Give up the Ghost by Megan Crewe and Mini-Giveaway

Published: September 2009

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co

# pages: 256

Copy provided by: Bought

Summary: Goodreads

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….

'Give up the Ghost' was a rather enjoyable read. A little different from the usual ghost stories, as the ghost are non-malevolent and are most definitely memory-challenged. Two of them, Norris and Bertie were lots of fun and helped Cass dish up the dirt on her fellow students. Puts a whole new spin on peeping toms, don't you think?

The main protagonist, Cass is lonely and confused and her best friend is a ghost - her sister's ghost to be precise. Cass has developed a hard shell around her heart and the story chronicles the cracking of that shell. Tim is another character who is struggling, and his relationship with Cass is both heartbreaking and realistic. Both of these characters are trying to deal with the after-effects of a death in the family - each in their own unsuccessful ways. You'll have to read the book to find out how they empower each other. I rather liked the ending - it was nothing definative, but held lots of promise, not for a second book, but for a second chance for the characters. Sorry, I hope that wasn't a spoiler!

I was lucky enough to meet the author, Megan Crewe, a few weeks ago when I visited Darklit Fest in Oshawa, Ontario. We chatted for a short while and Megan signed my copy of the book and very kindly gave me some signed bookmarks to give away.

So...drumroll..... Here is our little mini giveaway. The first 5 Canadians to leave a comment and email address will get a free bookmark in the mail. We're restricting it to Canadians (I really hope there are at least 5 Canadians who follow us, or I'm going to look pretty silly here!) because Megan is Canadian and since it's almost Xmas, money is a bit tight. Now if you're in the US and you'd really like one - if I don't get 5 Canadians, I'll send you one - how about that? There's no deadline on this, just the first five - since that's all I've got.

Good luck.