When All the Girls Are Sleeping

June 1, 2021
Haley, a senior on scholarship at an exclusive prep school, is hunting a ghost that may just be hunting her. The year before, Haley's former best friend, mean-spirited Taylor, jumped to her death from her dorm window. The administration wrote it off as a drug-induced suicide, but Haley isn't so sure after Taylor's brother sends her a video Taylor recorded on her phone shortly before her demise. After all, almost everyone agrees that the senior dorm is haunted by the Winter Girl, the ghost of a young woman in white. Now Haley embarks on serious research, dipping into the school's archival materials, interviewing alumnae and previous employees, and talking to other students about their experiences. Her increasingly revealing explorations serve as a counterpoint to brief chapters that appear to be from the unhappy, vindictive ghost's point of view. Since Haley abandoned Taylor shortly before her death, she feels a strong sense of responsibility for what happened, but is that guilt misplaced or, as the ghost accuses, did she make her jump? Although the creepy dorm and its unhappy residents are richly evoked, none of the default White characters except first-person narrator Haley are well enough developed to fully flesh out the story or support the surprising--and fairly implausible--climax. Ghost story or mean girls running amok? Either way, still a page-turner if light on characterization. (Thriller. 14-18)

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August 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Arsenault immediately sets the tone of her novel within the first few pages. Readers are transported into the world of an all-girls prep school known for its ghosts. Haley is dealing with the aftermath of the death of her ex-best friend Taylor. She has a mixed feelings regarding Taylor, as they had gone their separate ways only weeks before she allegedly killed herself. Strange things have happened at Windham-Farnswood Academy throughout its history; therefore Haley is not entirely sure that Taylor actually died by suicide. Instead she believes that something much more sinister may be at play. Legend has it, there is a ghost that haunts the halls of the academy, and Haley is starting to think that this ghost-the Winter Girl-may have something to do with Taylor's accident. The author cleverly builds a chilling ghost story with just the right amount of tension to keep readers guessing. Her story also adeptly illustrates the turbulent relationships that exist between adolescent girls. Readers are immersed in her constant inner grappling over her prior friendship with Taylor and how complicated that relationship had been with Taylor before and after death. Teens will be spellbound until the very end. VERDICT A good purchase for where YA mysteries, suspense, or thrillers are popular.-Cat Miserendino, Meadowdale Lib., North Chesterfield, VA

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