Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Who would like this book? Readers, especially girls, grades 7 and up, who like ghost stories and mysteries with some romance and real-life relationship problems.
Why? Summer days in Ondine, Louisiana are long, hot, and humid. Nothing happens and there is nothing for teenagers to do. Fourteen-year-old Iris and her friend Collette are trying to stir up some excitement by playing around at casting spells in the town’s old cemetery. Iris does not expect to actually hear from a ghost, so when she hears, “Where y’at, Iris?” in a distinctive voice and sees a boy who nobody else hears or sees, she plunges into a chilling quest to find out who he is and what he wants. As Iris, Collette, and Collette’s boyfriend Ben go from the cemetery to the witchboard (like a Ouija board) to the library’s archives to Elijah’s disturbed mother, Elijah’s ghost becomes increasingly aggressive toward Iris. The story takes surprising twists and is full of suspense. I couldn’t put it down, and the ending worked for me. Shadowed Summer is a good ghost story/mystery during any season.
The details: 183 p. 2009 Review by Samrarian
14-year-old Iris