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Book Review: Shadow School: Archimancy (Shadow School #1) by J. A. White

Shadow School: Archimancy (Shadow School #1) by J. A. White

Katherine Tegen Books, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-0062838292

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

Cordelia didn’t want to move from sunny California and away from her friends, but her dad’s new job is in New Hampshire,  so now she’s stuck in freezing New Hampshire at creepy Elijah Z. Shadow Middle School, a confusing maze of a building that looks more like a haunted mansion than a public school.  The truth is, it’s both,  Elijah Z. Shadow, the son of freed slaves who became a famous architect, was obsessed with capturing ghosts, and studied the construction of haunted houses in order to build one that would attract and trap ghosts– a process he described as “archimancy” . Only Cordelia and one other kid, Benji, can see the ghosts in the school. Aided by their scientifically-minded friend Agnes, Cordelia and Benji must decide what to do about the ghosts. Should they ignore them, fear them, help them move on, or let the school’s ghost catchers drain them into nothingness? Their adventuring is taking them into dangerous situations.

This is a nicely-done coming of age story tinged with an intriguing mystery, conflicted feelings about friendship, and nods to the horror genre (with teachers named Machen, Derleth, and Aickman– horror loving adults will probably appreciate them more than children). I haven’t seen the idea of studying haunted houses with the intent to trap ghosts elsewhere, although strange architecture certainly does seem to be a feature in many fictional and reputed haunted houses (such as Hill House and the Winchester mansion) and the convoluted piecing together of the story is interesting to see.  In many ways, though, this is more of a story about adjusting to moving, letting go, and building new friendships in middle school than it is about scaring the readers. Although there are a few genuinely scary incidents, White’s previous book, Nightbooks (reviewed here last year as part of this booklist), was far scarier and more disturbing. This is an original take on and loving homage to the haunted house genre, with diverse characters (Cordelia is half-Chinese and Benji is Peruvian) and would likely work well as a relatively gentle introduction to the horror genre for upper elementary and middle school students trying it out for the first time.

Highly recommended.

 

Contains: some violence

 

 

 

Posted on May 19, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter by Caroline Flarity

The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter by Caroline Flarity

East Side Press, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-0996845007

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Anna Fagan lives in a haunted house, but that’s the least of her problems. Her father, Jack, is well-known for his ability to “clear” spirits from the objects they haunt, but since the traumatic death of her mother, his ability is fading and he’s picked up the habit of hoarding, aggressively. He stores holy water in the refrigerator, and “cleared” objects in the basement, where Anna is forbidden to go (the results of Jacks’s hoarding exposed when Anna breaks into the basement later in the story is one of the most appalling things in the book: previously haunted objects are the least of the problems).  Now the lack of space has led Jack to rent an office to reinvigorate his business. He has hired a new investigator, Geneva Sanders, a scientist who has invented a new way to see the electrical activity that indicates that ghosts and supernatural forces are at work.

Anna is also suffering from grief and guilt over her mother’s death, but at school, she has other problems. With the exception of her friends Doreen and Freddy, Anna is mocked by other students with the nickname “Goblin Girl”. Izzy, the school sleazebucket, has decided she’d make a perfect target for his meanness and slut-shaming, while also throwing disgusting homophobic slurs at Freddy. Anna, focused on getting her crush, Craig, to notice her, while trying to manage her family problems and an uptick in paranormal activity, misses out on the serious problems Doreen and Freddy are dealing with. As levels of hostility and violence rise in town, Geneva theorizes that unusual solar flares are being harnessed by a malevolent spirit who is using them to feed on people’s anger and pain.

Flarity’s choice to make Anna the point-of-view character works beautifully here. There is so much going on in this book, especially in the larger picture of things, and yet we see that world through the self-centered tunnel vision of a teenager– which is perfect for a teenager in a YA novel. Our view widens with hers, and we see the story pull together as she does. Getting the story from Anna’s point of view means we are up close to her character growth.

This book reminds me a lot of Lois Duncan’s YA books, except that her books didn’t have the broader supernatural conspiracy behind this story. I’m not sure how many boys would choose to read this, but I hope they will, because there are parts that should really make them think. How many people say and do things without thinking, especially when they are angry or feeling hopeless, that regret it later?

Recommended.

 

Contains: suicide, suicidal ideation, mental illness (hoarding), self-harm, animal cruelty, bullying, abusive adults, violence, cyberbullying. rape culture, distribution of provocative images of a minor.

Posted on October 7, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Peter Green and the Unliving Academy: This Book is Full of Dead People (The Unliving Chronicles #1) by Angelina Allsop

Peter Green and the Unliving Academy: This Book is Full of Dead People (The Unliving Chronicles #1) by Angelina Allsop

TCK Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1631610646

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

Fourteen year old Peter Green wakes up on the floor of a hotel lobby wearing only pajamas and a silk tie, and discovers he is dead, has no memories of his life, and is stuck in Purgatory without them until he is 18, or family claims him. After navigating the bueracracy of Purgatory (and of course Purgatory has bueracracy) he is sent to a boarding school for other “orphans” or unclaimed children. Scoot, an action-oriented redhead who carries her head under her arm, and Charlie, a flamboyant dresser who can’t keep a secret, orient him to the school and get him to his first classes. Peter soon learns that the school isn’t just for the unliving– it’s also the home of monsters, most of whom are part of the staff. He quickly gets on the wrong side of the school bully, Shelly Grant, causing a number of mishaps, and is then invited to join BASA, a special club that trains students in the skills they need to become spies and assassins in the “community”.  As he adapts to school and throws himself into his training for BASA, he can’t let go of a feeling that he needs to help his family, and with the help of his friends, steals the file containing his memories.

The world building in this is nicely done, and I liked Peter’s friends– especially Charlie– and some of the other characters Allsop got into in depth, such as Katerina the witch. As a magical boarding school book, it’s pretty well done, and while there are some similarities to Harry Potter, it’s mostly not noticeable (the werewolf professor, the giant snake roaming the hallways, the special Halloween visit to town). Allsop also manages to make what could be a pretty grim and scary topic genuinely entertaining and even humorous at times . It’s Peter himself whose character and story are thin. Perhaps some of this is because he doesn’t have memories (and thus not much of a personality) for much of the book, but while individual adventures and incidents get exciting, the suspense of whether he’ll be able to get back to his family is just not there, until suddenly, it’s a time sensitive emergency.  I hoped that we’d see more of the school in a future book, as this appears to be the first in a series, but the ending of the book makes that unlikely.

Despite Peter’s age being set at 14, the book feels like it’s targeted at middle-grade readers rather than teenagers. Kids looking for a “magical boarding school book” should enjoy this one, and hopefully, now that Peter has his memories back, there will be further character development to make him more interesting in the next book. Recommended.

 

Posted on June 30, 2019 by , Reply
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