Ruby, Laura. Lily's ghosts. HarperCollins, 2003. ISBN 0060518308. $17.89. 258 pp. Reviewer: Jessica Waite; Reading Level: Young Adult; Rating: Excellent; Genre: ghost story; detective and mystery story; Subject: ghosts; moving, household; interpersonal relations; book--reviews; A spiteful and pessimistic teenager, Lily is forced to move once again with her mother to the small town of Cape May, New Jersey. Lily is shocked to find that the old, drafty house that her family has owned for years is haunted by various ghosts, each with their own motives for tormenting her endlessly. Lily reluctantly finds a friend in the tall, good looking boy who lives nearby, Vaz. Together they try to find out why they are being haunted and to solve the mystery behind her great uncle's death. This is a great book for young adults who enjoy mysteries with a bit of the supernatural. It is a light hearted ghost story that doesn't focus so much on scaring the reader as solving the mystery. We see Lily change from the rough and hard hearted victim of circumstance to a girl who learns to appreciate her family and find value in herself. This is a great book with several twists and turns leading to an unexpected ending.
