From the Publisher
“In this genuinely exciting and suspenseful sequel to The Ghost of Fossil Glen, DeFelice revisits her plucky heroine sixth-grader Allie Nichols, picking up her story only three weeks later . . . This not only delivers the thrills young readers love, it will have them eagerly awaiting more ghostly encounters with Allie.”—
Kirkus Reviews
“Another dangerously thrilling supernatural adventure . . . A diverting and suspenseful ghost story offering a likeable protagonist and a thrilling romantic spark.”—The Horn Book
“A page-turner.”—School Library Journal
Publishers Weekly
Barely recovered from her valiant efforts in capturing Lucy's killer in The Ghost of Fossil Glen, 11-year-old Allie finds herself wrestling with another ghost this one strangely connected with the school's treacherous cafeteria lady in The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs by Cynthia DeFelice. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Ghosts talk to sixth grader Allie Nichols. In fact, they seek her out. DeFelice, in The Ghost of Fossil Glen, her first book about this sensitive preadolescent, Allie, helps a child's ghost unravel a murder mystery. Now it's happening again. The ghost of John Walker, a charming, handsome spectre, is demanding that Allie help him get justice. His target is a scary cafeteria worker, Mrs. Hobbs, nicknamed "the snapping turtle," whom Allie must interview for a class project. Allie starts out wanting to help this ghost, too. But when fires start spontaneously, her almost-boyfriend, Dub, turns skeptical and jealous, and her little brother, Mikey, is kidnapped and put in danger by that "nice man" that only he and his sister can see, Allie must reevaluate her ghost helping. Can she get Dub's friendship back in time to enlist his computer skills and keep them all out of danger? And maybe creepy old Mrs. Hobbs isn't as old or creepy as she thought. Young people love ghost stories and mysteries, and this is a great one to curl up with on a rainy Saturday. And as Allie's ghosts get more interesting, who knows what sort of supernatural character she might meet in (hopefully) DeFelice's next book featuring Allie and Dub? 2001, Douglas & McIntyre, $16.00. Ages 9 to 13. Reviewer: Judy Crowder
From The Critics
Fresh off the case of The Ghost of Fossil Glen, 12-year-old Allie Nichols finds herself summoned again to come to the aid of a ghost. When Allie's teacher assigns an interview for Elders' Day, she is compelled by a handsome ghost to talk with Mrs. Hobbs - the scarred, shriveled and obviously evil cafeteria lady. During the interview, Allie catches a glimpse of compassion emanating from this strange woman, but is interrupted when suddenly, her reporter's notepad spontaneously combusts and the school is evacuated. As more unexpected and unexplained fires result in public panic, Allie and Mrs. Hobbs are plunged into sea of trouble. Amidst this turmoil, Allie's relationship with her old friend Dub becomes more complicated as she struggles with feelings of jealousy. With Dub's help, and then with the help of her father and her little brother, Allie learns that appearances can often be deceiving and that ghosts cannot always be trusted. Cynthia DeFelice makes frequent references to the prequel The Ghost of Fossil Glen, so readers might enjoy reading that book first. Nonetheless, DeFelice's characters are warm, thoughtful, and courageous, and her language simply and easily understood, conveying a sense of suspense that will leave young readers eager to follow Allie on any adventure. Genre: Supernatural/Friendship. 2001, Farrar, Straus, &Giroux, 180 pp., $16.00. Ages 9 up. Reviewer: Moncia McEnerny; Vergennes, Vermont
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-This story picks up a few weeks after the events in The Ghost of Fossil Glen (Farrar, 1998), in which Allie solved a murder with the assistance of a ghost. It seems that this sixth grader is becoming a ghost magnet. This time, the ghost is a handsome young man, John Walker, who enlists Allie's help, and it is only much later that she learns that he is seeking revenge instead of justice. With her supernatural association comes a string of unfortunate occurrences wherever Allie goes in her efforts to gather background information: spontaneous fires start in the school and the public library, and false alarms are tripped at the fire house. The fire chief sustains a serious fall as he tries to provide Allie with some town history. The protagonist becomes overly sensitive and jealous of her best friend, Dub, and has to patch up the relationship. Even her weekend of dog-sitting is a failure because her ghost alienates the normally lovable canine. There's more than enough suspense in this well-told story, and Allie is a strong, likable, believable character. A page-turner.-Sharon McNeil, Los Angeles County Office of Education Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In this genuinely exciting and suspenseful sequel to The Ghost of Fossil Glen (1998), DeFelice revisits her plucky heroine sixth-grader Allie Nichols, picking up her story only three weeks later. As in the earlier work, Allie (according to her best friend, a "ghost magnet") is manipulated by a ghost-here a very handsome young specter-to delve into the mystery surrounding the woman he accuses of ruining his life (when he had one, that is). That woman turns out to be none other than the dreaded Mrs. Hobbs, school cafeteria lady from hell. All is not as it seems though, for, as Allie comes to discover, this ghost seeks not peace but a vengeful redress of his grievances. And Mrs. Hobbs's story? Just what is her connection to the phantom? Readers will have to keep turning the pages to learn the whole truth about her. And they will. This not only delivers the thrills young readers love, it will have them eagerly awaiting more ghostly encounters with Allie. (Fiction. 8-12)
