Haunt Me

Kessler (Read Me Like a Book) complicates a traditional love triangle in unexpected and moving ways, alternating between the perspectives of two 16-year-olds. Erin was in an accident when she was 11, and she never found her footing in secondary school, which led to a friendless and bullied existence; her only solace is her poetry. Joe felt similarly isolated before he died, finding his voice by writing song lyrics. Shortly after Joe’s death, his family moves out of their home, and Erin’s family moves in. Joe recognizes Erin as a kindred spirit and slowly reveals himself to her. Through a mutual understanding of each other’s angst and loneliness, the two fall in love. But an affair between a ghost and a living girl doesn’t come without complications, the biggest of which is Joe’s older brother, Olly, who is also seeking a way to connect with Joe. This thoroughly romantic story is heartbreaking but hopeful: Kessler gives Joe a reason to cross over, and Olly and Erin a reason to live. Ages 12–up. [em]Agent: Catherine Clarke, Felicity Bryan Associates. (July) [/em]