Unearthly Things

Gr 9 Up—San Francisco is a world away from Hawaii for surfer Janie, whose parents have just died. Her new guardians, the Rochesters, are an old money family with buried secrets and old feuds. Janie has a hard time processing her guardians' silent, formal dinners. Everyone fears patriarch Richard Rochester's explosive temper, and Marian Rochester makes it no secret that she does not want Janie in her house. Daughter Georgina is a textbook mean girl, and oldest son John is the family's good-hearted black sheep, who bows to his father's will. When Janie hears strange screams and noises coming from the attic, youngest son Nicholas spins stories of his dead sister, Eliza, and swears that her ghost tells him to do things. Janie vows to discover the "ghost" and solve the mystery of the disturbed house. Failing family fortunes, wails in the night, bizarre dreams, and a fire that nearly kills her all convince Janie that the Rochesters are up to no good. Unfortunately, this Janie is a mere shadow of Jane Eyre: she does not have the original character's fire, spirit, or strength. Love interest Daniel comes off as weak and needy, and his breakup with Janie is ludicrous. The well-plotted gothic elements, however, will entertain many readers.