There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around

There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around by Vivian Vande Velde

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Harcourt
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152021000
ISBN-13: 978-0152021009

Ted's big problem is not his annoying brother Zach, his social studies report on Luxembourg or his stuck-up cousin Jackie. He has ghosts in his house. His five-year-old sister, Vicki, is the first to see them; she starts keeping a hammer under her pillow for protection.

12 year old Ted Beatson lives in a 150 year old ancestral home with his parents, older brother Zach and little sister Vicki. The home, which has been handed down through the generations, and is located near the Erie Canal in upstate New York. It was also once used by the Underground Railroad.

When Vicki begins talking to a supposed imaginary friend, Ted quickly learns the friend is actually a ghost named Marella and there is another ghost - the bad lady - who appears to be after Marella. In trying to research the ghost origins, Ted uncovers a family secret, leading him to a connection between past and present.

Although this is a fictional book, it does have many interesting facts concerning the Civil War, the Underground Railroad and the history of the Erie Canal.

This book is spooky but not super scary, so younger children will also enjoy reading this tale. It is suspenseful, funny, clever and has a tad bit of sadness. A great book for children who are interested in reading scary stories that aren't too scary.

You can also check out my reviews on these Vivan Vande Velde books:

Stolen
All Hallow's Eve

All Hallow's Eve

All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories for Halloween by Vivian Vande Velde

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Harcourt
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152055762
ISBN-13: 978-0152055769

"Witches are dancing
The Dead are walking
Vampires are feeding
For tonight is All Hallow's Eve!"

I am a big fan of young adult books, but I had not read any of Velde's work until her most recent release, Stolen. Stolen was such a riveting book, I've been on a quest to read more of Velde's books.

I won't give a synopsis of all 13 stories - although they were all good - but I will highlight my favorites.

"Cemetery Field Trip" - in this creepy story, a class field trip to a 1800s cemetery leads to mortal danger and a ghostly rescue for one 9th grade girl. Just when I thought ghosts were the thing to worry about, Velde switches gears to the unexpected.

"Best Friends" - this story has an unusual twist told in the narrative of 2 young girls. Nikki is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who befriends a classmate and claims they are "best friends forever." Aimee Ann is a spoiled little rich girl, forced by her parents to be friends with Nikki. Great ending for a scary story.

"Pretending" - when the Halloween trick of an entire family portraying vampires goes awry, an unlucky boy meets another fate. I thought I knew who this one would end, but I was wrong.

"Marian" - when a young man hits a speed bump after dropping off his girlfriend, he is surprised to learn his old car has a GPS. "Marian" or Mobile And Regional Interactive Assisted Navigation, is not your average GPS - she is a spector looking for revenge.

If you are a hardcore horror fan, then this book will be too tame for reading. But if you have children or young adults who love reading scary stories, then All Hallow's Eve should fit the bill.

Stolen

Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 158 pages
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761455159
ISBN-13: 978-0761455158

This is the first book of Velde's I have read and I found myself enjoying the story line. Isabelle is a young girl who has no memory of who she is. The story begins with Isabelle running in the forest with a pack of hunting dogs tight on her heels. Just when she thinks the dogs will be the death of her, she pulled into unconsciousness. Then she awakens she finds she has been taken in by a peasant family - Avis and Browley - and their young daughter, Ravyn.

Ravyn is a six year old who is determined Isabelle was a Princess stolen away by the legendary witch from the forest. Apparently this witch has been stealing away young children for many years - the children are never seen or heard from again. Ravyn enjoys weaving a new life for Isabelle out of her curious imagination.

Just when Isabelle is starting to feel comfortable with the peasant family, another family appears, claiming she is their daughter who was stolen away six years earlier. This poor family had recently has a second child stolen away, a newborn only one months old. The mother is determined that the young girl is her daughter, Isabelle, but the oldest daughter, Honey, is convinced this girl is not her long lost sister.

But all is not what it seems with Isabelle's "supposed" family and she begins to wonder if they are claiming her in order to gain an inheritance from a rich aunt, whom Isabelle is named after.

This book has a happy ending, but not the ending I was anticipating. Just when I thought I knew how the story would end, Velde gives the story an unusual twist.

This small book - 158 pages - was a different kind of young adult book and I read it in one sitting. Not your normal young adult fantasy book, this story is more along the lines of the wonderful fairy tales I read as a child. Stolen has increased my desire to read other books by Vivian Vande Velde.