School Spirits

Gr 7–10—Izzy Branick is a fighter, the last in a long line of supernatural hunters. A year after her sister goes missing in battle, Izzy and her mom settle down in a small town for a routine assignment that turns out to be anything but. A local high school is being haunted, but it isn't just a ghost that's got the huntress unnerved: the strange boy who may have a crush on her and the friends that, until now, she's never had. This fish-out-of-water story (Hyperion, 2013) ably read by Chris Dukehart is fun without getting too steeped in the more terrifying aspects of horror or the heart-wrenching longing of romance. This series launch is a middle-of-the-road title that will suit casual readers, but plot twists are minimal and the text complexity is relatively low as well. Middle-grade listeners who've blown through chapter books and are just beginning to flirt with YA will love this story, and parents and librarians can feel comfortable recommending it.—Shanna Miles, South Atlanta Educational Complex, GA