THE GHOST AND MRS. HOBBS
by Cynthia DeFelice
In this genuinely exciting and suspenseful sequel to The Ghost of Fossil Glen (1998), DeFelice revisits her plucky heroine sixth-grader Allie Nichols, picking up her story only three weeks later. As in the earlier work, Allie (according to her best friend, a “ghost magnet”) is manipulated by a ghost—here a very handsome young specter—to delve into the mystery surrounding the woman he accuses of ruining his life (when he had one, that is). That woman turns out to be none other than the dreaded Mrs. Hobbs, school cafeteria lady from hell. All is not as it seems though, for, as Allie comes to discover, this ghost seeks not peace but a vengeful redress of his grievances. And Mrs. Hobbs’s story? Just what is her connection to the phantom? Readers will have to keep turning the pages to learn the whole truth about her. And they will. This not only delivers the thrills young readers love, it will have them eagerly awaiting more ghostly encounters with Allie. (Fiction. 8-12)