Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature)
For what feels like the hundredth time, Lily and her mother Arden have moved. This time, though, they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Having very little money, they are forced to stay in Arden's uncle's house in the historic city of Cape May. Lily, full of anger at her lot in life, discovers that something very strange is going on in the old house. Things seem to move around by themselves, someone puts jam in her shoes, and she gets strange phone calls. Then there are the secrets about her mother's family. How did strange Uncle Max die and why doesn't her mother talk about her family at all? It isn't long before Lily realizes that Uncle Max may be dead but he isn't gone. There is something that his restless ghost wants from her, and the sooner she finds out what it is, the better. Laura Ruby pulls you into her extraordinary story from the very first page. There are, in fact, two parallel stories being told; there is Lily's story, and there is the story of the ghosts who live in Cape May. Both stories are sad at times, with lost souls looking for something that will give their existence, or in the case of the ghosts--the end of their existence--some meaning. Ruby keeps the two tales apart until the end of the book when they collide, the ghosts and the living people coming together in a fitting finale. Gripping and beautifully written with highly visual descriptive passages and a touch of black humor, this is a book that will alternately touch and amuse the reader. It also encourages thoughts about the afterlife, and there are certainly times when one might be encouraged to turn on a few more lights, or get up to see if the doors are locked. 2003, HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 10 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 13))
Lily's been dragged all over the country by her free-spirit mother. New boyfriend means new town. "Computer Geek," Lily's name for Mom's most recent fling, dumped them, and Mom's ancestral home in Cape May, New Jersey, is the only place left to go. Cape May, the house, and their family have a history, one that's still alive-sort of. Lily and her new friend Vaz become involved in a family mystery; they become involved with the town's plethora of ghosts; and finally they become involved with each other in this quite promising debut. The pace is swift but not breakneck. Lily's problems are believable and compassionately presented even though they are nestled in a slightly spooky, romantic mystery. Her often funny story, peppered with ghostly interludes, is capped by that rarest of animals: a twist ending that is totally earned. This should be a movie just so 'tweens and teens will come ask for the book. Place it in their hands; they will likely thank you. 2003, HarperCollins, $16.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 16. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Becky B. Stephens (Library Media Connection, January 2004)
This mystery/fantasy is a fun romp as the reader follows 8th-grader Lily and her mother as they move into the Cape May, New Jersey Victorian home belonging to wealthy Uncle Wesley. As Mom and her latest man friend have just broken up, they have nowhere else to go. After stashing a spooky old portrait of Uncle Max in the closet, Lily is almost immediately confronted by mysterious happenings in the house caused by its resident ghosts: Mom's inherited kewpie doll keeps showing up in the oddest places, Lily's schoolbooks are relocated, hands appear on her bedroom window, and the smell of smoke wafts from the attic. Running in terror from the house, Lily literally runs into Vas, who becomes a good friend and eventually a boyfriend. Together they sleuth out the lurid family history of Uncle Wesley's house, discover who the real villains are, and ultimately help the ghosts to find revenge, then peace. Twists and turns in the plot, a cadre of quirky characters, and upbeat, often humorous, dialogue keep readers engaged. The format of the book is effective with chapters narrating Lily's story alternating with chapters describing the ghost's exploits. Lily and Vas's teen dialogue rings true. This is an impressive first novel and will be a popular read for those students always clamoring for a scary novel. Recommended. 2003, HarperCollins Publishers, 258pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 10 to 14.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2003 (Vol. 57, No. 1))
Thirteen-year-old Lily Crabtree doesn’t want to live in Great-Uncle Wesley’s Victorian mansion in Cape May, New Jersey, but that’s where she and her mother end up after her mom’s latest romance fizzles. It’s bad enough that living in a seashore community in the winter is deadly dull, but Lily’s cat, Julep, is staring at things that Lily can’t see, an old Kewpie doll is following the girl around the drafty house, and things keep disappearing and reappearing with maddening regularity. Her mother thinks Lily is making it all up, but Lily knows that something strange is happening in the family house. A chance meeting with a boy named Vaz (short for Vasilios) gives Lily a romantic interest and an ally, and the two join forces to discover the murderous secrets hidden in her family history. Ruby divides her effectively creepy ghost tale into two parts, the day-to-day activities of the living and the day-to-day activities of the dead, in serif and sans serif fonts, respectively, and the actions of individuals present and departed are humorously balanced to provide both historical context and local color. The foreshadowing is smoky but discernible, and the cumulative pace is just right for a suspenseful tale of murderous betrayal, vengeful ghosts, and tragic rivalry. The atmospheres of haunted house and deserted seaside are delicately evoked, and concluding revelations move logically and inexorably into focus. Ruby doesn’t horrify so much as she insinuates, in gracefully nuanced language that provides chilling support for the action. Make room for this first novel on that surefire ghost tale shelf. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, HarperCollins, 258p, $17.89 and $16.99. Grades 5-8.

Virginia Gleaton (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 1))
This is the story of a young girl and her mother who are always moving around. They move all the time because Lily's mother is always going to do something with a guy, but it never works out. Lily and her mother have moved to the mother's family home near the ocean because they have no other place to live. Lily soon discovers that the house holds many mysteries, including some ghosts. She finds a friend, a boy named Vaz, who becomes a great help in solving the ghost dilemma. Young readers will find this book entertaining. Some chapters are printed in a different font to depict the ghosts speaking. Fiction. Grades 5-7. 2003, HarperCollins, 258p., $17.89. Ages 10 to 13.

Deborah Dubois (VOYA, June 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 2))
Lily hates moving again, especially to this creepy old summerhouse in Cape May, New Jersey. Her mother has broken up with her latest boyfriend, and now they have to stay at Uncle Wesley's house, where weird things keep happening. Thirteen-year-old Lily and her new friend, Vaz, do some research on the old house to try to figure out who might be haunting the place. In the process, they uncover a plot and find themselves in danger. The ghosts of Lily's Uncle Max, her grandmother, and an odd teenager who is jealous of Lily help them defeat the villains. This funny novel is filled with eccentric ghosts. There is the older couple who do not realize that they are dead, the teen girl who thinks that Lily is her rival, and the boy whose hands are on fire. Their parallel world is shown through ghostly interludes delineated by different typefaces within the text. Lily and Vaz's relationship is typical of young teens' first romance, full of awkwardness and misunderstanding, yet they do work things out. The teen characters are realistic, although some of the adults seem almost like caricatures, such as the severe librarian and the flighty artist mother. Lily's strange family dynamics are explained when the truth about her family's history is revealed. The ending will surprise even the more experienced reader-detectives. This comic ghost story will delight young teens. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, HarperCollins, 272p., $16.99 and PLB $17.89. Ages 11 to 15.