Laura Ruby (1) (1977–)

teen audio fiction (9 hrs) - a teen ghost watches a teen in an orphanage (has a dad/stepmom so not really parentless) in 1940s Chicago.

I enjoyed Ruby's Bone Gap several years ago and was hesitant about a WWII-era historical fiction, but this book shares the same beautifully dreamy storytelling with a good dose of suspense and intrigue.

A bit longer and more involved than I would like from an audiobook (my attention span fares better with print books sometimes), but I did enjoy the storytelling--lots of mini-fairytales/ghost stories spun within the narratives of the tragic lives of these discarded young women--Pearl the ghost cannot change her unfortunate past, but the reader can hope that Frankie may at least escape from some of the harm that Pearl and other women frequently suffered in those days (rape, murder, or being confined to a mental asylum).… (mere)

Finn's been different all his life. He's been called Moonface, Sidetrack, Space Boy... but he's never felt so unwelcome in his small town as he has in the months since Roza left. Roza was his older brother Sean's girlfriend, and she disappeared one night. Finn saw her get into a car with a strange man, but he can't describe the man's face, and nobody seems to believe him -- not even Sean. Finn thinks Sean should try harder to look for Roza. As Finn pursues a romance with Petey, a sharp-tempered and sharp-faced girl from down the road, he begins to wonder if he's the one who should be trying to rescue Roza.

I didn't know a lot about this book going in, so the magical realism that builds throughout the novel was a surprise to me. A pleasant one, just unexpected. Up until things start getting magical, it's a pretty typical, if well-written, story of a small-town boy who doesn't fit in. I'm not sure everything completely came together for me in the end, because I liked this but didn't love it, and I suspect that I won't remember many details a few months from now. Still, if YA and/or magical realism is your jam, you'll probably like it better than I did.… (mere)