Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

I haven't read a ghost story in, well...ever.* And, for a ghost story newbie like myself, Shadowed Summer is a good place to start-a tale that has enough thrills to be wonderfully spooky but not enough to be completely terrifying.

Iris and her friend, Collette, are prepared to spend another summer in the boring town of Ondine with only their imaginative games of make-believe to keep themselves entertained. But, then, everything changes when a mystery almost too good to be true-one that's been haunting the town for years- plummets right into their lives. More than fourteen years ago, Elijah Landry disappeared, creating possibly the biggest scandal the town has ever seen. Now, he's reappeared. As a ghost. And he wants to talk to Iris......

As mentioned, I'm not much of  a ghost story reader. Luckily, Shadowed Summer is much more than just that. Oh, it has the ghost story bits (which were all very enjoyable). Witchboards, and hauntings and surprising plot twists. But, Shadowed Summer also benefits from other things, like Saundra Mitchell's expressive prose.  Having lived in a small town for six years, I can say the portrayal of Ondine's small town-ness  is spot-on. And not having lived in a particularly warm place, I can also say that Saundra Mitchell succeeded in making the heat of the town come alive for me.

Shadowed Summer is also, (like most YA novels),  about coming of age. There's friendship, first love, and just plain old growing up. Saundra Mitchell really nailed Iris's relationship with her best friend, Collette, through all its arguments and making up and jealousy and lies. 

This is definitely a tale that I'll be remembering.

*Okay, I probably have at some point read a ghost story but I can't remember it so a) it probably wasn't very good and b) who cares? Let's talk about this book instead. It's awesome.

-RR2