Bibliography: Nichols, Lee. (2010). Deception: A Haunting Emma Novel. New York: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1599903088
Plot Summary: Seventeen year old Emma Vaile is living every teenager’s dream–her parents gone on a trip, her older brother away, she can do whatever she wants. Except she worries about her family, is ignored by her best friend and has these strange, scary visions. When her brother’s old friend Bennett rescues her from Social Services, she is whisked away to Boston to live in a historical home and attend a proper prep school and have more visions. Bennett reveals that she shares with him and a small group of others, the gift of ghostkeeping, communicating with ghosts. And someone or something is murdering ghostkeepers and leaving behind a symbol: the design on Emma’s mother’s unique pendant.
Critical Analysis: This book is very much like Mary Poppins–practically perfect in every way. Not great literature but a great balance of compelling characters, suspense, mystery, romance, humor, frenemies and the paranormal. At over 300 pages, the book feels short, and readers will be clamoring for the sequel. Kudos to Nichols for avoiding the trap of overlong overserious paranormals that seems to have taken over young adult fiction recently.
Emma is the girl next door and everyone’s best friend, and Bennett is every girl’s crush–their brother’s older friend who they both like and hate simultaneously. I was reminded of another recent paranormal, The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, but Deception is both faster moving and more fun all around. Talk this up to your female teen readers.
Review Excerpts: “[T]he ghostkeeper premise, lingering mystery, and Emma/Bennett relationship compel the curious to return. Magical ancestors and passed-down powers…it will appeal to teens craving a quick read.”–School Library Journal
“After a strong start, this fantasy drags until the revelation of Emma’s powers….Romance is one of the main reasons readers will keep turning the pages; the end contains a shocker that will leave them anxious for the next book in the Haunting Emma series.”–Booklist
“While Nichols’s take on the girl-who-sees-ghosts story will satisfy fans of the genre, the characters and plot feel familiar, though Emma has a sense of humor that, if on the silly side, balances the book’s sinister moments with snark. Undemanding paranormal fun.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“Balancing this text’s heavy supernatural vibe and sometimes gruesome details are elements of modern teenage life, including Emma’s crush on Bennett and conventional high-school friendship dramas, making this first installment in the Haunting Emma series light fun with a mildly chilling edge and sense of mystery.”–Kirkus Reviews
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