Book Review: Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

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Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3)  by Heather Vogel Frederick  is the third book in a middle grade book series that is being rereleased. Chaos erupts in this third installment as the daughters in the book club get themselves into trouble. Each of the girls have big changes in their lives:  Jess is going to boarding school; Megan's grandmother comes to live with her; Emma starts a campaign against school uniforms; Cassidy has a lot of unexpected change coming to her family. Will the mother daughter book club stay together? I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Dear Pen Pal  by Heather Vogel Frederick with it's upcoming rerelease to the public. I always love a good book that involves books, even if its target audience is children between the ages of eight and twelve. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I realized that it...
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Book Review: Music From The Dead by Bebe Faas Rice

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YA Horror Book Review of Music From The Dead by Bebe Faas Rice
Music From The Dead by Bebe Faas Rice is a young adult horror novel that was originally published in April 1997. The story follows Marnie and her cousin Peter as they drive to Stonycraig, a sprawling mansion that Marnie’s father has rented for the summer. Arriving ahead of her father, the cousins begin settling into the grand, mysterious home. Marnie is immediately uneasy when she thinks she sees a shadow in one of the windows, and her unease grows when she starts hearing a woman crying late at night. Are the ghost stories surrounding Stonycraig true, or is there another explanation for the strange occurrences in the mansion?

I first read this book as a teenager and remember being captivated by both the story and the writing. Recently, I decided to revisit Music From The Dead as an adult to see if it lived up to my memories, and I was thrilled to discover that it exceeded them. The book remains exceptionally well-written and completely unputdownable.

Even though certain plot points came back to me as I reread, the story retained its eerie, suspenseful atmosphere. It has the perfect balance of chilling moments and subtle tension, with just a touch of romance that is entirely appropriate for tweens and teens. The only minor drawback is the author occasionally introduces a word and immediately provides its definition, a choice that I found slightly distracting both as a teen and now.

Overall, I give Music From The Dead by Bebe Faas Rice a full five out of five stars. It’s a fantastic read for children eleven and up who enjoy horror stories, ghostly mysteries, and suspenseful adventures. This book is a hidden gem in young adult horror and remains just as compelling decades after its original publication.

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