wasn't expecting that particular plot point and understand wanting to talk about it in this book. However, it was jarring. The book's overall tone is lighthearted, so when heavier tones are introduced, not only gentrification but also racism, it was inharmonious. It didn't fit. they were like puzzle pieces that didn't belong. If those themes were important to talk about to the author, and wanted those themes to be important to us readers, there needed to me more time dedicated to the topics. In the book, they are only discussed briefly, or in abrupt side conversations that never went deeper. I'd want it to be more integral to the story. Maybe talk to more local adults, besides Dominique's grandmother. Get the town more involved than just a few teens. Overall though this was a fun read and I even suggested my mom put it in her classroom library for her eighth graders! Let me know your own thoughts on the book!
Review:
This was a truly wholesome ghost story. Almost an oxymoron, right? It's true though, this story is mostly about a girl in a new town, adjusting to a new life in New Orleans, a place her family has history with, but somewhere she's too young to be connected to. It's the summer, so she can't exactly make new friends at school, but she still keeps in contact with her friends from back home. She's trying to navigate her new life, while also renovating their new home that they're turning into a bed and breakfast, that also happens to be haunted. It was very optimistic, aside from a rough start with one local girl, everyone is friendly and open. Even more so, no one denied the house being haunted, even the adults. They were on board with the theory which was really surprising.
Keep in mind, it is geared more towards teens or, more so preteens. But this story is no less interesting. Reading the comic book along with the main character allows us to be a part of her fitting the pieces together on what happened to the people haunting the house. Overall it was a fun adventure. Not only that, but the book lightly touched on gentrification and the effect it has on the local residences. I really wasn't expecting that particular plot point and understand wanting to talk about it in this book. However, it was jarring. The book's overall tone is lighthearted, so when heavier tones are introduced, not only gentrification but also racism, it was inharmonious. It didn't fit. they were like puzzle pieces that didn't belong. If those themes were important to talk about to the author, and wanted those themes to be important to us readers, there needed to me more time dedicated to the topics. In the book, they are only discussed briefly, or in abrupt side conversations that never went deeper. I'd want it to be more integral to the story. Maybe talk to more local adults, besides Dominique's grandmother. Get the town more involved than just a few teens. Overall though this was a fun read and I even suggested my mom put it in her classroom library for her eighth graders! Let me know your own thoughts on the book!
Want more Cherie Priest books? Check out I Am Princess X!
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