The Waywards of Memorial Middle School

Clara Haugen, a thirty-year teaching veteran whose life was upended by tragedy, enjoyed only one weekend of retirement before dying in her sleep. Now drifting among the wayward spirits who roam the halls of the school where she taught for so many years, she is confused, restless, knocking things over, zapping electronic gadgets and watching the school carry on without her, waiting for some resolution of her earthbound life so she can move to what is next. Lucretia Gilbert, a fragile new teacher who suffers from chronic depression, takes over Clara’s classroom. She throws herself wholeheartedly into teaching in the hopes that she can keep the crushing sadness at bay. She is unaware of her ghostly companion who watches her take those uncertain steps into the first year of teaching. Sibley Gage arrives on the scene, a new student trying to escape her reputation of “creepy and weird” that followed her around at her old school. She is careful to behave just like all the other middle school students, hiding the fact that she can see Clara and the other resident spirits clearly. The Waywards of Memorial Middle School brings these characters together in a novel about some of the ways in which humans hurt and heal; about the impact of suicide, and the reflection that leads to acceptance and forgiveness.

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