The Haunting Possibility

Crosswinds #19

by Susan Fletcher

Something strange is going on in the turret room of the old house she's just moved into, and 15-year-old Kate, who has never believed in ghosts, is forced to reconsider.

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Susan Fletcher is the award-winning author of fourteen books for young readers, including Dragon’s Milk, Shadow Spinner, and Journey of the Pale Bear. Her novels have been translated into ten languages and have received a Golden Kite Honor from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as acclaim from the American Library Association, the Children’s Book Council, Bookriot.com, Natural History Magazine, Western Writers of America, Women Writing in the West, and many more. Susan taught for many years in the M.F.A. in Writing for Children program at Vermont College.

Although Susan loves to write about the long-ago and the yet-to-come, she can’t bring those worlds to life without grounding them in details from the world in which we live now. To that end, she has explored lava tubes and sea caves; spent the night in a lighthouse; traveled along the Silk Road in Iran; ridden in a glider, on a camel, and on a donkey; and cut up (already dead!) baby chicks and mice for a gyrfalcon’s dinner. To write Sea Change, she immersed herself in the geography and cultural vibe of Galveston, Texas; explored a Gulf of Mexico oil platform; and brought to mind her childhood experiences of skin diving off Catalina Island with her family.

Reviews

[Shigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little read. 3.5 but rounded up! It holds up well despite being written in 1988, and yes, the problems of teenagers are universal and I would say haven’t changed much since then. The main character’s voice is strong and is honestly the most enjoyable part. A fun read for a kid.

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Hope Broadway · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a YA novel from the 80s, this was pretty good. I'm surprised this author didn't write more. I enjoyed the story and the characters.
I read this not long after it came out and again this week.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty enjoyable teen angst who-dunnit that reminded me a little of the Casper movie with Christina Ricci. Everything was nicely foreshadowed, and the story had the familiar Harry Potter feel of general distrust of adults and keeping secrets from them because they don't understand.