This Is Not a Ghost Story

Gr 9 Up–Daffodil is ready for college in the fall, if only she can make enough money to afford it. Then, a golden opportunity drops in her lap. An old couple needs someone to house sit for them during the summer and supervise some renovations. Free room and a large paycheck. What could possibly be the downside? And then, of course, things start to go wrong. At first it starts small, like objects mysteriously showing up in places they should not be. Then the construction workers laboring over a secretive project that never gets any closer to being done in the backyard start getting aggressive. And something is scratching at night, wanting to get in. Additionally a neighbor keeps inviting herself over unannounced. This horror book pokes fun at itself and the genre, managing to be both spooky and funny. Daffodil’s voice is full of self-deprecating humor; she’s lively and sarcastic. Her analysis of herself and her situation will make readers laugh. Tension builds as readers are guided through an evolving romance in her past, with no sign of the boy in her current life, and there is an interesting twist at the end.