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A review by fscottfishgerald
Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko
4.0
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book begins with Zee, a girl who loves horror and exploring creepy cemeteries with her best friend Elijah. She is picked on by popular girl, Nellie, for everything from her looks to the fact she is living with her sister and has no parents. But this beings to be the least of her worries when a storm comes into town, bring more than just a little bit of rain. Shadows and mysterious dogs begin following her everywhere. And things. take a turn when a mysterious principal comes into town. Zee, Elijah, and surprise ally will need to uncover the truth of these mysteries in order to restore peace in their small, sleepy town.
The atmosphere was really captured, especially in the first half of the book. At times I was reminded of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Just that super creepy tension building book, but probably not as dark. There were a few scenes that creeped me out and made me feel like a kid reading scary stories under the sheets with a flashlight. The characters were very well written for a children/ middle grade horror book. I enjoyed Ally Malinenko's ability to capture the broken family aspects really well for a children audience.
I really recommend this for 5-7th grade students or teachers looking for a creepy Halloween/stormy day read. I think this provides just enough goosebumps to get into the spooky mood, but not so scary it will deter non-horror fans. I can see this being a good introduction to horror for younger children.
The book begins with Zee, a girl who loves horror and exploring creepy cemeteries with her best friend Elijah. She is picked on by popular girl, Nellie, for everything from her looks to the fact she is living with her sister and has no parents. But this beings to be the least of her worries when a storm comes into town, bring more than just a little bit of rain. Shadows and mysterious dogs begin following her everywhere. And things. take a turn when a mysterious principal comes into town. Zee, Elijah, and surprise ally will need to uncover the truth of these mysteries in order to restore peace in their small, sleepy town.
The atmosphere was really captured, especially in the first half of the book. At times I was reminded of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Just that super creepy tension building book, but probably not as dark. There were a few scenes that creeped me out and made me feel like a kid reading scary stories under the sheets with a flashlight. The characters were very well written for a children/ middle grade horror book. I enjoyed Ally Malinenko's ability to capture the broken family aspects really well for a children audience.
I really recommend this for 5-7th grade students or teachers looking for a creepy Halloween/stormy day read. I think this provides just enough goosebumps to get into the spooky mood, but not so scary it will deter non-horror fans. I can see this being a good introduction to horror for younger children.