School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins   

Related to the Hex Hall series

Izzy Brannick hunts monsters of all types. However, she finds tracking and binding ghosts to be less than challenging. So when her mom (Aislinn) tells her that they are moving to Ideal, Mississippi to stifle a ghost that has been haunting a high school, Izzy is at first unenthusiastic. However, she goes along, partly because she thinks her mom has another reason for making Ideal their new (but temporary) home. Her mom is doing some secret research. Though she won’t say what it is, Izzy believes that Aislinn is hunting down clues to the disappearance of Finn, Izzy’s older sister.

Izzy’s enthusiasm for ghost hunting picks up after she dislocates a bully’s shoulder in dodge ball and consequently meets the members of PMS—Paranormal Management Society (yes—ha!). It’s not so good when ordinary people dabble in magic as the PMS members—Romy, Anderson, and Dex—are doing. They can sometimes unleash the fury of the supernatural on a town. And maybe that’s what’s happening here. But how? Izzy feels electric sparks when she accidentally touches Dex. Is it love? It feels like it. Or is he Prodigium? That is, is Dex an evil warlock?

High school housekeeping: This novel is so much fun. The ghost hunting is good, but I love that it is peppered with comedy and a few silly puns. Of course, it has the necessary romance, but it is very sweet and innocent—a nice change from what I’ve been reading lately. It’s an easy read and I found myself quickly pulled into the story. Now I’d like to go back and read the Hex Hall books as I imagine that they are equally as entertaining. I recommend School Spirits to anyone interested in stories about the paranormal, including teens working on their reading skills.

On a personal note, I want to thank an anonymous friend who donated thirty copies of School Spirits to me so that I could read it with my Bookies Book Club. We are going to talk about the novel over the next few weeks. So excited anytime I get to talk story with teens!