Jennifer Allison

Thirteen-year-old Gilda Jones randomly tells a lie to her class that she'll be spending the summer in San Francisco, so she has to finagle a way to get herself there. By luck, she manages to get herself invited to the home of a distant relative who lives in ... San Francisco. But there's a dark secret lurking in that great home, and rumors of ghosts haunting the place. Gilda, who thinks herself a psychic (as well as a novelist and several other things), is determined to find some show more answers.

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin with this book. There's very little redeeming about it; I'm surprise it received any positive reviews and that it spawned a series of books. Gilda is an annoying character who doesn't learn or grow at all as the book progresses. At times, she seems much younger than her 13 years, which gives the impression that this book is for younger kids. However, the subject matter seems more fitting for older kids, including passing remarks about pornography, teen mothers, etc. It also mocks those with physical disabilities, and the limited attempts at diverse characters end up being rather stereotypical (e.g., a Latina housekeeper who makes hot tamales).

At the crux of the book is a 'mystery' (not a particularly compelling or well-resolved one, with its anticlimactic conclusion) that involves mental illness and suicide. This book does NOT at all deal with these topics in deft manner. It is rather flippant about a lot of it and provides too easy solutions. For instance, here's some advice provided to a teenager struggling with anxiety and depression: "Whenever you feel really down, do what your cousin Gilda does and make a peanut butter, chocolate syrup, and banana sandwich." That's right, kids, EAT YOUR FEELINGS and you'll be alright.

The audiobook narrator did a decent job of providing a number of distinct accents and voices, but that wasn't enough to save this book. show less

Gilda Joyce, psychic investigator, gets plenty to investigate when her mother, Patricia, is going to marry Eugene Pook in St. Augustine, Florida. Her brother will join them for the wedding, but right now only mother and daughter are present.

Gilda doesn't like Mr. Pook. He's obviously besotted with her mother, but doesn't make that much effort to get Gilda to like him. I don't like his pet name for her mom ('Pattycakes') any more than Gilda does.

Gilda DOES like his house, with its cold spot show more in the kitchen and flickering lights. She could do without a couple of nightmares she has there, and who moved an antique dollhouse out of her room into the hall while she slept? Who was calling for help that no one else seemed to hear? Why does her mother seem to zone out at times? Who is the ghost in the long white dress?

Darla, a slightly younger girl who lives next door to Mr. Pook, is a stronger psychic than Gilda. She sees ghosts all the time and it terrifies her. Can Gilda get her to accept her gift?

It's quite disturbing for Gilda to discover that her mother looks like an older version of Charlotte, Mr. Pook's fiancée, whom she is told ran off with another man just before their wedding. I'm disturbed that Eugene has Mrs. Joyce wearing some of Charlotte's vintage clothing.

I was really angry with Gilda for hanging on to a theory even after a ghost disagrees. While that piece of stubbornness on her part does lead to an extremely memorable Halloween for Gilda and her brother, it could have been much worse than it was.

A chapter featuring a ghost tour that includes Gilda's case shows how stories can get things wrong. I agree with the ghosts of Pook house and their opinion of the tour guide's retelling. show less

Trust Gilda Joyce, psychic investigator, to encounter a ghost even while she's an intern at the Spy Museum in Washington, D. C. I thoroughly enjoyed Gilda finding herself doing the same thing to children that she's hated having adults do to her while she was their counselor for spy camp week. (Yes, she's young, but she was the only volunteer when circumstances left the museum short one counselor.)

The ghost of Abraham Lincoln proves helpful when a woman's ghost seeks justice. The villain of show more this book is a true villain who deserves what he gets. show less

It's the end of her eight-grade year, and Gilda Joyce is dreaming of adventure. Her best friend will be away at camp for the summer, and other classmates are looking forward to vacations and fun. When her teacher asks Gilda what she will be doing over the summer, Gilda impulsively announces that she will be traveling to San Francisco and writing a novel. Of course, she had no such plans up until the words came out of her mouth, but it does sound like an excellent idea. Gilda contacts a show more distant cousin of her mother's and invites herself on a visit, and through a series of mishaps and miscommunications, she gets a letter back with not only an invitation, but a plane ticket that will get her there. Once she arrives in San Francisco, she discovers that her uncle's old house, one of San Francisco's famous "Painted Ladies," was once the scene of a tragedy. Could the house be haunted? Gilda considers herself a psychic investigator, and she is determined to discover any mysteries that the house, and the people who live in it, may be hiding.

I know Gilda is supposed to be funny and feisty, but she mostly had me rolling my eyes. Of course, I'm not the target audience, and tweens might find Gilda's quirky, impulsive style more appealing. The book does occasionally touch on dark themes like mental illness and suicide, and there are a few spooky scenes as one might expect from a book about paranormal investigation, but all in all the tone is light and amusing. I won't be continuing with the series, as I find the protagonist so annoying, but if I run across tweens or young teens looking for light paranormal fare, I'll know what to hand them. show less