Paper Valentine

Need a spooky read for Halloween?  Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff is a great ghost story that will get you in the creepy mood!

Hannah sees ghosts.  Not just any ghost, but the ghost of her best friend who died 6 months earlier.  Only in ghost form, Lillian is cruel, full of hate and jealousy.  Hannah's town of Ludlow is trying to deal with the hottest summer on record, when young girls begin to be murdered.  The serial killer leaves paper hearts, candy, and cheap toys arranged around the body.  Hannah's mother, worried about her since Lillian's death, keeps Hannah on a short leash.  Having her walk her little sister to band camp, go straight to work at her cousin's photo store, and come home.  At the photo shop, Hannah sees the pictures of the crime scenes, and then begins seeing the ghosts of the murdered girls.  As Hannah tries to piece together the murders, she begins a relationship with Finny Boone, the town delinquent.  He keeps popping up when Hannah needs someone, but could he have anything to do with the murders?  Hannah must figure it out before she ends up like the others.
This was my choice for my Book Club's Halloween pick.  Ghost stores were always my favorite when I was younger.  I grew up with Fear Street as a staple in my library, but don't read a lot of them now.  "Where are the scary stories?" is a question I get asked the most, and this will be one I direct students to.  The writing is beautiful, full of similes, and metaphors.  The character of Hannah is very quirky, but she really comes to stand up for herself in a way students will relate to.  I thought this was a great book, and I am going to look into others from this author.