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Ophie's Ghosts

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Ophie's Ghosts
Written by Justina Ireland
Blazer + Bray, 2021. Fiction.

When she was twelve years-old Ophelia, or Ophie as her family calls her, saw her first ghost. The night her father was murdered by a lynch mob, his ghost came to warn Ophie and tell her she needed to wake her mother and leave the house before the mob arrived to burn it to the ground. Ophie and her mother escaped and fled to Georgia to start a new life in Pittsburgh. 

After their arrival in Pittsburgh, they begin working for an affluent family named the Caruthers. Daffodil manor where Ophie and her mother work, is full of ghosts, and Ophie quickly becomes friends with a young ghost named Clara. As their friendship develops Ophie wants to help Clara solve the mystery of her murder, but as she comes closer to the truth of Clara's death she begins to uncover some buried family secrets.

This historical mystery is well written with a fast moving plot that adds just enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. This story is a beautiful blend of historical fiction and magical realism with probing insights about the injustices that Black American's faced in the 1920's. A great mix of  creepy mansion, social injustice themes, and a whodunnit mystery that created a perfect read. Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy a good mystery with unexpected twists and turns. One of my favorites for this year.
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