Review: A Must-Read Sequel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2013
Whenever I read a book that I love with characters I want to spend more time with and the author writes a sequel, I have mixed feelings.  My first reaction is, "Wonderful!  I can't wait to go on another adventure with my new friends!"  And then, just before reading the first page of the sequel, I have a lurch in my stomach:  "What if the new book isn't as good as the first one?  What if the characters do things that make me not love them anymore?  Do I really want to risk the good feelings I have from the first book?"I needn't have worried!  I loved Stevie and Jase in Stevie-Girl and The Phantom Pilot, but I love them even more in The Phantom Student.  More layers have been added to their back stories and their relationship is growing deeper--still best friends but with a tiny hint of possible future romance as they age together, which was endearing.This book is not soda pop and bubble gum, however.  Serious and important themes of bullying, misunderstood people who are "different," and untimely death and loss are deftly woven into a beautiful story of mystery and friendship.