Review: Great YA Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 15, 2013
This is a wonderful book for the younger crowd. When I was in grade school I read Apple books by Betty Ren Wright and I instantly felt like I was reading one of her books as I dove into this one.Marilyn has a fantastic set of characters with Vannie her brother Robby , her dad, her aunt Mayda and her friend Tammy as well as Theodore the cat and Archie the ghost.The story is told through Vannie's eyes and she really is the picture of the typical 6th grade girl. She's almost grown up, but not quite and her world has been turned upside down. Not only has she lost her mother, but her father isn't coping well and they are moving to a cottage on the grounds of the estate that he works for.That really makes for a lot of pre-teen angst and even more angst from her younger brother Robby. It doesn't help matters that their dad isn't the best parent in the world. He's way more concerned with work then keeping house. I really felt sorry for the 11 year old who was learning to cook from recipes she was given by Archie the ghost.Vannie is really inquisitive, as is her friend Tammy and they really work hard to uncover who Archie is, though Vannie is a little less enthusiastic about the request Archie has for her. It has to do with her aunt Mayda getting a husband. (I'll say no more, as that would be SPOILERS)I recommend this book highly to the pre-teen set. It is a quick, fun read that kids and parents will enjoy.~review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review