This read hit the shelves two days ago, but I'm always willing to celebrate a few days. After all, releasing a book is a big deal. And this one sounds interesting. It circles around ghosts (fitting to Halloween!) but not in a creepy way, I don't think. I'm expecting a little dive into history with some cultural richness and heart.
Let's see if that's what these pages hold!
VERNON POCHE & THE GHOSTS OF NEW ORLEANS
A Novel
by Paul Siefken
Treehouse Publishing Group
Middle Grade Paranormal
325 pages
ages 8 to 12
Vernon Poche just wants to go home, but home isn't the same anymore. Hurricane Katrina changed all that. Could the ghosts who remain haunting the empty streets show him the way? Paul Siefken, President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions is known as the very best in educational children's media on broadcast and digital platform. He now brings his talent to print form in this lovingly written and touching story of New Orleans historic people and culture - just for kids of course.
MY TIDBITS
While revisiting the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, this book takes an unique direction and focuses on the aftermath...and that with a ghostly twist.
After leaving New Orleans to flee Hurricane Katrina, Vernon and his father return to their, luckily, undamaged home as the father helps with the rebuilding process. This includes mixed feelings, and a little stress between Vernon and his father as both already try to deal with the emotional weight the storm has caused. While his father works, Vernon bikes around the area (despite warnings) and not only finds a friend, but runs into a ghost at his mother's grave. This opens up a whole new paranormal world, he never knew existed.
While there have been several books brought out concerning Hurricane Katrina (although not as recently), this weaves through everything in a fresh direction. It begins with escaping the hurricane, but quickly shifts gears as Vernon and his father return to the area to work through the disaster. It was interesting to see the hopelessness and doubt as well as the determination to rebuild from different perspectives. Through Vernon's new friend, Alisha, the problem of lost jobs versus the desire to stay comes to light. All of these struggles came across understandably and offered a slightly different insight into the situation than I've seen before.
Then, there's the ghostly fun. The graveyards of New Orleans and the 'hauntings' of the French Quarter already come to mind when thinking of the city, and by sliding this aspect into the tale, the author adds a nice and needed dab of fantasy. Not only does it keep the themes from growing to heavy, but the paranormal aspect ignites the imagination, while sliding in some history and culture. Plus, the lean toward music gave everything even more personality.
It's an enjoyable read and swirls in quite a bit of layers to keep in engaging until the end.
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