Midnight Over Moores by A.M.H. Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description

In Midnight Over Moores, Georgia peach Jenna is a long way from home at her all-girls boarding school in Maine. Transferring in the middle of high school has its challenges–like getting the lay of the school, or her snobby roommate, or the ghost that’s just begun haunting her.

But putting the ghost to rest may be more difficult and dangerous than she expected.

With an eye on Ivy League colleges, a new friend who seems determined to put her brother and Jenna together (despite Jenna swearing off boys until college), and plenty of local feuds and legends to wade through, she’ll be hard-pressed to manage school and solve the mystery before the ghost drives her insane.

Review

Admittedly, the beginning felt a bit slow. The opening scene (or prologue) is a glimpse into the last day of the ghost, Christine Wedge. While this could be impactful, I felt it lacked the kind of mystery, tension, and cliff hangers that could have really made it pop. Most of the information we learn in the prologue is peppered into the story itself, and there’s no clear indicator (aside from the title – Missing) as to why it’s included.

The next chapter takes us into Jenna’s life, and she spends the entire first chapter getting settled and checking out her new school. While these details may be important to the setting of the book, it does little to forward the story, and it’s laden with detailed descriptions.

Once you get past those, though, the story picks up steam. Friends, rivalries, competitions, mysteries, and a hint of romance all make this young adult ghost story quite the page-turner. You can’t help but root for Jenna and her new friend. If you’re looking for a teen Ghost Whisperer with a little southern flair, I think you’ll enjoy Midnight Over Moores.

**Contains some mild swearing.

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