Someone Else's Ghost

by Margaret Buffie

A young girl reads the diary of a long-dead boy and discovers that the ghost he writes about is her mother. By the award-winning author of The Haunting of Francis Rain.

Genres: Paranormal, Fiction

227 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Award winning author, Margaret Buffie, was born and grew up in the west end of Winnipeg, attended various schools - graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba. An artist for many years, Margaret decided to write a YA novel and Who Is Frances Rain? was published by Kids Can Press. It quickly became a bestseller after appearing in bookstores in 1987. Since then Margaret has published nine more YA books. She works at her home in Winnipeg during the winter and on the veranda of her cottage in Northwestern Ontario in the summer months. Margaret's books have been published in the United States, Norway, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, China and other countries. Margaret is the recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for Body of Work (For writing inspirational to Canadian Youth); The Young Adult Canadian Book Award; is a two time winner of the McNally Robinson Book for Young People award and has been shortlisted for many other awards and honours.

Here are a few reviews of my first novel and most recent novel. To see more reviews for my other books go to http://margaretbuffie.com and click on each title.

WHO IS FRANCES RAIN?

REVIEW: Who is Frances Rain? is as distinctly Canadian as the intoxicating lure of silent woods and wind-whipped lakes. The textures of the narrative and the well-rounded characters are just as haunting as the ghosts Lizzie finds on Rain Island. It’s a ghost story with much to reveal to the thoughtful reader about the turbulent emotions at work within families. It’s a novel that makes us grateful for a strong new voice in Canadian literature for young people, a voice we’ll want to hear again soon. QUILL AND QUIRE

REVIEW:Who is Frances Rain? will probably be devoured by its young adult readers in one sitting. It deserves to be; this is an excellent book. TORONTO STAR

REVIEW:Buffie’s story is moody and atmospheric – the lake and the island are pungently, perfectly evoked. Lizzie’s encounters with ghosts are beautifully handled, with just the right balance of eerie and emotional moments. PUBLISHERS WEELY

WINTER SHADOWS

REVIEW:Vicky Metcalf Award-Winner MargaretBuffie returns with a breathtaking novel that is part realism, part time-travel fantasy,
and part coming of age tale. Winter
Shadows focuses on two young women who
live in the same Manitoba home a century and a half apart.....
This communication across time obviouslydraws on the conventions of fantasy, but these elements
arenever forced or implausible, and there is plenty of suspense and energy to sustain the two alternating narratives." QUILL AND QUIRE, DECEMBER 2010:

REVIEW: Buffie is a master of the ghost story, carefully allowing Cass and Beatrice to drift in and out of each other's lives in convincing fashion. The convention of the diary allows Cass to connect the dots and learn more about her ancestors. The dialogue both in past and present is authentic, revealing character and moving the action along. CANADIAN MATERIALS

REVIEW: The alternating narratives are gripping, and the characters are drawn with rich complexity; even the stepmothers are finally humanized. Readers will be pulled in by the searing history of bigotry as well as the universals of family conflict, love, and friendship. Grades 7-10.
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOC. BOOKLIST: January 2011

THE DARK GARDEN

REVIEW: a first rate blend of ghost story and problem novel about Thea, 16, struggling to recover from traumatic amnesia after a bike accident. Buffie creates a tightly knit, evocatively written, and lushly (but chastely) romantic thriller. The protagonists - living and dead - are distinctly characterized; a once beautiful, now weed-choked garden is simultaneously setting and symbol of lost happiness. vivid sensory writing makes the fluctuations in Thea’s state of consciousness perfectly convincing. KIRKUS

Reviews

[Stephen Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical haunted house story.

[Angie Lisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am working my way through a young adult supernatural/paranormal reading list. Prior to picking up this book, I was suffering through a very popular series that I won't mention by name. Suffice it to say that, while the series was imaginative, I found myself wondering what was so great about these books. The writing was stiff and felt forced in places, which, of course, made the storyline feel stiff and forced. I decided to take a break from the series - in part, because I was tired of struggling with it, but mostly because I remember reading Buffie as a teen and I loved her.

Sometimes, as an adult, I find that I am not as entertained by books/authors that I loved as a kid. But I was absolutely enthralled by this book. Both the story and the writing flowed so beautifully that I paused to wonder why this author isn't given more attention. This book was deliciously spooky - not in a way that makes you afraid of the dark, but in the way that makes you stop and think about how much effect our actions have on others, especially our loved ones. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I turned the last page.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was good. I liked how it told both parts of the story. But the ending felt very rushed.