Publisher Arthur A. Levine Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 496
Book Source: Bought.
(I'm not a fan of the U.S. cover; everytime I see it I want to pull that girl's shirt down, although I do think the color scheme fits.)
Summary:
Dreaming of Amelia (or The Ghosts of Ashbury High, in the US and Canada) is the story of Amelia and Riley. They're bad kids from the bad crowd at bad Brookfield High, and they've just transferred to Ashbury.
Brilliant, mysterious and probably evil, they have the rich kids at Ashbury spellbound. But just who are Amelia and Riley? Tantalisingly aloof, they are somehow managing to have an extraordinary impact on all the HSC Ashbury students, and the staff.
Told through memoirs written as part of the gothic fiction elective in the HSC English exam, Dreaming of Amelia is a story about ghosts, secrets, madness, passion, locked doors, femme fatales – and that terrifying moment in the final year of high school when you realise that the future's come to get you. (From Jaclyn Moriarty's website)
Brilliant, mysterious and probably evil, they have the rich kids at Ashbury spellbound. But just who are Amelia and Riley? Tantalisingly aloof, they are somehow managing to have an extraordinary impact on all the HSC Ashbury students, and the staff.
Told through memoirs written as part of the gothic fiction elective in the HSC English exam, Dreaming of Amelia is a story about ghosts, secrets, madness, passion, locked doors, femme fatales – and that terrifying moment in the final year of high school when you realise that the future's come to get you. (From Jaclyn Moriarty's website)
_________________________________________________
At 496 pages, The Ghosts of Ashbury High is a lengthy novel. The main storylines--the mystery of Amelia and Riley and an apparent haunting in Ashbury's Art Rooms--unfold slowly behind the details of each character's life, including romance and the stress of the HSC exams (The Higher School Certificate, which, according to Jaclyn Moriarty, "is a series of exams taken by students in New South Wales at the end of their final year of school") as well as the interesting tale and slice of Australian history in the story of an Irish convict sent to Australia in the early 1800s.
The story is told entirely in written documents, including gothic fiction themed HSC essay questions, blog posts, and e-mails. All the documents, which range from businesslike to historical fiction-esque, piece together a smart, involving tale.
More importantly, though, this book is funny. Screamingly, and often subtly, so. (I.e., if I'd been drinking milk while reading this book, I would've snorted it out my nose about a bajillion times. So obviously I didn't drink milk while reading it, but if I had...) The gothic themed questions and evidence of a ghost at Ashbury High also make for delicious, creepy storytelling that takes intelligent and deep turns. Adults receive some stage time in the book, and I think this title has cross-over appeal.
When the story came together in the last third of the book, I was satisfied, surprised, and spellbound.
The bottom line? This book is genius. I recommend reading it if you like laughing, thinking, and books with originality. Also, if you've read the other books in Moriarty's Ashbury series (Feeling Sorry for Celia, The Year of Secret Assignments, and The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie) you won't want to miss this one. Em, Cas, Lyd, Toby, and many other characters are back, and their voices are as hilarious and enjoyable as ever.
The story is told entirely in written documents, including gothic fiction themed HSC essay questions, blog posts, and e-mails. All the documents, which range from businesslike to historical fiction-esque, piece together a smart, involving tale.
More importantly, though, this book is funny. Screamingly, and often subtly, so. (I.e., if I'd been drinking milk while reading this book, I would've snorted it out my nose about a bajillion times. So obviously I didn't drink milk while reading it, but if I had...) The gothic themed questions and evidence of a ghost at Ashbury High also make for delicious, creepy storytelling that takes intelligent and deep turns. Adults receive some stage time in the book, and I think this title has cross-over appeal.
When the story came together in the last third of the book, I was satisfied, surprised, and spellbound.
The bottom line? This book is genius. I recommend reading it if you like laughing, thinking, and books with originality. Also, if you've read the other books in Moriarty's Ashbury series (Feeling Sorry for Celia, The Year of Secret Assignments, and The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie) you won't want to miss this one. Em, Cas, Lyd, Toby, and many other characters are back, and their voices are as hilarious and enjoyable as ever.
1 comment:
Awesome! I bought this two weeks ago. Can't wait to read it. Now I just need the time! ;)
Post a Comment