Archivist Wasp

Gr 9 Up—Imagine a dreary world where you have a job that's revered and envied by most, but your instincts keep whispering otherwise. This is the lot Wasp finds herself in. She's the Archivist, charged with hunting and extinguishing ghosts, but there are times she's been reluctant to do so. Then she must face those upstarts eager to unseat her. Success means killing them—eight in just three years When she's confronted by the ghost of a former warrior she trapped but didn't kill, he persuades her to help find a companion in the underworld, and it's the start of an epic mental and physical journey. What happens takes Wasp and listeners through vividly described terrain and frightening and enlightening confrontations while she develops a most interesting relationship with the ghost. Everything leads to a satisfying end. Abby Craden does a fine job of pacing, inflection, and character differentiation.