Harrington, Kim. The Dead and The Buried1 January 2013, Scholastic Point
Jade is glad that her father and stepmother have finally moved to a bigger town and into a larger, nicer house, even though it is her senior year. She makes friends with the quirky Alexa, and attracts the attention of both the attractive arty boy, Donovan, and the attractive athletic boy, Kane. Others act a bit oddly around her, however, and she soon finds out that her home was the scene of former Queen Bee Kayla Stone's death. What's worse, her younger brother Colby claims to see a girl in his room, and Jade soon feels the ghostly presence as well. Donovan was a suspect in the death, but was cleared and is now a persona non grata. As things heat up in Jade's social life, things get weirder and weirder at home, and she knows she has to find out who killed Kayla before the ghost will leave her and her brother alone.
Strengths: Harrington does a brilliant job writing YA books that are also appropriate for middle grade. The fact that this is a ghost AND a murder mystery makes this especially brilliant. The stepmother and busy father are a nice touch, as is the big new house that would be unaffordable if not for the murder.
Weaknesses: Don't like the cover. Too many covers with languid/dead looking girls on them.
So glad you liked this. I'm a huge fan of Kim's. I love her writing style which is very to the point. I agree that some of her YA books are appropriate for middle graders. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the dead woman cover either but loved your book review! Sounds like a riveting books for kids who like murder mysteries and supernatural. Not sure if it's for my kid though.
ReplyDelete