Black Flowers, White Lies

Gr 9 Up—In times of trouble, Ella's deep, almost supernatural connection to her deceased father (he died in a car accident before she was born) has brought her great comfort. When her mother remarries and her mysterious new stepbrother divulges that her father died in a mental hospital instead of on the road after heroically saving a sick animal, like she was told, she starts to spin out. Spooky things begin happening to and around Ella, leaving her and readers to wonder whether her father's restless spirit is trying to tell her something, or if his mental illness was passed down to his daughter. There are scary moments, and even readers who figure out early on that Ella's stepbrother might not be the most reliable source of information will be curious about how all of the "haunts" came to be. The plot seems drawn out, though, and there isn't a great deal of chemistry between any of the characters. Ella's despair that her father died in a mental hospital is understandable, but it's laid on thick, and by the final reveal, her intense relief strays into mental illness-stigmatizing territory. Ella's stepfather's reaction to the truth is upsetting but adds a shot of realism to the ending.