Talkington, Amy. Liv, Forever. New York: Soho Teen, 2014.

In my quest to find some good, new ghost stories, I stumbled on a good little ghost story set in a boarding school - a win, win for me. When Olivia arrives at Wickham Hall as a scholarship, she is pretty uncertain about what to think. She doesn't exactly know how to relate to the students here. she is attracted to Malcolm Astor, and he seems attracted to her, in spite of their very different social statuses. She likes Gabe, a fellow scholarship student, but he seems just a bit odd, even seeing people who just don't seem to be there. The mean girls hate her for no real reason. But oh the art building and the potential for her art that exists in it - worth all the confusion of being at Wickham Hall. Until she finds herself unexpectedly murdered and a ghost, perhaps doomed to Haunt Wickham Hall forever. She finds help in unexpected corners and finds herself "getting to know" ghosts from a variety of decades in this refreshingly unique tale.

I loved getting to know Liv and watching her find her footing, first at her new school and next in her ghostly dimension. Readers will relate to her uncertainty, and the honesty with which she shares it. Certainly, her developing romance will be a lure for many of the girls. Others will be intrigued by the decades long mystery that Liv, Malcolm, and Gabe uncover. The brief glimpses into the other decades, artfully rendered are a lovely bonus.

I set out to add the to my creepy Halloween book talk for junior high. However, I am leaning toward my boarding school favorites now...Liv is a bit like e lockhart's Disreputable Frankie Landau Banks, and I've loved her for while now. I think Liv is just a bit more suited for my older readers and will be introducing her to them soon.