The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

Gr 9 Up—In this combination of ghost and coming-of-age story, readers follow Sunshine Griffith as she navigates the obstacles of a new school, boys, family, and, of course, her new and very haunted home. Sunshine and her mom move to Washington state from Texas for her mom's job. Their once strong and open relationship is soon sorely tested, not by the move but by something more supernatural. Sunshine starts to hear a little girl laughing and skipping around upstairs—a sound that only she can hear. She is soon fighting for her mother's life in this suspenseful tale. The chapters alternate between Sunshine's and the ghost's points of view, offering different perspectives on events. This sometimes frightening tale and series opener is based on a YouTube channel of the same name, so transmedia fans can enjoy both formats. Readers who appreciated holly Black's Doll Bones (2013) or Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones" series (both S. & S.) should consider picking up this creepy debut.