The Girl Behind the Glass

Both chilling and lyrical, Kelley's second novel is a ghost story with a cryptic narrator whose identity gradually comes into focus. Hannah and Anna Zimmer, 11-year-old twins, reluctantly move with their family from their beloved Brooklyn to a creepy house on Hemlock Road. Right away, the siblings are unnerved by bizarre disturbances: a haunted closet, mysterious winds, bats in the attic, and a faint voice. The twins initially plot to use the house's eccentricities to terrorize their older sister, Selena, but while Anna begins to adjust to their new life and school, Hannah does not, becoming resentful and committed to deciphering the house's mysteries. As befits a story swirling with familial secrets and betrayals, the tensions within the Zimmer family are especially well-observed, and Kelley (Nature Girl) conveys an impressive amount of emotion with few words. The ethereal tone and steady parceling out of warning, clues, and bits of information ("And yet something had happened in the shadow of those rocks. It changed the place forever. It could never be forgiven") maintain the novel's intrigue and will keep readers invested in the unfolding mystery. Ages 9%E2%80%9312. (Aug.)