There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around - Softcover

Vande Velde, Vivian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0152064672 ISBN 13: 9780152064679

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2008

Synopsis

When Ted’s five-year-old sister, Vicki, invents an imaginary friend, no one is too concerned . . . except that Vicki’s friend has the never-popular name of Marella, and unlike most imaginary friends, Marella can move things. Ted might think Marella is a ghost, but why would a ghost haunt Vicki, of all people? And why would she suddenly move into a house Ted’s family has lived in for ages? And why is Marella terrified of another ghost, a dark figure who seems to be hunting Ted? Hilarious, haunting, and unexpectedly moving, There’s a Dead Person Following My Sister Around is Vivian Vande Velde at her frightening best.

About this title

About the Author:

Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7-Vande Velde continues her string of historical ghost stories, this time focusing on the Underground Railroad. The first-person narrator, 11-year-old Ted, is certain that his house in Rochester, NY, can't be haunted because it has been in his family for generations and there have been no secrets to speak of in its past. Then his five-year-old sister Vicki's imaginary friend Marella and the "bad lady" who seems to be chasing her prove themselves to be all too real. Ted decides to get to the bottom of the mystery and finds a journal belonging to one of his ancestors. It recounts the tragic story of two runaway slaves, a mother and her five-year-old daughter, who drowned in the Erie Canal, which used to run through the family's backyard. The story culminates in Ted and Vicki being possessed by the spirits in order to help them move on. The secondary characters include busy parents barely present; a typical teenage brother; and a trendy, smart-talking cousin. However, the plot has original twists and the journal passages are nicely integrated into a story with some genuine chills. The penultimate chapter unnecessarily switches to present tense when Adah, the mother's spirit, possesses Ted. Nonetheless, there is sufficient humor, action, and scariness to keep readers engaged. A good choice for fans of Bruce Coville's "Nina Tanleven" series (Bantam).
Timothy Capehart, Leominster Public Library, MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0152064672
• ISBN 13: 9780152064679
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160