I have been thinking about this book for a while. What would happen if you found out one of your idols was not who you thought they were? Rachel discovers this about her rabbi at a moment when the rest of her life is in a state of upheaval. Rachel makes mistakes which ring true, which is both good and bad; good, because they are realistic and bad because you may be shaking your head and telling her not to do those things at the same time. I admit that contemporary Jewish life is not something that I am familiar with, so there were times when I was a little confused about the rituals but I think overall it would be clear for anyone to read.

I quite enjoyed this Southern Gothic paranormal mystery and look forward to reading the others in the series soon.

The first easy reader by Kevin Henkes, this book has his usual gentle quality. Because of the type of book it is, the story is not as complex or deep as some of his other work, but still a good outing, sure to appeal to other fans of his work or children learning how to read.

I enjoyed this book. The bit about driving is pretty relevant to my own feelings. Would I want the main character in my life? Not particularly. But it was an enjoyable quick read.

This book gave me...feelings. Rather strong ones. I thought it was depressing. Why do all these people have to die? I suppose it is historically accurate, but wow. I'm not sure I would have chosen to stay in Phippsburg. Also, it made me wonder, after having read some of this other books, if Schmidt isn't writing some version of the same thing over and over (which is not to say it is bad; quite the opposite: Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now are two of my favorites). However, all three seem to feature a dad that is kind of a jerk who somewhat reforms at the end, with a stoically sweet mom. There are crazy (in a good way) adults in the male children's lives who make them feel better, and a female sidekick turned potential love interest. Although this book did make me want to drive down the coast to Phippsburg, I was quite horrified by what actually happened on Malaga Island--bad Maine! This book wasn't as strong for me as his later works. Too depressing.