Summary (from Goodreads):
Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie. Elsie dies from influenza, but then she returns to reclaim Annie's friendship and punish all the girls who bullied her. Young readers who revel in spooky stories will relish this chilling tale of a girl haunted by a vengeful ghost.
My Review:
This story was quite well done overall; the tension between the characters was believable, and people reading this story nowadays will recognize parallels between the anti-German sentiment during WWI and the pandemic of Spanish flu and today's unfortunate anti-Asian incidents in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. I would have liked to see a bit more descriptive detail regarding life in 1918; I know quite a bit about the time period, but I think young readers will have a difficult time envisioning the setting. Overall, however, this is a satisfying read.
Read: February 2022
