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The Girl in the Lake

ebook
2 of 3 copies available
2 of 3 copies available

For fans of Small Spaces, Doll Bones, and Mary Downing Hahn, a truly chilling (and historically inspired) ghost story from the talented author of The Forgotten Girl.

Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents' lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she's not.

Bugs, bad cell reception, and the dark waters of the lake... no thanks. On top of that, she just failed her swim test and hates being in the water—it's terrifying. But her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools.

And soon strange things start happening—the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And Celete's cousins start accusing her of pranking them when she's been no where near them!

Things at the old house only get spookier until one evening when Celeste looks in the steamy mirror after a shower and sees her face, but twisted, different...

Who is the girl in the mirror? And what does she want?

Past and present mingle in this spine-tingling ghost story by award-winning author India Hill Brown.

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    • Kirkus

      November 1, 2021
      While spending a week with their grandparents, cousins are haunted by a ghost. Celeste did poorly in her last swimming lesson, so she is dreading the summer trip to her grandparents' lake house. Mom insists that Grandad Jim can teach Celeste how to swim--loving the water and learning how to swim are very important to their Black family--but this doesn't assuage her fear, and she has nightmares about falling into a body of water. As Celeste starts to settle in, strange things begin happening--a flickering light, the sound of footsteps in the attic at night, and strange events that family members attribute to Celeste even when she insists it wasn't her. And then Celeste sees someone in the bathroom mirror--a girl who looks exactly like her. Celeste confronts her grandparents with her suspicion that the house is haunted, and Grandma Judy reveals that her sister, Ellie, whom Celeste uncannily resembles, drowned in the lake after being barred from Whites-only lessons at the local swimming pool. Although Grandma Judy insists that Ellie would never hurt any of them, the cousins are not convinced and race to discover the truth before someone really gets hurt. The pacing is strong, and Celeste is a character who will resonate with readers. Brown expertly reminds readers that the truth is scarier than fiction especially when it comes to historical truths and lived realities whose impacts echo through the generations. A gripping scary story weaving in the history of segregation. (Paranormal. 8-12)

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:3.9
  • Lexile® Measure:580
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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