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THE MOONLIGHT MAN by Betty Ren Wright

THE MOONLIGHT MAN

by Betty Ren Wright

Pub Date: Feb. 1st, 2000
ISBN: 0-590-25237-2
Publisher: Scholastic

As in some of the author’s previous books, this one involves a capable young woman pitted against an angry ghost that has unresolved issues. Jenny, 15, her widower father, and younger sister have moved for the fifth time in seven years to a quaint, creepy little clearing where theirs is one of only five homes. Almost at once the haunting begins when shadowy specters (a man and a little dog) hover in the dusk on their front porch. Other eerie incidents occur every day and as Jenny deciphers the mystery, she discovers a dark secret about her crabby elderly neighbors who are getting the worst of the ghost’s wrath. Afraid it will lead to another move, Jenny tells her father nothing of her discovery; instead she tries to befriend the new neighbor, a talented violin player in whose basement are heard disconsolate sobs. As the story heads for the gripping climax, Jenny learns she has some talent of her own, including bravery and intelligence. This absorbing novel has truly frightening moments, but readers will feel safe in the hands of its skillful author. A spooky read for a rainy night. (Fiction. 8-12)