Story Behind The Book
Media Links
Reviews
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">MID-WEST BOOK REVIEW</span></strong></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">The debut novel of author Rita Hsu Syers, Mystery of the Crying Ghost is a novel written for young adults ages 8-12, about a young fifth-grade girl named Chloe who has a hard time adjusting to her new home. Settling into a new school and making new friends is rough, her grandfather is terribly overworked, and strange noises come from her house at night - noises that no one else notices except her beloved dog and cat. When Chloe glimpses a child peering at her from the window of an empty room, she discovers that her house is haunted by spirits who suffered a terrible tragedy fifty years ago. Chloe seeks to uncover the mystery behind the tragedy, but she needs help; grown-ups don't believe her, so she turns to two classmates, a sharp-minded genius boy and a courageous girl who studies karate, ready and willing to discover her house's hidden secret. Highly recommended for public and middle school library shelves.</span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">SCARY!!</span></strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">A Kid's Review, age 10, AMAZON REVIEW</span></strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">I thought this book was really fun and scary! I liked all the animals in it and Chloe, Maya, and Will remind me of me and my friends in school. I hope this author continues to write more books like this, because it was really good! </span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) through READER VIEWS<br /></span></strong><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">"Mystery of the Crying Ghost" is a book about Chloe Wendleton. She is a young girl who is having difficulty adjusting to a different school. She just feels like she doesn't fit in at all. She has her two dependable pets to keep her company. Killian is her golden retriever and </span><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">Isis</span><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"> is a Himalayan cat. Her family tells her that she is just hearing things when she says that she hears a child crying. <br /><br />Is it all in her imagination? </span><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">Isis</span><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"> and Killian seem to hear the same crying. Chloe goes up into the attic with her grandfather and discovers an old newspaper. It shows that the Van Hise children, Sarah Jane and Thomas, somehow disappeared from the house without a trace. She shares the information with two of her classmates. Will Reed tells Chloe that he had heard that the house she is living in is haunted. Will is what one would call a "brain" so he gets picked on a lot. He is defended by Maya Roubideaux and her karate skills. Will is suffering from a major crush on Chloe, but his knowledge is a key to solving the case. Just when Chloe, Will and Maya can't seem to put a hand on any clues, the animals lend a paw and make discoveries of their own. <br /><br />MARI SLOAN, AUTHOR OF "BEAUFORT FALLS" <br />"Mystery of the Crying Ghost" will capture the attention of any sleuth who enjoys a good story, adorable animals and friends working together towards a goal. With more books like this one, Rita Hsu Syers could easily have created another "Nancy Drew." I'm happy that she is planning her next mystery and can't wait to read it! </span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <p>Written simply so that kids can enjoy it but full of action and interesting to persons of any age, "Mystery of the Crying Ghost" is a fast paced mystery with lots of action and a slam-bang ending. Rita Hsu Syers knows what kids love, and she dishes it out in huge helpings. Not only are the children believable and you see things from her ten year old heroine's point of view, but she is good at letting you look through the eyes of the family pets, who are heros in their own right. All of her characters ring true and remind you of kids and pets that you have known. Wonderful, all of them! Buy it for your child, but make sure you get a chance to read it, too! <br /><br /></p>