BOOK REVIEW: the dead and buried

the dead and buried - mystery book review

the dead and buried

Kim Harrington

Scholastic

2013

Available: hardcopy, Kindle

   Seventeen-year-old Jade Kelly's family has just moved into a fabulous new home in an upscale neighborhood. It's a lot nicer than their old place. With the new home comes a new school, Woodbridge High School. The school is larger, the academics more challenging, and the social scene more complex. As soon as she arrives, it's obvious that something odd is going on.
Kids are talking behind her back.  Her little brother thinks he's seen ghost in his bedroom. Her father is always gone, traveling for his business and her stepmother seems even more unapproachable than usual.  When Jade finally learns why her family could afford their fancy new home she's upset with them for keeping secret that Kayla Stone, the most popular girl from Woodbridge, was murdered in the house the year before. Even worse, the ghost girl is haunting her little brother Cody. Jade has to put a stop to this, but the only way to do this is to discover the truth about what happened to the girl.

   This was a great read, well plotted and well executed. The reader is given glimpses of the murder victim from brief glances at her diary. And allowed to see the players from different viewpoints. While Jade discovers the truth she also has to navigate real world problems. A strained relationship with her stepmother. An absentee father. Jealousies. Boy problems. Fitting in at a new school.

Target audience: Grades 7-10

Mystery/suspense: excellent

Kid appeal: High