Giving Up the Ghost

by Sheri Cooper Sinykin

That's the first step, you know. Admitting you're afraid. But when there's love, Aunt Mari said, there can be no fear.

Davia is afraid of lots of things. Things like death, ghosts, strange places, and her mom s cancer coming back. But she can t avoid her fears now.

Far from their Wisconsin home, Davia and her parents are staying in Louisiana to help take care of her great Aunt Mara who is slowly dying. Everything about the spooky-looking mansion that Aunt Mara owns scares Davia.

When Davia first encounters Emilie, the ghost of an adolescent girl from the nineteenth century, she is frightened. Emilie seems eager to have Davia for a friend, but the ghost is unpredictable and difficult. Davia begins to learn secrets about Emilia and her own family s past from Aunt Mara stories of premature endings and regrets. As Aunt Mara s health deteriorates, she and Davia become closer. Together, they might just be able to help Emilie be released from the mansion and from world of the living.

Author Sheri Sinykin has written a sensitive, provocative tale of an adolescent who learns to accept uncertainty and comes to terms with fears. Readers will be mesmerized by the gripping supernatural mystery that lies at the heart of the story.

Genres: Young Adult, Ghosts

227 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Sheri Sinykin was lead author of the Magic Attic Club series in the mid-90s, and published nine other books for young readers. She lives in Wisconsin and in Arizona."

Reviews

[☠Kayla☠]

Dnf at pages 35. I don't know what it is but I just can't seem to get into this book at all.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character in this book is 13, and the crux of her problem started when she was 11. So I'd be interested to know what Katie has to say about this book, especially whether she thought it was surprising or predictable??

Davia and her parents go to live with her great-aunt Mari for the summer in Louisiana. Mari is dying. She also has a ghost on her property, Emilie. Davia's mother is a cancer survivor, and up until now Davia has seen a therapist for all of the things she is afraid of since her mother's diagnosis. Now Davia must not only live under the same roof as crotchety Mari, but she must also make friends with scary Emilie so that the ghost can rest in peace.

Katie, if you're going to read this book, DON'T READ THE REST OF MY REVIEW b/c I don't want to sway your opinion. Or, if you do read the rest of this review, feel free to argue with me if you decide you like this book.:)

I was surprised that Sinykin graduated from Vermont College. I couldn't point to anything specifically bad about her writing, but it didn't excite me either. At all. How can you care about a character if you see everything coming before she does and already know what her response will be? To me, Emilie was the only character who did anything surprising, and the two times that happened, I thought Sinykin had written the wrong book. I would have rather read more about Emilie, from her POV, not Davia's. Aaaand, that way, Sinykin could have altogether chopped Davia's sooooo annoying parents from the story. Basically, if an author must write a predictable plot, she should at least make the characters likeable along the way. Words to live by.

[Molly Giddens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl goes to meet her dying great-aunt and meets a ghost too. Kind of cheesy, but decent story. Main character is pretty cool.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly every family has an eccentric member who seems odd to the rest of the clan. However, not many of us will be called to their bedside as a nursemaid when the individual is dying. That's what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Peters and their daughter Davia when they decided to care for Mrs. Peters' great-aunt Mari. Arriving in the humid, summer heat of a former southern plantation, Davia is surprised to find her relative living in a converted barn. Aunt Mari refuses to live in the big, haunted mansion on the vast estate. With her list of fears in hand, Davia and her family, including a self-righteous cat named GG, take up residence at Belle Foret.

Not only is the family expected to cater to the whims of an old woman who cannot be pleased, Davia is also expected to befriend Emilie, the ghost who haunts the grounds where she lived and died more than a hundred years before. Aunt Mari cannot "give up the ghost" and cross over in peace until Emilie does. However, the ghost has a secret that must come out in order to cross over and find peace in the afterlife. "Save me!" Davia must uncover the secret from the prankster spirit and help her forgive herself--a very tall order for two teenaged souls.

Davia is only fourteen, but mature for her age. She is not only dealing with the imminent death of her newly acquainted relative and the needs of a teenaged ghost, she is also coping with the aftermath of her mother's cancer treatment. Is her mom really in remission or is there something her parents aren't telling her? This book delves into the emotions of this brave, young girl and gives an example of how to deal with death by facing reality head on.

Sheri Sinykin did an excellent job with telling this story from Davia's point of view. Her writing style is top-notch. I was engaged from the first page and could not put this book down. I hated to see the end because I had fallen in love with every character--even old Aunt Mari and the cat that decided to become her best friend.

If you are facing the death of a loved one or are assisting with the care of an aging family member, Giving up the Ghost is a must-read. Although the book is geared toward a teen reader, any adult can appreciate its solid foundation and grown up treatment of a topic that most people fear.

