Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Blog Tour: Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler


Horror and suspense stories and me do not mix. They are just not the type of books I gravitate toward. In fact, I force myself to read them. They make me antsy. If they are not done well, I become impatient. When they are, I have to either read the book in one sitting (like yanking off a bandaid) or put the book away and pace the willies off. I have students who love them and are frequently in asking for suggestions; so I read them

Review spoiler alert: Ghostlight is now my go-to book for middle school students seeking a scary read.



Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler. 247 p. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House, August, 2015. 9780553522143. (Review from arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media)

Avery and her brother spend summers with their maternal grandmother in rural Georgia. There are several houses on the property, one of which is rented to a country singer and his son, Julian, a budding film maker. The other is Hilliard House, a decrepit old mansion that Avery is forbidden to enter. When she was seven or eight, she disappeared one day and her grandmother found her asleep in the house. The shock of the beating she received has kept her away.

But, with a boring summer looming thanks to her brother's rejection of their game that involves an imaginary kingdom and the promise of friendship making a film with Julian, Avery reluctantly agrees to helping Julian get into the house to film a ghost story.

While atmospheric and properly creepy, this is so much more than a ghost story. Themes of changing relationships, friendship and family history are woven into a truly suspenseful ghost story. Quite a few folks in the neighborhood seem to be hiding secrets from Julian to Avery's grandmother to an elderly acquaintance and Avery aims to find out all she can about the house and its tragic inhabitants.

I recently booktalked this and there's a waiting list. I hadn't known about the great trailer when I did or I would've shown it. Click here to view it and click here to visit the author's web site. A first purchase for middle school and public library collections. I will have to check out Ms. Gensler's YA paranormal historical fiction soon.

The blog tour continues tomorrow at Word Spelunking. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour.

Mon, Sept 14
Cracking the Cover
Tues, Sept 15
Ms. Yingling Reads
Wed, Sept 16
Charlotte's Library
Thurs, Sept 17
The Book Smugglers
Fri, Sept 18
Unleashing Readers
Mon, Sept 21
The Hiding Spot
Tues, Sept 22
Proseandkahn
Wed, Sept 23
Word Spelunking
Thurs, Sept 24
The Book Monsters
Fri, Sept 25
GreenBeanTeenQueen
Mon, Sept 28
The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
Tues, Sept 29
Kid Lit Frenzy
Wed, Oct 1
Mother Daughter Book Club

1 comment:

  1. Hope you don't mind me popping in to thank you for sharing your thoughts on Ghostlight -- it means to much to me!

    ReplyDelete