The Haunting of Frances Rain

Summer after summer, Elizabeth and her siblings Evan and Erica have gone to their grandmother's secluded island cabin in the Canadian wilderness. This year, for the first time, their mother is joining them with their new stepfather, Tim. Lizzie and Evan have done their best to get rid of Tim, always making clear just how much they dislike him. And their busy lawyer mother, after the first glow of happiness, seems to share their sentiments toward her husband. When Lizzie becomes involved in an amateur excavation of the site of an old cabin, she unearths old spectacles through which she can view events from the past. Only when she solves a mystery and resolves old ancestral conflicts does she realize she is bound to the rest of her family. Buffie's story is moody and atmospheric--the lake and the island are pungently, perfectly evoked. Lizzie's encounters with ghosts are beautifully handled, with just the right balance of eerie and emotional moments. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)