mystikai's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic book! It compelled me and I listened to it in one sitting. Mary Steele is a likeable character she will stand up for what she believes in and is very smart. In fact, most of the characters in this book are great characters, however, I did feel anger towards one particular character.
The story is actually quite sad when Mary comes across an old graveyard which she learns is soon to be bulldozed to make way for development. She meets a ghost named Moses, who tells her his story of what it was like in his day as a slave and she makes it her mission to save the graveyard.
Aven Shore did a wonderful job narrating this, putting enough feeling and expression in it that I felt that she was Mary!
After listening to this I certainly want to continue with the series.
I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobook Empire. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
The story is actually quite sad when Mary comes across an old graveyard which she learns is soon to be bulldozed to make way for development. She meets a ghost named Moses, who tells her his story of what it was like in his day as a slave and she makes it her mission to save the graveyard.
Aven Shore did a wonderful job narrating this, putting enough feeling and expression in it that I felt that she was Mary!
After listening to this I certainly want to continue with the series.
I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobook Empire. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
lmbartelt's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading this book because of the mad respect I have for the author and her work. I didn't know if I would enjoy it, but I'm happy to say that I LOVED it.
Let me be clear from the beginning: this book has a ghost (not scary, though) and deals with racism and slavery. And while the author has some important things to say about the latter two, her views are woven into the story so well that readers are challenged in subtle ways. She doesn't flat-out preach her views, and there isn't what I would call a wrapped-up-with-a-bow kind of ending. (I was afraid we were headed there and it didn't feel right, so I'm glad she did what she did. That's all I'll say.)
The teenage narrator Mary Steele is likable and moves the story along at a good pace. I look forward to more books in this series from this author.
Let me be clear from the beginning: this book has a ghost (not scary, though) and deals with racism and slavery. And while the author has some important things to say about the latter two, her views are woven into the story so well that readers are challenged in subtle ways. She doesn't flat-out preach her views, and there isn't what I would call a wrapped-up-with-a-bow kind of ending. (I was afraid we were headed there and it didn't feel right, so I'm glad she did what she did. That's all I'll say.)
The teenage narrator Mary Steele is likable and moves the story along at a good pace. I look forward to more books in this series from this author.
readerbythewater's review
1.0
Not for me. Too young. I read YA, but this is middle-school reading. Abandoned.
emilyjhirst's review against another edition
5.0
This story is told from the perspective of Mary Steele, a 17 year old high school student. One day, she finds herself magically appearing in an old cemetery not far from her house. She does not seem scared, not even when she is approached by a ghost called Moses. After speaking to Moses for a while, she learns a lot about his history and the significance of the old cemetery. She learns about the history of Moses and his family while they were slaves. While she is at the cemetery, a bulldozer arrives and tries to destroy it. Mary finds herself standing in front of it to protect the graves.
Mary is now on a mission to discover the secrets which have been hidden regarding the cemetery. She has to find the help of many people to go against those who are keeping the secret. In the fight for injustice and racism, we see those who are the worst in the community.
This young adult book dealt with a topic which I have not read much about. Bringing to light slavery and the terrible things which came with it, is such an eye opener to what some people had to go through. The topic of slavery goes hand in hand with racism which can be seen in the book about those people who are buried in the graves. This book was such a page turner, I enjoyed finding out how Mary and Moses was going to join together to save the cemetery.
Mary is an intelligent and strong girl who has a lot to deal with when coming into Moses' story. Although I could not imagine it being anyone else, she deals with Moses' situation with empathy. After listening to Moses' story, she is determined to put things right, regardless of the background and ethnicity of Moses and the slaves in the cemetery. Protecting her community's heritage and honouring Moses' past is what she does. These themes are important to think about for everyone. I find Mary gains a lot of confidence in this novel, as she stands up to her 'enemies'.
While I was reading I highlighted a quote from the book which I will add below. It was heartbreaking to read this because Mary acknowledges that her and Moses have completely different views of the world because of their ethnicity.
"Racism was still alive and well and that I was oblivious to it for the most part. Racism as a system and a history kept my friend and me from sharing a perspective on the world, and that broke my heart."
At the end of the novel, I enjoyed the discussion points. I think it is a good idea, especially being a young adult book because it encourages them to learn about the past where they live. It has made me want to research the past of my town. There was a lot for me to think about after finishing this book. I have realised that I am like Mary, I do not know the history of where I live. Thank you to Andi for sending me this book, I really enjoyed reading it, 5/5 stars.
Mary is now on a mission to discover the secrets which have been hidden regarding the cemetery. She has to find the help of many people to go against those who are keeping the secret. In the fight for injustice and racism, we see those who are the worst in the community.
This young adult book dealt with a topic which I have not read much about. Bringing to light slavery and the terrible things which came with it, is such an eye opener to what some people had to go through. The topic of slavery goes hand in hand with racism which can be seen in the book about those people who are buried in the graves. This book was such a page turner, I enjoyed finding out how Mary and Moses was going to join together to save the cemetery.
Mary is an intelligent and strong girl who has a lot to deal with when coming into Moses' story. Although I could not imagine it being anyone else, she deals with Moses' situation with empathy. After listening to Moses' story, she is determined to put things right, regardless of the background and ethnicity of Moses and the slaves in the cemetery. Protecting her community's heritage and honouring Moses' past is what she does. These themes are important to think about for everyone. I find Mary gains a lot of confidence in this novel, as she stands up to her 'enemies'.
While I was reading I highlighted a quote from the book which I will add below. It was heartbreaking to read this because Mary acknowledges that her and Moses have completely different views of the world because of their ethnicity.
"Racism was still alive and well and that I was oblivious to it for the most part. Racism as a system and a history kept my friend and me from sharing a perspective on the world, and that broke my heart."
At the end of the novel, I enjoyed the discussion points. I think it is a good idea, especially being a young adult book because it encourages them to learn about the past where they live. It has made me want to research the past of my town. There was a lot for me to think about after finishing this book. I have realised that I am like Mary, I do not know the history of where I live. Thank you to Andi for sending me this book, I really enjoyed reading it, 5/5 stars.
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