Diary of a Haunting

Gr 9 Up—At first, this supernatural tale feels authentic, as Verano acts as an editor presenting readers with "documentary evidence" of a small-town tragedy. The narration is via an online journal of teenager Paige, who has been uprooted from a glamorous life in Hollywood to move to Idaho with her brother and recently divorced mother. At the onset, Paige's school life is exciting because she is the new girl from Los Angeles. However, things go downhill quickly. To make matters worse, strange things begin to happen in the large, old mansion where Paige's family live: odd writing appears on the wall, items that are missing suddenly reappear, creepy messages show up on cell phones, and there are swarms of flies even though it is winter time. Through an odd (but cute) young man who lives in the basement, the teen learns of a cult that had connections to the house decades ago. The tension escalates in the story, but the explanation of what is happening and the violent conclusion strain credibility. Even with a suspension of disbelief, it is hard to get past major improbabilities, such as Paige being oblivious that someone has been living in her basement. Readers will be frustrated with inconsistencies that appear to be part of the story and can't be explained by the "editor." A better choice for fans of stories about haunted houses is Paige McKenzie's The Haunting of Sunshine Girl (Perseus, 2015).