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Home > Categories > Books > Young Adult > Ruined: A Ghost Story review
Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is travelling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost.
A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.
As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?
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Review by: anistasya (Beaulah)
Dated: 27th of October, 2010
A quite stunning, ethereal glimpse of New Orleans, both in the present and in the past. When Rebecca is forced to stay with her Aunt in New Orleans, she is not happy. It is well outside her comfort zone. The temperature is too wet and warm, the people too stuck up. But meeting the ghost Listette in the local cemetery changes everything. As the two become friends, Rebecca learns that there is something decidedly sinister going on.
Paula Morris definitely knows her city and it is a thrill to read a book by a New Zealand author living overseas. She has woven together a beautiful story that helped me understand a lot more about the spectacular uniqueness of New Orleans culture, from the old families to the ghost stories and Mardi Gras, as well as having a captivating plot with plenty of unexpected twists.
Ruined was a wonderful read (not at all scary) and I would definitely recommend it, especially for young adult girls.
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Row, kiwi, row your boat, out from the wooden pier.
Come hunting for a taniwha, we're sure there's one round here.
This is a story about making new friends. Join the fun as three cheeky kiwi set out on a rowboat adventure to find a new friend - KA PAI! Children will enjoy spotting the cheeky, playful taniwha hidden in the illustrations.
Includes bonus CD by iconic New Zealand entertainer Pio Terei, with lyrics in both English and Maori. There is also a guitar-only version so children can sing by themselves.
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