Perdita

May 15, 2015
When she starts seeing the ghost of her sister's recently drowned friend, troubled 16-year-old Arielle worries she may be "a little bit crazy." Sensitive, imaginative Arielle believes in ghosts, in contrast to her annoying, brainy older sister, Casey. The suspicious lakeside drowning in contemporary Velero, California, of Casey's former friend, Perdita, triggers unresolved issues for Arielle and her family members, who have never recovered from her older brother's drowning 10 years ago. Haunted by Perdita in bizarre dreams and strange visions, Arielle has trouble "telling the difference between sleep and wakefulness." Grappling with intensifying psychic episodes and wondering who murdered Perdita, Arielle finds her shaky emotional balance further unsettled by Casey's departure for college, her family's downsizing move into an apartment, her best friend's unexpected defection, and her own attraction to Perdita's handsome brother. Sad, frightened, disoriented, confused, and abandoned, Arielle describes, in an intimate, fascinating, gripping first-person narration, how her "world seems to be crawling toward something different" as she descends into what she fears is insanity. The unexpected answers to what really happened to Perdita and what's really happening to Arielle will shock readers as much as they do Arielle. An edgy, intriguing debut novel of suspense, suspicion, and surprise. (Suspense. 14-18)

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July 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Sixteen-year-old Arielle Delaney needs some sleep. Or so she thinks-otherwise why would she be seeing ghosts? The hauntings start soon after her sister Casey's best friend, Perdita, drowns in a local lake, and a very Perdita-like image starts to appear. The ghost puts Arielle in a trance, whispers in her ear, scratches her while she's sleeping, and destroys her room at night. As the story unfolds, questions mount not just about Arielle's visions but about the death of the title character. Is the ghost trying to tell her something? Was Perdita's death an accident, suicide, or murder? Is Casey somehow involved? And when did Perdita's brother Tex become so hot? Arielle is eventually able to answer these questions, and what she discovers is surprising on many levels. Arielle is a sympathetic, likable, and realistic narrator, thanks to Gardner's keen ear for teen dialogue and understanding of typical adolescent behavior. As the protagonist navigates the unknown and explores the large space between right and wrong, she realizes nothing is perfect and life is messy. Secondary characters like Casey, Tex, Arielle's parents, and her suddenly distant best friend, Chloe, enrich the story. VERDICT An absorbing mystery with an appropriately untidy yet satisfying ending that will hold readers' attention throughout.-Melissa Kazan, Horace Mann School, NY

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