Insatiable Readers Blog Loves Alibi's Ghosts

Title: Alibi's Ghosts, The Larger-Than-Life Small World of a Medium's
Daughter
Author: L.S. Hullinger
Author website: www.lshullinger.com
Genre: middle grade paranormal, mystery novel
ISBN 0985186224


Reviewed by Gina for her blog  Satisfaction For Insatiable Readers



Whew! With a title like that, how can you NOT stop and take a look…or at least I knew I couldn’t. I love the  word play in the title; “larger than life”…small…and medium (though obviously not speaking about someone’s size in this case). It really makes a word loving  girl like myself sit up and take notice. Now, on to the story…

Alibi  (aka Alexandra Vernon) is a great kid through and through; in fact, it’s no
wonder the spirits choose to communicate with her….she’s a gem! She feels with
her whole heart and listens with her entire being despite the fact that those open aspects of her personality get her in trouble more often than not. Well, you can’t really blame the parents entirely, I mean if you found your child making Dagwood sandwiches every night three days in a row when they don’t even know what one is or vehicles moved without explanation and a somewhat guilty looking eleven year old close at hand, you might be skeptical to believe every word that leaves her mouth as well. LISTEN UP parents…the kid is not always fibbing! Such is the case here and thanks to Alibi’s mother she has a little
leeway (I should hope so considering her line of work) but it doesn’t mean
that she can explain away anything and everything away due to ghostly
influence…especially since some of those influences have to remain a secret!
(Aka her grandfather’s and cousin’s presence….SHHH!) Oh my; wasn’t life
suppose to be easier when you were eleven? *sigh* Anywho…

The character building here was just enough to get you involved in their lives without over educating you on the who/when/why/where/how of it all; a good balance for both the target audience and beyond. Their interactions with members of the community help show a world more accepting than that of witch-hunting times but yet not ready to set a place for their lingering aunt’s or uncle’s spirits at the supper table. This acceptance and non also extends to Alibi. We see and feel it with her friend Daisy who happens to come for a visit during this week of week’s. She’s always been jumpy of Alibi’s mother’s powers, let alone their ghost magnet of a house, but what will happen if she finds out Alibi sees ghosts too? That’s a story for another slumber party, but the results may surprise you. Moving forward…

This isn’t just a story about a medium, her daughter and the
community in which they live and serve. At it’s heart is a mystery that needs
solving and from the looks of things, Alibi’s gonna have to be the one to do
it. It requires a quick mind (check!), an uncanny ability to both listen AND
understand (check!), and a pureness of heart only obtained from wanting
nothing more than to help someone in need (i.e. no earthly gain for
oneself…check! Hey, clearing your name of trouble isn’t an earthly gain
folks…just a useful byproduct of giving your assistance….). For all those
reasons and more, it makes a great read for both the younger set and the young
at heart. Though dealing with spirits and the afterlife, it doesn’t do so in
an uber-creepy way leaving it accessible (hat’s off to the author on that
accomplish!) while helping to explain some of these concepts in an honest and
open manner.

In conclusion, a wonderful read from a new-to-me author
that I would recommend to one and all no matter the time of year. It’s a fast
read with a lot of heart that will raise your spirits higher than her cousin’s
crow (Poe) can fly (yep…her cousin had a pet crow that sorta warns her when
his pranking self is about…hehe). So if you’re ready to take on the problems
of the living with the help of those that have passed, grab your clue sheet to
record your observations and H.I.B.E.S. events (or Heavily Influenced By
Entity Spirits events) and embark on a little paranormal adventure with Alibi
and friends. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

 

~ For more information on this title as well as her Hullinger's other works, visit her official
site or follow along on Twitter. This book was released in print June 2012
and should be available now on a bookstore shelf or online retailer near you. She has another work out right now entitled Cyndi Hazard, Empathic
Detective that from the chapter sample at ‘Alibi’s’ end…sounds
like another great pick for the old wish list!

-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :