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freybrarian's review
5.0
(My reviews are intended for my own info as a language arts teacher: they serve as notes and reflections for teaching and recommending to students. Therefore, spoilers may be present but will be hidden.)
SUMMARY: The book begins this way: "The last thing I did before I left home was steal pills." And so readers enter the turbulent existence of Jamie Atkinson. Subtle, and not so subtle, hints are placed throughout the plot that follows Jamie as she takes on a job as an au pair for the summer. Besides the abuse of pills, Jamie references a relationship she'd recently had with her teacher and the recurring dreams she has of her dead-by-suicide uncle and cousin. The main conflict, though, involves the ghosts of the former au pair and her boyfriend haunting Skylark, where Jamie is working. I immediately wondered if Jamie's ghost sightings were really drug- or hallucination-induced. The author, Adele Griffin, does a great job of keeping the suspense fresh. I did not see the ending coming!
READABILITY: I think this book would offer a nice, but manageable, challenge for many of my students. I also think that it is genuinely creepy, a rare trait in YA novels. (My students are constantly asking for my recommendations of thrillers and mysteries!) Finally, this book is a loose interpretation of The Turn of the Screw, a novella which, embarrassingly, I have not read. It could be cool to read and compare the two (or parts of them).
SUMMARY: The book begins this way: "The last thing I did before I left home was steal pills." And so readers enter the turbulent existence of Jamie Atkinson. Subtle, and not so subtle, hints are placed throughout the plot that follows Jamie as she takes on a job as an au pair for the summer. Besides the abuse of pills, Jamie references a relationship she'd recently had with her teacher and the recurring dreams she has of her dead-by-suicide uncle and cousin. The main conflict, though, involves the ghosts of the former au pair and her boyfriend haunting Skylark, where Jamie is working. I immediately wondered if Jamie's ghost sightings were really drug- or hallucination-induced. The author, Adele Griffin, does a great job of keeping the suspense fresh. I did not see the ending coming!
Spoiler
Jamie discovers that her sittee's brother, who the two had hung out with, spoken to, and even fought with throughout the novel, is just a figment of her imagination.READABILITY: I think this book would offer a nice, but manageable, challenge for many of my students. I also think that it is genuinely creepy, a rare trait in YA novels. (My students are constantly asking for my recommendations of thrillers and mysteries!)
Spoiler
Tighter may also be an excellent novel to introduce the element of the unreliable narrator. Most middle grade readers are unfamiliar with this writing style, and Griffin handles it superbly.leftik's review
4.0
I have never read The Turn of the Screw but I assure you that if it's half as creepy as Tighter, I'll be saving it for another day. Cause wow. The lights were left on after reading this guy.
Griffin has written a tight, compact story that is filled with twists, turns and bumps-in-the-night. The reveal at the end took me by surprise, which was excellent and even MORE creepy.
This is one of those that you read aloud at the campfire or on Halloween. Well done, all around.
But seriously. Creepy.
Griffin has written a tight, compact story that is filled with twists, turns and bumps-in-the-night. The reveal at the end took me by surprise, which was excellent and even MORE creepy.
This is one of those that you read aloud at the campfire or on Halloween. Well done, all around.
But seriously. Creepy.
jessalynn_librarian's review
4.0
This is a modern retelling of [b:The Turn of the Screw|752717|The Turn of the Screw|Henry James|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178046430s/752717.jpg|990886] - although, pathetically, I can't comment on it because I've never read The Turn of the Screw. I have seen a film version from which I remember the gist of the story - enough to recognize the retelling - but that's not enough to comment on what Griffin chose to change, apart from the obvious time period and setting. And I'm assuming James' heroine wasn't popping pills.
On its own merits, it works as a suspenseful, often creepy story, the kind that's an easy sell to teens who've grew up on Mary Downing Hahn and want something edgier but not horror. Jamie isn't exactly a likeable heroine, but I did feel sympathy for her. It's obvious from the start that she's not quite reliable - she's frank about being hooked on pills and feeling depressed. The whole "is she really seeing ghosts and also crazy, or just crazy?" question plays out plausibly, with either option feeling believable.
The pacing is pretty good and it's a fairly quick read, which is refreshing in a world of bloated books. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to teens looking for a suspenseful ghost story.
One irritating detail - the housekeeper's lisp was about to drive me BONKERS.
On its own merits, it works as a suspenseful, often creepy story, the kind that's an easy sell to teens who've grew up on Mary Downing Hahn and want something edgier but not horror. Jamie isn't exactly a likeable heroine, but I did feel sympathy for her. It's obvious from the start that she's not quite reliable - she's frank about being hooked on pills and feeling depressed. The whole "is she really seeing ghosts and also crazy, or just crazy?" question plays out plausibly, with either option feeling believable.
The pacing is pretty good and it's a fairly quick read, which is refreshing in a world of bloated books. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to teens looking for a suspenseful ghost story.
One irritating detail - the housekeeper's lisp was about to drive me BONKERS.
emilyyjjean's review
3.0
The ending was not what I was expecting. Although my suspicions were correct about a certain character. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver would be a recommended book if you like this one.
heykellyjensen's review
2.0
2.5.
I had a hard time getting interested in picking this up when I'd put it down. And the twist at the end just...wasn't done as well as other books that have some similar things.
Meh. Not for me. A good pick for those who like mysteries and twists on classic stories.
I had a hard time getting interested in picking this up when I'd put it down. And the twist at the end just...wasn't done as well as other books that have some similar things.
Meh. Not for me. A good pick for those who like mysteries and twists on classic stories.
scarls17's review
3.0
It took me awhile to get into this short book, which I think disrupted the flow and resulted in the 3-star rating. Once I got going, though, I found myself wanting more! I wonder if a more succinct reading would have made for a better experience.
kebojo's review
3.0
A modern retelling of Henry James's Turn of the Screw, which scared the bejeezus out of me in AP English my junior year of high school. This book had a similar effect - I read it in one sitting, late into the night, because I was too freaked out to fall asleep before finishing it. A fun page-turner with BIG PSYCHOLOGICAL REVEAL at the end.
lisagmayo's review
1.0
Okay, I had low expectations going in and thought of it as a fluff book but good grief. It ended even worse than it began.
couillac's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful ghost story without too many ghosts. I loved the emphasis on the psychological thrills rather than the spooks. I don't do scary, but I thought this was truly in the spirit of James' The Turn of the Screw and creeped me out in just the right way.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
I love it when a book leaves me with goosebumps in the middle of the summer, it’s hot outside, yet all the hairs on my arm are raised from reading an incredibly creepy story. Tighter by Adele Griffin is a very short book, yet it will linger in your mind long after you turn the last page.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here