The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is by debut author Paige McKenzie, and is based off her YouTube series and the first book of the series.

In that place where you're more asleep than awake any more, I hear something else.  A phrase uttered in a child's voice, no more than a whisper: Night Night.

Something freaky's going on with Sunshine's new house... there's the chill that wraps itself around her bones, the giggling she can hear in the dead of night, and then the strange shadows that lurk in her photographs.  But the more weird stuff that happens, the less her mum believes her.  Sunshine's always had a quirky affiliation with the past, but this time, history is getting much too close for comfort...

If there is something, or someone, haunter her house, what do they want? And what will they do if Sunshine can't help them?

As things become more frightening and dangerous, the giggles she hears turn to sobs and screams, Sunshine has no choice but to accept what she is, face the test before her and save her mother from a fate worse than death.

The Breakdown:
1. I have to be honest, I have never seen the YouTube series or even heard of it until I picked up the book.  I mainly picked up this book because around this time of year, I like to read a horror book or two.  It gets me in the mood for Halloween, although I do not watch many horror movies. I did really like the creepiness of the book, and the characters that McKenzie creates.  She did a wonderful job of picking the perfect setting to compliment the mood of the story.  Washington with its wet and cold climate just made the story better.

2. I loved Sunshine's character.  Her quirkiness and  love for her mother were enduring to me.  I thought that McKenize did a wonderful job of making me empathize with her struggle to understand what is going on around her and accepting what she is, despite never having been close to being in those situations. Plus, I liked that Sunshine has no desire to change how she dresses or what she loves just to fit in better at school.

3.  Nolan was adorably nerdy, which I love.  I like the connection that he and Sunshine have, and how well they work together.  I am interested to see how his role will evolve in the next book.

4. McKenzie had an excellent creepy factor in this book. At times, I could almost feel the chill that she describe when the ghost were present.  Although, I am not sure what was more scary, the changes in Sunshine's mother, or the way her mentor set up the test and manipulated Sunshine's world.

To Read or Not to Read:
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