Gr 9 Up-In this combination of ghost and coming-of-age story, readers follow Sunshine Griffith as she navigates the obstacles of a new school, boys, family, and, of course, her new and very haunted home. Sunshine and her mom move to Washington state from Texas for her mom's job. Their once strong and open relationship is soon sorely tested, not by the move but by something more supernatural. Sunshine starts to hear a little girl laughing and skipping around upstairsa sound that only she can hear. She is soon fighting for her mother's life in this suspenseful tale. The chapters alternate between Sunshine's and the ghost's points of view, offering different perspectives on events. This sometimes frightening tale and series opener is based on a YouTube channel of the same name, so transmedia fans can enjoy both formats. Readers who appreciated holly Black's Doll Bones (2013) or Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones" series (both S. &; S.) should consider picking up this creepy debut. VERDICT A good choice for readers who enjoy Holly Black Julie Zimmerman , School Library Journal

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is an offshoot of a web series created by Nick Hagen and Mercedes Rose.áThis book is written by Paige McKenzie (the actress who portrays Sunshine in the videos) with Alyssa Sheinmel. This print version of Sunshine Girl is a mashup of various plot elements from several online seasons.á In this version of the story, Sunshine and her mom move to rainy, cold Washington state from sunny, warm Texas.ááSunshine soon learns that her house is haunted, that there could be more than one ghost, and one of them means to harm her mom.ááAlong the way, Sunshine picks up a friend and assistant, Nolan.ááTogether they learn of Sunshine's supernatural abilities and discover what Sunshine needs to do in order to save her mother.ááFans of the web series will thoroughly enjoy this new presentation of the material, while newcomers will be drawn into this introduction to Sunshine's world.ááSunshine's voice is fresh, humorous, and just self-deprecating enough to make her accessible.ááThe tension builds nicely, with readers mostly learning things at the same time as Sunshine.ááPeriodically, though, Sunshine is gratifyingly slow on the uptake, allowing readers the satisfaction of getting the clue first.ááWith a wealth of background material available online, this title has instant appeal for new and old readers and viewers. The tension is real, and the action is just unpleasant enough to tingle younger spines.Sharon Martin.

Sixteen-year-old Sunshine feels really out of place in the Pacific Northwest. Her interests set her apart from other teens, but now that she is without her lifelong best friend, she is adrift. Her mom is growing distant; her art teacher is a weirdo; she gets ill whenever she is close to Nolan, her one friend; and she is pretty sure her house is haunted. The haunting soon crescendos in a terrifying, water-drenched evening that leaves her mother decidedly changed. With Nolan's help, Sunshine begins to understand the magnitude of what is happening to and around her. Sunshine is a luiseach, a person with the ability to help wayward spirits move along, and now that her powers have emerged, she must face a terrifying test or lose everything dear to her. Sunshine's story started as a YouTube series, and this creepy, suspenseful story condenses the plot of the original and offers a more polished voice than the videos. Existing fans won't be the only ones eager for more of this strong but vulnerable heroine just awakening to her potential.