Haunted Summer

6/12/2019

Just South of Home by Karen Strong

It would be silly for me to let a ghost story trick my nervous system into being afraid.

Just South of Home begins as the story of mismatched cousins who must spend a summer together. Then the narrative takes an unexpected turn.

Sarah and her brother Ellis live in a small Georgia community. Everyone knows everyone and everyone's business. Sarah’s grandmother, always referred to as Mrs. Greene, is a Church Deaconess Board member. She strictly enforces “the rules” and bakes the best red velvet cake.

This summer Ellis and Sarah won’t need to spend their days living under Mrs. Greene’s rigid rules. Mama trusts the two to be on their own while their parents are at work. Then a complication arises. Cousin Jamie comes to stay with them and she's not happy about living in a provincial southern town. Sarah is worried and with good reason. Jamie has "sticky fingers" and a knack for getting into trouble.

Trouble begins when the girls visit the site of an old fire-ravaged church which some say is haunted. Jamie finds a cameo among the ruins and slips it into her bag. Not a good idea. When anything is taken from the church grounds, a haint will follow the individual and torment the thief until the object is returned. This cameo becomes a link between a ghost and the girls.

Abner, a restless spirit who was wronged during his life, cannot find peace. Years ago a member of the Klan murdered young Abner, hid the body, and set fire to the church. The boy is now a haint, trapped between worlds. To heal past wrongs and bring closure, his bones must be brought to their proper resting place. In the process of assisting Abner, the cousins confront the town's racist past.

Sarah is the daughter of an attorney and a science geek who wants to become an astrobiologist. She dreams of attending a science symposium featuring Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. This sets up an interesting tension when she meets Abner. The girl who believes in hard evidence discovers that the ghosts hiding in the woods are real and that the old church property is indeed haunted.

Science geek meets paranormal is this spine-tingling ghost story of dark deeds and family secrets locked away in an attic. Looking for a middle grade spine-tingling mystery? Want to visit haunted spot in the woods? Interested in an introduction into the history of racism and social injustice? Karen Strong has you covered.