Not Quite a Ghost

by Anne Ursu
 

Violet’s new house has the space her growing family needs, but as soon as they move in, the house feels odd and lonely. Violet’s older sister Mia declares the attic room with the peeling yellow wallpaper to be “creepy,” so by default, that room becomes Violet’s. Violet is dealing with a lot of personal issues, including nervously starting middle school, and it doesn’t help when she gets sick the first week of school. When she’s finally able to return, she’s too tired for PE class, so she’s sent to study in the library. There she meets a boy named Will who regularly sits out PE due to health reasons. He’s researching ghosts and hauntings for a science credit, which Violet finds fascinating. She wants to help her new friend with his project, but her illness returns and she isn’t getting better. Visits to multiple doctors lead nowhere, and she ends up homebound in her attic room. The vines on the yellow wallpaper seem to be moving now, and she thinks she sees the shape of a girl trapped beneath them. She’s terrified, both of the girl, and her mysterious illness. Loosely based on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short story The Yellow Wallpaper, this is a story about a haunted house, but it’s also a fresh, modern look at unexplained health issues, post-Covid anxiety, changing friendships, and blended families. 

Under the Surface

by Diana Urban

Four American students studying French in Paris find themselves lost in the catacombs in this thrilling survival story. Val accepts an invitation to an illegal underground party from a handsome French stranger, Julien, and Ruby, concerned for her safety, follows to stop her. Olivia, four-time teen Jeopardy winner, and Selena, Ruby’s ex-best friend, get swept up in the effort, too. At the mouth of the catacombs, Selena falls and is injured, kicking off a terrifying chain of events. They quickly realize they’re being pursued by armed men in skeleton masks. The kids can’t figure out why these men are chasing them, but it’s clear the men mean them harm as they continue to push the students deeper and deeper into the catacombs. Julien is lost now, too, there’s no cell service, not much food or water, and it’s completely pitch black without their few weak flashlights. This book doesn’t pull punches as tragedy after tragedy strikes the group, revealing character-developing back stories along the way, as well as fascinating details about “cataphiles,” real-life catacomb explorers. The chapters are narrated in turns by Ruby and Sean, still above ground, who loves Ruby but hasn’t yet found a way to tell her. Lots of twists, heart-pounding near-misses, and heart-breaking turns of events make for an exhilarating read. (Please note: this book is only in the high schools.)