Second Verse

Gr 9 Up—Lange Crawford, new to Preston Academy of Arts, reluctantly gets involved with the annual Hunt, an elaborate murder-mystery festival put on by the town of Shady Springs for students to solve. For her part, Lange offers to hold a séance in the spooky barn next to her house. During the ritual, she and her crush, Vaughn, hear a voice asking for help while strange things happen. This leads to the two of them spending time together investigating the notorious murders that took place in Lange's old farmhouse years earlier. When she finds the letters and diary of Ginny, a teen who was killed, Lange discovers that the dead girl's romance with her beau seems to correspond with the developing one between her and Vaughn. There are some fairly violent, gory scenes in this novel, which combines mystery, romance, and suspense. Walkup ratchets up the tension effectively through contrasting the past and present, building empathy for both couples and making the denouement all the more shocking. Some teens may grow impatient with the slow buildup, but those who hang in there will be rewarded with a chilling, accessible read.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA