Shallow Grave

April 1, 2013

Gr 7 Up-These titles feature well-intentioned teens in tough situations. In Coming Clean, Rob's golden opportunity to pursue his passion for music leads to unintentional involvement with drug deals and the death of a friend due to an Ecstasy overdose. Dead Run focuses on Sam, who loves bike racing. His gig as a bicycle courier becomes more than he bargained for when his boss asks him to deliver secret packages to a sketchy location. In Shallow Grave, Elliot is wrongly accused of a prank and ends up cleaning an old boathouse with a female classmate as punishment. The spirit of a deceased teen speaks to them through a Ouija board, and they struggle to untangle her messages. All three protagonists are unquestionably good people; their choices are what get them in trouble. Brief, current, and fast paced, these books will be enjoyed by reluctant teen readers.-Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2012
Grades 4-7 After rule-bound Elliot is caught up in a prank that runs afoul of the principal, he is stuck cleaning out the school's spooky old boathouse after school with loser goth weirdo Shannon. Elliot is surprised to find that he may have misjudged Shannon, who is smarter and nicer than he thought, and their work goes by amiably even though the dim, disused atmosphere unnerves them. When Shannon finds half of a friendship necklace, she claims to feel a presence and insists they make a Ouija board to investigate. Elliot reluctantly agrees, but he isn't prepared when they actually contact the ghost of a murdered girl who demands they solve her mystery before she will let them leave. Brief hints of school and family drama flesh out the two main characters, and Elliot's snappy first-person narrative will be relatable to teens. Written for the Orca Soundings line for reluctant readers, this fairly tame ghost story would make a good introduction to scary stories while still being suspenseful enough to hold the interest of older readers, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
As punishment for a school prank he's falsely accused of, "A-student jock superstar" Elliot is sent to clean out the old boathouse on a Friday afternoon with purple-haired goth girl Shannon. After Shannon makes a Ouija board, frightening events ensue, and the odd pair must work together to solve a murder. Some lame dialogue hampers this fast-paced, engaging mystery.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)