Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto

HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780732299330
(Age: 15+) Recommended. 'Alex is more real than anyone I've ever known. And him being dead . . . really doesn't change a thing.' When Chloe Kennedy was young her mother taught her to tell the ghosts to leave her alone. Now with her mother dead Chloe doesn't just have to deal with the grief of the death of her mother, she must also deal with the ghosts returning. Chloe's father is taking the death very hard and when her bossy Grandmother comes to stay, it is decided that Chloe and her brother (Rory) are to go and live with their Grandmother in her large haunted house for a while. Ghost House is the story of Chloe learning to deal with the death of her mother and the constant visits she begins to receive from the ghosts haunting her Grandmother's bed and breakfast in south England. As the ghosts trouble Chloe her facade with friends and family begins to falter.
This universe was easy to delve into and the first person telling of this tale creates a character that is easy to love despite her unfortunate circumstances. None of the characters are particularly relatable, that's a good thing though because the ghostly filter that is placed on this story creates eerie scenes where naive minor characters are put through intense supernatural events.
I would recommend Ghost House although there are many explicit violence chapters that would not be suitable for a younger audience.
Azriel P. (Yr 10 Student)