Fifth-grader Verbena knows that she was born in New York City while her parents were there looking for "bad news" Uncle Mike. When she finds a curious clue, she finally gets the real, shocking story: Mike, who's in jail, is her father, and her mother is an alcoholic whose drinking was the cause of some of Verbena's challenges, including learning difficulties. This news puts Verbie in a tailspin; she is sure that the mean feelings she has been taking out on her adoptive parents, especially her overweight mother, come from bad blood. When Pooch, a boy from New York City, comes upstate during the summer, she convinces him she is the ghost of a local girl who drowned. Together they find a boat and take it out for a ride that's almost their last. Pooch may be a nebbish, but his belief that Verbena's a ghost, especially as her white nightgown gets dirtier every day, never rings true. What does is Verbena's anger and the eventual resolution, which brings reconciliation and hope.

Verbena recently learned that she was adopted--and that her birth father is a criminal. She has also lost her best friend, and is feeling moody and unsettled. Things start to change when a boy named Pooch moves into the neighborhood--and he thinks Verbena's a ghost. Weeks's characters are well rounded and her story line is engaging.

Gr 4-6 Verbena's fifth-grade year has been miserable. She feels mean, moody, and self-conscious but doesn't know why. When she stumbles onto the fact that she is adopted and that her birth father is incarcerated for murder, she decides that the obvious explanation is that she takes after him. She also learns that she was exposed fetally to alcohol, which explains her small size and learning problems. She finds a diversion when she meets Pooch, a boy vacationing in her small town in the Catskills, and convinces him she's a ghost. In the aftermath of a crisis that puts Pooch's life in jeopardy, Verbie begins to repair her relationship with her mother and to come to terms with who she is as a person. Children who have suddenly noticed that their parents are the most embarrassing people on earth; who have been unable to keep from saying awful, hurtful things; or just realized that life isn't as simple as it once seemed will relate to Verbie's emotional discomfort. The other aspects of her life, including no mention of cell phones and the like, may seem less familiar. Pooch is likable, self-sufficient due to minimal parenting, and yet responsive to nurturing. The ending wraps things up a little too neatly, but all readers, at times, need reassurance that the difficult periods in life will pass. Despite the girly cover, there are many passages that could jump-start a booktalk and get this into kids' hands. Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL