The Awakening of Sunshine Girl

January 15, 2016
Sunshine Griffith develops her paranormal powers under the watchful guidance of her estranged father in this sequel to The Haunting of Sunshine Girl (2015). Only a few days have gone by since Sunshine met her birth father, Aidan. Sunshine hasn't told her adoptive mother, Kat, yet, and with good reason: Sunshine is a luiseach, a creature that looks human but actually spends its time communing with the dead and warding off evil spirits. Aidan believes Sunshine is a particularly special luiseach, one that can help unite her people under one banner and fight off a mysterious darkness. But first, she must be trained, and to do that, she must leave her adopted home behind. The chills and thrills found in this episode's predecessor have been switched out for mythology and worldbuilding, a different flavor that is frankly a bit of a letdown. The author is at her best when she exploits her premise for scares and bumps in the night, but she hamstrings herself hanging the spooky doings upon a "chosen one" narrative. A superfluous love triangle among Sunshine, her friend Nolan, and sexy new guy Lucio feels like nothing more than padding. Sunshine's back story involving a troubled mother is much more engaging than the romance subplot, as is her developing relationship with the father she believed to have abandoned her. A mixed-bag sequel that misplaces what made its predecessor so special. (Paranormal suspense. 12-16)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-If teens gobbled up the fast-paced, thrilling events surrounding Sunshine Griffith and her mother, Kat, in The Haunting of Sunshine Girl (Weinstein, 2015), they're sure to enjoy the new twists and turns of this latest series installment. Sunshine, her powers fully awakened, has to deal not only with spirits now following her everywhere but the dire need to hone such overwhelming abilities. For that, she needs the help of a mentor, Aidan, who also happens to be her birth father. From the comfort she gets from her friend and confidante Nolan to the thrill she gets from a young man in Mexico named Lucio to the endless frustration and questions she has for her father, Sunshine has her work cut out for her. McKenzie continues to write in an authentic teen voice that sucks readers in until the end. Fans ready to graduate from R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" (Scholastic) or those looking for a mix of Carolyn Keene's "Nancy Drew" and DC Comic's "Scooby Doo" will find just what they need in this paranormal series. VERDICT Teens who enjoyed the previous volume or the author's YouTube channel will dive into this latest entry of ghost mischief.-Julie Zimmerman, Brooklyn Public Library

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