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!
-----
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