The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs

Sequel to The Ghost of Fossil Glen, winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award.Just a few weeks after making it possible for the police to capture Lucy Stiles's killer -- with the help of Lucy's ghost -- eleven-year-old Allie Nichols is visited by another disembodied voice. Her friend Dub Whitwell decides she must be a "ghost magnet." Somehow, the new ghost is connected with the school's fearsome cafeteria lady, Mrs. Hobbs. Allie means to understand the connection, and to help the unsettled ghost find peace in the hereafter. Little does she know that what the ghost wants is not peace but revenge. And as the vengeful ghost begins to threaten people, including Allie's little brother, Allie discovers through her relationships with the ghost and Mrs. Hobbs, and through her friendship with Dub, that jealousy can indeed be a monster.Cynthia DeFelice, a master of suspense, succeeds once again in creating a ghost as credible as any of her "real" characters, in a story as meaningful as it is entertaining.

From Publishers Weekly

Barely recovered from her valiant efforts in capturing Lucy's killer in The Ghost of Fossil Glen, 11-year-old Allie finds herself wrestling with another ghost this one strangely connected with the school's treacherous cafeteria lady in The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs by Cynthia DeFelice. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-This story picks up a few weeks after the events in The Ghost of Fossil Glen (Farrar, 1998), in which Allie solved a murder with the assistance of a ghost. It seems that this sixth grader is becoming a ghost magnet. This time, the ghost is a handsome young man, John Walker, who enlists Allie's help, and it is only much later that she learns that he is seeking revenge instead of justice. With her supernatural association comes a string of unfortunate occurrences wherever Allie goes in her efforts to gather background information: spontaneous fires start in the school and the public library, and false alarms are tripped at the fire house. The fire chief sustains a serious fall as he tries to provide Allie with some town history. The protagonist becomes overly sensitive and jealous of her best friend, Dub, and has to patch up the relationship. Even her weekend of dog-sitting is a failure because her ghost alienates the normally lovable canine. There's more than enough suspense in this well-told story, and Allie is a strong, likable, believable character. A page-turner.Sharon McNeil, Los Angeles County Office of EducationCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Eleven-year-old Allie Nichols dealt with an apparition in The Ghost of Fossil Glen (1998). In this book, a second one comes her way and she begins to understand that she is a "ghost magnet" whose job is to help spirits make peace with their lives--or get revenge. The ghost this time is sensitive John Walker, who died in a fire, which he suggests was set by Mrs. Hobbs, the scary crone who runs the cafeteria. Each student has to interview someone for Elders' Day, and Allie is directed to talk to Mrs. Hobbs. Perhaps she will get to the bottom of the mystery. Or perhaps she will get involved in a terrifying adventure that finds her trusting the wrong people and endangering both herself and her little brother. There are a couple of missteps. A discussion of Elders' Day finds Allie and her classmates knee-deep in stereotypes (a deaf man who misunderstands questions and shouts out mistaken answers). And why is Mrs. Hobbs, who's identified as an elder, suddenly 41, especially when she looks twice that old on the cover? Still, this has real kid appeal. It's scary, but safe, and the relationship between Allie and her best friend, Dub, helps keep one foot in the real world. Be on the lookout for more books about Allie and wispy beings trailing behind her. Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Cynthia DeFelice is the author of many acclaimed novels, including The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker, Nowhere to Call Home, Death at Devil's Bridge, and The Ghost of Fossil Glen, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She lives in upstate New York.

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