Not as creepy as I was hoping it would be and a bit disappointing in regards to the ghost. Still, it’s an easy, fast read. ( )

It was ok but the ghost story didnt mesh very naturally with the main plot and I thought the split narrative was weird. I really like Sophia though. ( )

Not as creepy as I was hoping it would be and a bit disappointing in regards to the ghost. Still, it’s an easy, fast read. ( )

A young girl is excited when her uncle buys an old mansion, planning to renovate it into a bed and breakfast, as she hopes the rumors about ghosts haunting the place are true. Little does she know that something supernatural is lurking much nearer to home when her aunt and uncle foster a girl who can foresee disaster.

This book had the potential to be interesting but didn't deliver. Wright has too many different strands that she is trying to follow (family relations of all sorts and then two separate supernatural things at once) and none of them get to be explored enough to be interesting. There are problematic bits here and there, like how the main character is fat shamed, and there are also just logistical flaws, such as a public school teacher being able to afford a second home while supporting a large family. Wright tries to wrap everything up a little too neatly, which I suppose goes with the territory sometimes for children's literature, but the effect was not pleasing.

For the audio listener, the narrator for this title was okay -- not bad but not spectacular either. ( )

Charli is an only child who lives across the street from her Uncle Will's family. A rambunctious family with three boys, a Mom and Dad, all who are always in the middle of something.

A couple of new people are joining their families - Sophia, a distant cousin is coming to live at Uncle Will's and Ray, a step-father at Charli's. Some serious changes for both families.

On top of this, Uncle Will has come up with the idea of buying an abandoned old mansion known as the Castle and transforming it into a bed-and-breakfast. It has been abandoned for years and has the reputation of being haunted. Will figures the whole family can pitch in and help clean and repair and run the enterprise.

At first, Charli is on board and excited to help out. After a few strange things happen there, her enthusiasm starts dying off. Is the place really haunted? What horrible things happened there? These are questions she will find out, along with the rest of the family members.

Sophia, who has been shuttled around to various families over the years, finds that it is nice to be considered part of a family but is waiting for another move to another family. Will she be part of a family or is this just another stop along the road of life?

Written for the 10 to 14 year old reader, it is a fast read for adults but it is a fun and entertaining read. I actually found myself holding my breath during parts of it. ( )