The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie

Pages: 294

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Suspense / Horror

Notes for Parents: There are some scary scenes that may be too much for sensitive readers.

The Back Cover

Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Sunshine Griffith and her mother, Kat, move from sunny Austin, Texas, to the rain-drenched town of Ridgemont, Washington. Though Sunshine is adopted, she and her mother have always been close, sharing a special bond filled with laughter and inside jokes. But from the moment they arrive, Sunshine feels her world darken with an eeriness she cannot place. And even if Kat doesn’t recognize it, Sunshine knows that something about their new house is just…creepy.

On their first night in Ridgemont, Sunshine is awakened by the sound of footsteps coming from above, followed by a child’s ghostly laughter. In the days that follow, things just get more frightening. But Kat seems oblivious to the terror, insisting that Sunshine’s imagination is getting the best of her. Determine to prove her mother wrong, Sunshine begins taking photographs, desperate to catch evidence of the supernatural presence. At her new school, Sunshine meets Nolan Foster, a cute—if slightly bookish—classmate. Nolan also has a passion for photography—and, more importantly, for ghosts. He offers to help Sunshine figure out exactly what’s going on.

What they uncover is a story that’s much bigger and runs deeper than they could have imagined. She can hardly believe it, but as the spirits haunting her house becomes stranger—and it becomes clear that Kat is in danger—Sunshine learns that everything she thought she knew about her past has been wrong.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Paige McKenzie is the teen star of the hit YouTube channel The Haunting of Sunshine Girl on which the books are based. The web series, which began in 2010, is a fictional vlog about a girl and her mother living in a haunted house. This book is the first in what appears to be a trilogy. A television show is reportedly in the works.

What’s good?

This is more than just a ghost story. A pinch of scary and a whole lot of creepy permeate this supernatural adventure which features strong world building and realistic, likeable characters. The tale is told at a good pace with action, suspense, and a few plot twists and turns. The story is part ‘coming of age,’ part ‘fish out of water,’ and part ‘chosen one.’ The chapters are short and easy to read, the mystery unfolds skillfully, and the story is engaging.

Best Part: Nolan

What isn’t good?

While I enjoyed all the characters, Sunshine is a bit of tired trope found in many young adult novels. She’s a little odd, dresses in thrift store clothes, is self-conscious and clumsy, has frizzy hair, odd colored eyes and an unusual name. She’s also a bit of a ‘Mary Sue.’ I would have liked to see a stronger, more confident character. Perhaps she will evolve in subsequent stories.

Worst part: I don’t care what she’s wearing.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

It was good but not great. I enjoyed the story, loved the characters, and was intrigued by the supernatural, but it lacked a little…luster. The first half of the story was eerie and suspenseful, which I loved, but that dark ambiance is lost somehow in the second half. Still, it was worth the read. 

McKenzie, Paige. The Haunting of Sunshine Girl. New York: Scholastic, 2015.