Review: Nicola's Ghost by John Kitchen

Author: John Kitchen
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Publication Date: January 2009

There is a dark secret haunting the Sharpe family. They are strange and remote, and when Stephanie Topham is told she must work with Nicola Sharpe in a science project at school, she is horrified. As part of their project, they have to make a pinhole camera. But when they take a photo with the camera, there is a ghost-like figure in their picture. This figure becomes a key to opening up Nicola Sharpe and revealing the secrets of her family. Through a series of appearances in various photos the ghost directs Nicola and Stephanie into a past that is full of revelations, twists and surprises. Some are painful, some tear at the fabric of the Sharpe family. But the unraveling of Nicola's past is the saving of the Sharpes, and, in a final twist it gives Nicola something more amazing than anything she has ever dared contemplate, even in her deepest dreams.

In Nicola's Ghost, Stephanie is paired up with the "weird girl", Nicola, for a class project.  When their homemade camera shows a ghost girl, Nicola begs Stephanie to help her investigate what is going on. 

I really enjoyed this one.  It is set in modern times, but had a very old timey feel to it.  The friendship that developed between Nicola and Stephanie was a pleasure to watch. I also loved the relationship that Stephanie had with her older brother.  It's a has a twisty ending that leaves you with a good feeling.  It's exactly the type of ghost story that would have fulfilled my middle school needs. I highly recommend checking it out.