Scaredy Kat

March 1, 2009
Gr 5-7-Ever since she learned that she could talk to the dead in School Spirit (Little, Brown, 2008), 13-year-old Kat has been doing her best to avoid otherworldly encounters. Her friend Jac, on the other hand, is fascinated with Kat's abilities and is anxious for another chance at ghost hunting. The girls are collaborating on a school project, investigating the history of a long-abandoned house, when a photograph reveals a boy's face at the window. When Kat enters the house, she sees the child playing, but he shows no awareness of her. The message "Help Me" scratched in the dust convinces her that supernatural forces are at work. The two friends discover that the house was the site of a serious accident three years earlier. Learning that the injured victim is still in a coma, they suspect that there may be a connection to the haunting. Kat visits the hospital, and recognizes the patient as the ghost child. Can she use her psychic powers to help him reconnect his spirit to its physical shell, before they become irretrievably separated? Kat and Jac are an engaging team. Their dialogue, both spoken and emailed, generally rings true. The mildly suspenseful plot moves briskly, although the writing style occasionally strays into rather heavy New Age mysticism. A few plot threads are left to be resolved in the next volume. An acceptable choice where there is a demand for supernatural fiction.Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.