Books and Literature for Teens: Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Where y'at, Iris?

There is nothing to do in Odine, Louisiana, except maybe hang out at the cemetery, listen to ghosts, and cast pretend spells. The summer Iris and and her friend, Collette, turn fourteen, that's just what they do. It's all fun and games until Iris truly sees and hears a "ghost" at the cemetery. After an incident with a Ouija board (witchboard), the ghost reveals himself as Elijah, the boy who mysteriously disappeared several years before Iris was born. With the help of Ben-Colette's latest crush- and Collete, Iris must find out what really happened that night in 1989 and why her dad is so hesitant in shedding some light on the subject. It seems all of Odine wants to forget "The Incident with the Landry Boy", all that is, except Iris and of course Elijah's restless ghost.

*****

Shadowed Summer was a short read and after 3 hours and a severe adrenaline rush, I can only say that this book not only made your skin crawl but was written quite well for a first time thriller writer.

The combination of a ghost story, friendship, and growing up made the story even more unforgettable. The characters were very well developed and there was more background than just the ghost haunts. The end really caught me off guard, I literally yelled, "What!" so loud it scared my poor cat. I even found myself re-reading the end just in case I missed something. (Personally I think the whole reason for Elijah's ghost to go haunting was a bit weird, but that's a physiological thriller for you).

Whew. I'm glad I'm done reading and writing the review for it. (Can you hear my heart beating?) Now I'm off to prepare the final resting place of Shadowed Summer-where else do you hide the boogie monsters?-in the closet. Yeah, it was that spooky.

Mitchell does in fact have a knack for storytelling, but I don't think I could handle another ghost story. I would not recommend this book to you if you get scared easily or, better yet-to take care of the recommendation-read if you dare.