Review: Ghost Writers: The Haunting of Lake Lucy by Sandy Deutscher Green

Young Adult/Teen 12-18
Ghost Writers: The Haunting of Lake Lucy by Sandy Deutscher Green

Ghost Writers: The Haunting of Lake Lucy
Sandy Deutscher Green
Monarch Educational Services
Published May 14, 2024

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About Ghost Writers: The Haunting of Lake Lucy

Your new pen pal has a grave secret.

A lakeside summer vacation is just what 13-year-old Jayce needs…except he’s convinced the ghost from his nightmares lives in the creepy house next door. But when he decides to team up with his twin sister to write a letter to the phantom neighbor, he’s shocked when THE GHOST WRITES HIM BACK! Now Jayce must uncover the dark secret of a cursed lake-or remain haunted forever.

Green’s Horror-In-Verse is sure to spook! You’ll be second-guessing the next time you check your mailbox.

My Review

I enjoyed the pairing of suspense and novel-in-verse. The spare verses supported and increased the intensity of the scenes. It added to the eerie feeling of the setting, too.

At different points in the book, a scene might be written in a different format, such as a haiku. I liked that the writing was playful like that and wondered if it might make this an interesting book to use in an upper elementary English Language Arts classroom because it contains examples of different kinds of poetry used within one longer project.

Jayce and his twin sister have an interesting relationship. The shadow of their closeness, probably from when they were younger, still lingers over them, but you sense that they’re growing into separate interests. The story captured that really well.

I enjoyed reading this and definitely think it would make a great addition to a seasonal reading list for fall or Halloween, so you’ll probably see me talking about it again in a few months.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white, fraternal twins.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Jayce encounters what he believes is a ghost haunting a house on Lake Lucy. Strange, inexplicable, and sometimes sinister things happen around the house and lake.

Violent Content
Some brief instances of bullying. Situations of peril. Someone nearly drowns.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

About Kasey

Reads things. Writes things. Fluent in sarcasm. Willful optimist. Cat companion, chocolate connoisseur, coffee drinker. There are some who call me Mom.

4 thoughts on “Review: Ghost Writers: The Haunting of Lake Lucy by Sandy Deutscher Green”

    1. Kasey @ The Story Sanctuary – Sunny Florida – Writer, reader, cat lover and blogger at The Story Sanctuary.
      Kasey says:

      Of course! I’m glad you reached out and asked for a review. 🙂

  2. I recently won a copy of this. I don’t usually read scary books, but I’m kind of fascinated to find a book like this in verse. Hope I don’t lose sleep! Thanks for your review.

    1. Kasey @ The Story Sanctuary – Sunny Florida – Writer, reader, cat lover and blogger at The Story Sanctuary.
      Kasey says:

      I hope you enjoy it! I didn’t think it was super scary. Hopefully it’ll be just enough to make it a fun read. 🙂

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