Friday Memes - The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and the Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage. 352 p. Kathy Dawson Books/ Penguin Group (USA), February 4, 2014. 9780803736719.

Publisher synopsis: Small towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are -- no matter how many murders you solve.

When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn't realize there's a ghost in the fine print. Naturally, Desperado Detective Agency (aka Mo and Dale) opens a paranormal division to solve the mystery of the ghost's identity. They've got to figure out who the ghost is so they can interview it for their history assignment (extra credit). But Mo and Dale start to realize that the Inn isn't the only haunted place in Tupelo Landing. People can also be haunted by their own past. As Mo and Dale handily track down the truth about the ghost (with some help from the new kid in town), they discover the truth about a great many other people, too.

A laugh out loud, ghostly, Southern mystery that can be enjoyed by readers visiting Tupelo Landing for the first time, as well as those who are old friends of Mo and Dale.

First Line: Desperado Detective Agency's second big case snuck up on Dale and me at the end of summer, dressed in the happy-go-lucky colors and excitement of an auction.

Page 56: "I am not interviewing a ghost. I want out." Dale said, hopping off his bike and dropping it by his mama's front steps. "Hey Liz," he murmured as Queen Elizabeth trotted over to greet him.


I can't tell you how much I adored Three Times Lucky and was thrilled when it garnered a Newbery Honor last January. I tried to here. Needless to say, I was pumped to hear that a sequel was in the works and featured it in a Waiting on Wednesday post. A thoughtful friend remembered my fondness for the book while at NCTE last month and snagged me an arc! Thank you Toby!