Saranormal: Ghost Town and Saranormal: Haunted Memories by Phoebe Rivers, Children's, 7 years +, 9/10 & 10/10)

(In blogger there is no gap between these two books - sorry for there being one on the actual blog post. It's those Blogger Gremlins again)                      

                           

 August 2012, Simon and Schuster

160 pages, Paperback

Review copies

Themes: paranormal, seeing ghosts, being though of as a freak, helping others, facing fears, gaining confidence, moving schools, unusual home life, making friends and enemies, mysteries, visions, lots of scary parts (book 1), fair amount of humour

Summaries from Simon and Schuster for Ghost Town   (Shortened to GT by Nayu)

 Sara Collins is a normal 12 year old girl with an abnormal secret: she is psychic. Sara has had her abilities for as long as she can remember, but she doesn't like to talk about them. She hopes that if she ignores them, they might go away. Sara wants nothing more than to have a normal life, and to her "normal" doesn't include anything paranormal.

But Sara's abilities aren't going away... in fact, changes are happening in Sara's life that will make her abilities even more powerful. Her life is about to be turned upside down because she's moving across the country with her dad to an old shore town in New Jersey. A shore town with a lot of history... and more than its fair share of ghosts.

Ghost Town places Sara in the fun setting of a shore town with a beach and a boardwalk. As Sara tries to settle into her new home, she discovers that not only is she surrounded by ghosts, but for the first time, the ghosts around her can communicate with her. One ghost in particular is intent on communicating with Sara because he desperately needs something from her. Sara wants to help, but she's scared. Can Sara put her fear aside and help the spirit? Will doing so put her in jeopardy?
 

Meanwhile, Sara meets a great local girl named Lily Randazzo, and against all odds, really bonds with her. Sara has made a true friend for the first time in her life. Maybe New Jersey isn't so bad after all...

and Haunted Memeories   (Shortened to HM by Nayu)

Sara Collins is a normal 12 year old girl with an abnormal secret: she is psychic. Sara has had her abilities for as long as she can remember, but she doesn't like to talk about them. She hopes that if she ignores them, they might go away. Sara wants nothing more than to have a normal life, and to her "normal" doesn't include anything paranormal.

Sara has settled in to her new hometown, and even made a good friend in Lily Randazzo. Now it's time to start school, and Sara has her first psychic vision. In the vision, she sees herself with a cute boy she's never seen before. The vision is so powerful that Sara feels shaken to the core. When she starts school a few days later she meets the boy from her vision. His name is Jayden Mendes, and Sara knows with complete certainty that this boy is destined to be her first boyfriend. But there's something else Sara knows about Jayden... he has a ghostly companion who stays by his side at all time. The ghost seems intent on keeping Sara and Jayden apart. What secrets does Jayden hold? Who is this ghost, and what is his problem with Sara? It's a lot for Sara to navigate around while also falling in love for the first time!

Nayuleska's thoughts

I spent 5 minutes searching for my GT review only to realise I had intended to write the review once I'd collected my thoughts on it. That never happened...

Ahem. Usually I discuss grades last in reviews, but I need to explain the ones for GT and HM. I honestly feel these books are too mature for 7 year olds. I know I freak out easily, but the content feels more appropriate for 9 years + to me. I've read a fair amount of 7+ books, which are nowhere near this spooky or as into boys as the girls here.

Aside from that, the books are awesome! The first one scared me the most. I nearly stopped reading it (this phenomena happens frequently at the moment). I only requested the books because I loved the style of the covers and I have a thing for heroines who only have 1 or 0 parents. It makes an interesting family dynamic. Sara had to deal with a strange lady who isn't family but by book 2 knows more about Sara than her dad does. Through the spooky goings on Sara gains more confidence in herself, she learns more about her new home, and yes she does look a little crazy sometimes talking to herself because others don't see ghosts. I'm very eager for book 3, as the ghost for that story is very strong willed.

Suggested read

For funny ghost talking series try Tamsyn Murray's My So-Called Afterlife.