The Name of the Star

I don't normally like ghost stories. Yes, they scare me. I'm a child when it comes to scary things. I went to see The Blair Witch Project when I was 17 years old, and afterward I laid wide awake in bed for four nights in a row. But this particular ghost story had some things I just couldn't resist.

First of all, it was written by Maureen Johnson. She's a friend of another favorite author of mine, John Green, (I absolutely adore him and his books) so I've been meaning to read her books for quite some time. Second, my brother got around to reading her before I did, and gave her books two thumbs up! (And he's kind of particular, so I thought this was a good sign.) Third, a friend of mine who I recently convinced to start watching the amazing Doctor Who series said, "You need to read The Name of the Star because there's a reference you'll appreciate." Spoiler alert: It's a Doctor Who reference. So basically, how could I not read this book? Oh, and it takes place in London, and I'm a little obsessed with British culture, so of course I was going to read it.

The story begins with Rory, our main character, an American teenager who moves to London to do a year of school overseas at a British prep school. When she arrives at her new school, she begins hearing about these murders that are happening in the city. Apparently, someone has been copycating all the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888. As the book progresses, she finds out she has this crazy ability she never knew about, and befriends a secret society of ghost hunters.

Yes, it's definitely a YA novel, but I really loved it! It was a little creepy at times, and suspenseful, but Maureen Johnson is really good at creeping you out and then making you laugh out loud. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes YA fiction or anyone who is a fan of John Green's work. You can tell that Maureen Johnson and John Green have a similar sense of humor. And I think they are two of the funniest people on the planet. So read it and enjoy!