Book Review - The Haunting of Apartment 101

The Haunting of Apartment 101 (The Paranormalists)

By: Megan Atwood
Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing
Publication Date: August 2012
ISBN: 978-0761383321
Reviewded by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: December 17, 2012

Jane Marie Wright was a total nobody, that is until she totally changed her act. For the worse. No one ever looked twice at plain old Jane, but when she garnered a new look and freaky rep they did. “Having a reputation,” she thought, “as someone who dabbled in the dark arts, whatever it meant had its advantages.” Jinx, as she was now known, was a h8er, but now the school had good reason. Add bleached hair and a nasty demeanor equaled noticed. Freak. Well, Jackson knew that she was really a marshmallow on the inside, but he was the only one.

Jinx didn’t like jocks, but Jackson was a football quarterback. He wasn’t a starter, but a jock is a jock. Travis, who was dating Emily, had a spark of fear in his eyes when Jinx called him up for bumping into her in the hall. Freak. He called her a freak, but seriously at least she was on the school radar. Emily was acting pretty freaky herself and Jackson wanted to find out why. She wasn’t wearing makeup, was losing weight, and was totally out of sorts. When he caught up with her she was crying and actually said she could use some help. Heck, for a girl who used to call her “Roberta,” what the heck did she want?

“I’m being haunted.” Seriously, Jinx had her doubts about Emily’s sincerity, but Jackson believed her. Emily wanted them to exorcise, get rid of, or whatever you do to ghosts. No way Jinx wanted to take the case, but it didn’t take long for her to be convinced that this might just be the real McCoy. Jackson could set up his EVP recorder and his EMF sensor in Emily’s Falcon Perch apartment and they’d be in business. Jinx’s website would go viral if they solved this one. It looked like it would be easy until real blood began to flow. Was their little venture into the paranormal going to be their last?

Jinx and Jackson’s creepy investigation into a haunted apartment will awe the young reader. This is a short, fast-paced paranormal mystery geared toward the young or reluctant reader. As the first in “The Paranomalists” series, it sets the scene for the two young paranormal investigators as they join forces to solve slightly freaky cases. Well, maybe big time freaky cases. This tale moved right along with just the right amount of tension that will keep readers wanting more. Jinx and Jackson are excited at the prospect of solving paranormal cases together and with one case behind them and an awesome website, the stage has been set. I liked the duo, the plot, and the pacing of the story, a perfect formula to entice the reluctant reader. If you have a youngster who likes stories a bit on the freaky side, this is one series you may wish to look at!

Quill says: The Paranormalists is a new, exiting foray into the world of paranormal investigation young readers will love!