A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Whitcomb, L. (2006). A Certain Slant of Light. (Unabridged, 7 discs). Listening Library.

ISBN: 030728610X

Classification: audio book, fiction

Genre: fantasy

Age Level: 9th-12th grade

Subjects: audiobook, death, family, fantasy, fiction, ghosts, identity, love story

Reader's Annotation: Helen has been a ghost for more than 150 years and though she worries about why she is barred from heaven, she is generally content . . . and then one day she realizes someone can see her.

Summary: Helen is a ghost, and has been for more than a century. Ghosts have to stay close to their human hosts. Helen's current host is a high school English teacher. She chose him because she loves to read and she loves to be in the classroom. Lately, though, her teacher has seemed less "hers" since he got married. One day, in the middle of class, she realizes that one of the students can see her. James is actually a ghost as well though he is inhabiting the body of a teen who is so depressed he spends most of his time in a drugged stupor. James wants Helen to find a human to inhabit and together they choose Jenny. Jenny's parents are overly strict and she is feeling hopeless and overwrought. The two hosts and the two ghosts ultimately end up helping each other and Helen begins to confront the memories of her death.

Reviews / Awards:

Teenreads Review

Author Info:
Laura Whitcomb's website

Potential Hotspots:

violence, sexual content

Readalikes:

• The Host by Stephenie Meyer
  
• The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection: The hook to this book is the idea of a ghost haunting a high school. That's what will get teens to pick up this book. The kind and fragile nature of the ghosts in this story keep the story compelling, once the novelty of a "haunted" high school wears off. This book is rarely scary, but the ideas are intriguing. Also, with Stephenie Meyer's "The Host" being such a hit, this is a natural follow up.

Other:

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Evaluation:

4.5 stars