Peni R. Griffin

As a collector of books who have won awards or nominations, I was excited to find an Edgar Allan Poe Finalist among the books on clearance at a local bookstore's closing sale. I picked it up without hesitation and without otherwise looking through it. When I got home and read the back I began to worry. "What if you were a ghost - and didn't know it? - Charlotte is looking forward to a great summer in her new home, even though she has to take care of her little brother, Brandon. She has her show more own bedroom, a nearby pool, a friendly neighbor, a big Fourth of July block party coming up - everything about the new house is terrific. Then strangely, Brandon, who's usually such a handful, starts tasking for his new friend 'Suzie.' Is someone else playing with him? Someone only he can see? Soon Charlotte realizes that her all too normal house is haunted - by the ghost of a girl who doesn't realize that she's dead..." Looking at the long list of things included in the story as I felt the thinness of the book in my hand (It is only 131 pages) I began to worry. How could this book possibly hold up to my expectations?

It turns out that I had no reason to be worried. From the time that I began reading I realized that the story was much more than the description allowed for. The writing is almost poetic at times and the characters are so well developed that when you've finished reading you feel as if you've completed a book that had twice as many pages of back story than you actually have. The book is more than a ghost story, it is a story about the bond between siblings and friends. With Susie, the ghost, we find just how close two sisters can be and how that bond never really goes away, even after a lifetime of being alone. As her time with Charlotte lengthens, we also learn how an uncertain friendship can become something very special if we give it time grow. Charlotte gives us other views of sibling love and friendship. She is not as close to her brother, he often causes trouble and throws things at her, yet she still takes care of him and loves him as his big sister. Charlotte also makes friends with the girl next door who is very different from her, but it is clear how those differences make them stronger and bring them closer to each other.

The Ghost Sitter looks at the idea of a haunting from a different perspective than most ghost stories do. The two main families int he story are a reflection on the two more obvious American views on death; Charlotte's family sees it as morbid and her friend Shannon's family sees it as a part of the way of things, allowing her to read up on all kinds of paranormal activities. Between the two comes the solution to finding the balance in Susie's afterlife, concluding in a beautiful ending for the book, a new beginning for those in the story and, quite possibly, a new beginning for the one reading it too. show less

11,000 Years Lost by Peni R. Griffin is a wonderfully written book for kids (and adults!). A girl finds an arrow head and soon there is an archaeological dig going and she gets to be there during the summer. The last day they are going to be there, she is looking for anything else so the team will stay and dig more. What she finds is a portal. She finds herself 11,000 years in the past. The story is awesome. The people think she is a star-child and has magic or good luck. She learns first show more hand how the Clovis people really lived and what life back then was like. The whole time she is looking for another portal back. This book keeps you on your toes. There are surprises constantly, great interactions between the characters, great plot and written so well you feel you are back with her experiencing these things. Great job! I would say this book if for kids about seventh grade or so. It is a long book but worth every page, you don't want it to end. Loved it! show less

As a huge fan of time travel books, I needed to read this one, especially since it's pretty original. I've never read a time travel book where the main character travels as far back as around 10,000 B.C.

The one thing I wasn't a fan of was the ending. There isn't much of the way in resolution, and I felt like it was rushed. It was never explained why Esther, the main character, went back in time, which I really wanted to know. Also, the pre-historic age and its characters seemed more show more realistic than the time and the characters from the present. That itself was a little disappointing. I wanted more from the present-day characters.

Regardless, the main story is fantastic. Griffin has obviously done her research, turning vague facts and little-known data about this era in time into an entire civilization and society. And she makes it work! I completely believed the situations and the reactions of the characters. Esther is especially likeable and made it easy for me to put myself in her place. If you're a time travel fan looking to learn a little bit about history, this is the book for you. It's fast-paced, adventurous, and entertaining. show less

Interesting bit of time travel. Very satisfactory ending. It did make one think about how they would do in the circumstances. I enjoyed it.