Thursday, August 16, 2007

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

So what are the chances that the day after I read a book where the five unruly sons are named after birds I pick up a book where seven sisters are likewise named...drum roll please...after birds. I would have said not very likely, but it turned out to be 100% possible! Is this a new trend in YA literature? I will stay tuned to find out. Perhaps the next book I pick up will have all the children named after various herbs and spices. I give this book bonus points though because on the back cover there is a cute tarot card inspired picture of the seven sisters in bird form carrying name banners in their beaks. I thought it was very pretty.

And all joking aside, this was a really cute book. Sparrow Delaney is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. An incredibly auspicious sign that she will have intensely strong psychic abilities. Something she's vehemently denied since she was five years old and talked to her first ghost. Ever since its been a struggle to keep her ability to see the dead a secret from her family. All Sparrow wants is to be normal. A difficult feat living with her spiritualist family in Lily Dale, a town where mediums of every type have resided for centuries.

Still, a girl's got to try, and try she does. Sparrow transfers to a school 45 minutes away where she knows no one and where she thinks she'll have a brand new, fresh, normal start. It starts off really well, she gets to her classes on time, she's got a brand new friend, a cute partner on her first assignment, but then there's that ghost that just won't leave her alone. Now normal seems like a goal that just got a little farther away.

1 comment:

joanna said...

I just read this book as we just got it at the library. I agree on the cuteness. I told Michelle it should have had a sticker on it that said, "For Joanna". I admit that it was rather predictible, up until the last chapter or so when a surprise twist was thrown in about the ghost. Two thumbs up!