Gemma was raised in India but is sent back to England after she witnesses her mothers murder. Not only does she see her mother get killed, but the way in which she is killed is so strange and mystical that she is haunted by the images. She enrolls in an academy called Spence where the richest and most powerful families of England send their daughters to be raised. As if starting a new school isn’t hard enough, Gemma starts having visions that become increasingly graphic and powerful. Why is she having these visions? Who will become her friend? Will she ever solve her mothers murder? Read A Great and Terrible Beauty to find out. Grade 8+
Robin’s letters to his uncle Richie Perry, hero of Fallen Angels, reflect the fearand horror alternating with boredom of his war experiences as a young soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Questions as to who and why they are fighting are interspersed with gripping action scenes. Trust if formed within Robin’s unit, notably gunner Marla and guitarist Jonsey. Readers will feel like they know these characters and care about their victories and defeats.
14-year-old Joe has an eventful summer in Brooklyn in 1903. His parents have created the first teddy bear and are successful in their new business. The rest of his family is dealing with drama of their own. This book is told from various viewpoints with viewpoints from several homeless kids living under the Brooklyn Bridge and from Joe himself. The homeless children are haunted by a ghostly presence that everyone avoids. Why does everyone try to avoid this ghost? Why is this ghost haunting these children? Does he know something that they don’t know? How is Joe connected to these children and this ghost? Up to the very last chapter, this book will make readers return to the beginning and see everything in a new way.
Have you ever seen the pictures of 1st grader Ruby Bridges walking into school surrounded by federal marshals? In My Mother… Louise has been yanked out of school by her mother because Ruby Bridges, a black child, is now attending. Every morning Louise’s mom dresses up to stand outside the school to taunt little Ruby with the chant “2, 4, 6, 8, we don’t want to integrate”. Louise really doesn’t have a strong opinion about integration until a very charming and mysterious guest comes to stay at their boarding house.
Do you like ghost stories that are both frightening and hauntingly mysterious?