This book review written by Yvonne Perry www.yvonneperry.net

[Sarah Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this sensitive tale, the author uses the paranormal to explore the fear, grief and powerlessness we experience in the face of death and the redemptive power of forgiveness, particularly forgiving one’s self. Davia gives up her annual summer camp in order to help her parents care for the terminally ill Aunt Mari on the family’s Louisiana estate. Her own mother is in remission from cancer and Mari’s illness brings painful memories and doubt to Davia’s mind. Upon arrival, she encounters the volatile ghost of Emilie, an ancestor who died in her teens. Aunt Mari urges Davia to find out why Emilie is not at rest so that she can also peacefully “give up the ghost.” Although the writing is uneven in quality and the author tries too hard to scare us with creepy moments, there’s a gentle grace to this story as both Davia and Emilie face their frailties and move forward. It is also notable for the honest details of being a caregiver during the final stages of life.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davia Peters, 13, has had some sadness in her young life. Her mom went through a courageous battles with stage 4B ovarian cancer, and miraculously came through on the other side of the struggle. Her mom, Kate has been in remission for 3 years. Now, her Aunt Mari is dying of cancer, too. She lives in Louisana and the family travels to her bedside acting as hospice for her. Home for Aunt Mari is Belle Foret, an old spooky, delapidated plantation. Aunt Mari whispers to Davia about a ghost who is trapped in this world, pining to pass through to the other side. This ghost appears to Davia. Her name is Emilie and is the same age as Davia. Unbeknownst to Davia, she was beckoned to Belle Foret to assist Emilie face her demons and allow her to make peace with her family and her sins. Neither Aunt Mari nor Emilie can rest in peace until these troubles are reckoned with.

[Allen S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

the novel was about a girl named Davia she she to move in with her great aunt maria. but there is strange thing going on. can davia free the ghost that haunts the plantation.

the main characters are davia a 12 year old girl the use to live in the city. she is not use to the humid south. the other character is a ghost named Emilia. she wears a whit sleeping gown. she haunts the plantation.

the setting is on a plantation in the hot humid south.

the problem is the haunting of Emilia. also great aunt maria is about to die.

the resolution was davia freed Emilia but her great aunt still dies.

i really liked the book. i recommend it to anybody that likes a creep and a little jump. also if they like ghosts.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davia and her parents move for the summer to her great aunt Mari’s house in Louisiana to be with her as she dies. Davia soon learns that ‘giving up the ghost’ means more than dying because there is an actual ghost who lives in the house, who her aunt Mari has been trying to help cross-over. As her aunt’s condition worsens, Davia must help the ghost and in the process learns to help herself overcome her fears. The writing flows well and all of the characters are interesting, including the ghost and Davia’s cat. This is an excellent book for those who are grieving or dealing with a loved one’s terminal illness.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davia is frightened of many things, but she doesn't want to be seperated from her mother, who is now in remission for cancer. Now her great aunt Mari is dying, and her family has come to the plantation Belle Foret to ease her passing. Davia has to deal with asthma attack inducing heat, snakes, spiders, and reminders of her mother's illness as she begins to know her great aunt. However, she thinks she may be losing her mind, because only she and Great Aunt Mari see the ghost of Emilie, a Creole girl who lived at the plantation long ago. Great Aunt Mari is determined to help Emilie rest before she goes, but Davia is the only one who can help, if she is brave enough.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davia is frightened of many things. Here they are death, ghosts, strange places, strangers, being alone, moms cancer coming back, fire, snakes, losing friends, making new ones, hurricanes, alligators, tornadoes, cemeteries, giving a oral report, getting laughed at, a bad asthma attack , what I would have to do to be a doctor, the dark, being responsible for somebody else, my cat never liking me. She was very brave and almost concord everything and she helped Emile rest in peace and her Aunt Mari died. That's what happened in the book.

[Haley]

this book is about a girl and her mom and dad and how they are going to see their aunt in this very humid place.! her mom is in cemo so its hard for her to breath in the air. and her dad wants her to go with him into town but her mom wants her to stay with her and she always ends up stayin with her mom because her dad gives in since her mom has been through so much.!

[wunderkind]

Hmmmm. This book was interesting and lightly macabre. (is that how you spell it?) Learned a new expression or two, and some things about cancer. Set in Louisiana, always a plus. Kind of hard to say if I liked it or not, because at the end I was left with this incomplete feeling of either suprise or confusion.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

2009-2010 YH

[Elzbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Davia and her parents must go take care of Davia's dying aunt. While they are there, Davia must conquer her fears and help a ghost move on.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story set in New Orleans. I liked it.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this falls in the borderlands between young end of YA and middle grade. I really enjoyed the (not-too-scary) ghost element and the history of the plantation, but I didn't realize the plot was also going to rely so heavily on a great-aunt dying in hospice, which was not my favorite. Especially with the MC's mother also having had a recent cancer battle.

I did wish there was more about the garçonierre; that and "the big house" both had such tantalizing potential for exploration and atmosphere, but mostly only come into brief play near the end.

Also feels a bit strange to set this on a former plantation, but no mention of slaves beyond "oh yeah they had some I guess. one time they were begged to perform voodoo spells to save the master's dying son."

Still, a perfectly good little ghost story for the season, with a satisfying mystery and resolution.

[Janie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a personal note, I can identify with the feelings of Davia, when her aunt was dying from cancer, many feelings of guilt,fear,and grief. As a teenager while my mom was going through the stages of death, I had a difficult time processing it all. I think it is so important to discuss in the family- what is happening during and after the death of a loved one, I have done so,that, with my own children now. I didn't want them to experience what I went through. I thank Ms.Sheri, for writing this book! I highly recommend it!

[William Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Past, present, future and even in the afterlife. Sometimes we need to let go of things we regret. As it says in the pages, to not sweat the small stuff. I was a bit emotional and inspired when I got done reading.

[Ms. Leigh-Reavis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would be helpful to younger readers who are dealing with fears and/or close to someone who has cancer.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book multiple times and it's one of my favorite reads ever.

[Kristin]

DNF’d it.

[Sharon Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deals well with tough subjects of death, dying, and hospice care. I had some trouble connecting with the young protagonist's feelings and motivation.

[Paula Soper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bleck. This book read very similar to A Monster Calls but without any of the good parts.

I didn’t care about any of the storylines because NONE of them has enough detail to let me care.