Elizabeth and Zenobia

Elizabeth and Zenobia
by Jessica Miller
Amulet Books, 2017. Fiction. 202 p.
If you are ready for something a bit spooky, and you like characters that are a little noir, this is the book for you. After her mother runs away with an opera star, Elizabeth and her father go to live in her father's childhood home. Elizabeth brings along her closest friend, Zenobia, whom no one else can see or hear. Zenobia is the opposite of Elizabeth. She is brave and strong with a affinity for the macabre. Elizabeth, on the other hand, is afraid of everything and likes flowers and sunny rooms. In their new home Zenobia is determined to meet the ghost, or "spectral presence," she is sure lives in the house. At first Elizabeth follows along reluctantly, but as the two girls seek for the ghost, Elizabeth becomes eager to learn more about her family's clouded past. Miller builds suspense gradually, and both story and characters are complex and interesting. This isn't as intense as a book like Gaiman's Coraline, but it delivers enough spookiness and excitement that the chill-seeker will not be disappointed.

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