Based on the YouTube sensation of the same name, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is a new paranormal series sure to provide readers with spine-tingling thrills and chills ? plus a good dose of adorkable humor. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Sunshine Griffith and her mother Kat move from sunny Austin, Texas to the rain-drenched town of Ridgemont, Washington. Though Sunshine is adopted, she and her mother have always been close, sharing a special bond filled with laughter and inside jokes. But from the moment they cross the Washington state line, Sunshine feels her world darken with an eeriness she cannot place. And even if Kat doesn't recognize it, Sunshine knows that something about their new house is just?creepy.
On her first night in Ridgemont, Sunshine is awakened by the sound of footsteps coming from above, followed by a child's laughter. Kat insists the sounds are harmless, just Sunshine's imagination running wild, but Sunshine continues to hear footsteps and laughter with increasing volume and frequency. Finally, when Sunshine is drifting into sleep, she hears one more thing: a little girl's voice saying ?Night, Night."
In the days that follow, things just get more frightening. Sunshine is followed around the house by an icy breeze, phantom wind slams her bedroom door shut, and the laughter Sunshine heard the first night evolves into sobs. Worst of all, Kat seems oblivious to the terror, insisting that Sunshine's overactive imagination is getting the best of her. Determined to prove her mother wrong, Sunshine begins taking photographs around the house, desperate to catch evidence of the ghostly presence she's certain is there. She just has to wait for school to start ? then, she'll develop her photos in her new high school's darkroom and have proof to show Kat.
But on the first day of school, Sunshine discovers that Ridgemont High doesn't have a darkroom. As she weighs her options, she meets Nolan Foster, her cute ? if slightly bookish ? classmate. Nolan also has a passion for photography ? and, more importantly, for ghosts. When Sunshine tells Nolan about her house, he believes her without question. Nolan has a gift for investigation, and offers to help Sunshine figure out exactly what's going on.
But what they discover is a story that is much bigger, and runs much deeper than they could have imagined. Nolan will help Sunshine learn that she is a ?Luiseach" (?light bringer"), an ancient breed of paranormal guardian who can attract ghostly spirits and yet be safe from them. Luiseach slay evil spirits and are duty-bound to protect the human race the dark side of the paranormal world. Sunshine can hardly believe it, but as the spirits haunting her house become more frightening ? and it becomes clear that Kat is in danger ? Sunshine must come to accept what she is, pass the test before her, and save her mother from a fate worse than death.
Industry Reviews
"The Haunting of Sunshine Girl starts with mysterious ghostly laughter late one night. The laughter quickly turns to horror. It seems Sunshine Griffith has moved into a house haunted by many evil spirits. Trust me - these spirits will haunt YOU, too. I was on the edge of my seat from the very first page." -- R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street "Enthralling! Shivers of anticipation creep up and terrifying, ancient revelations come thick and fast. Sunshine Girl is a winner for fans of teen horror!" -- Anya Allyn, author of The Dark Carousel series "Sunshine's adventure is filled with bumps in the night and shadowy figures, alluding to a larger mystery and larger world that has plenty to offer imaginative readers who grew up on Goosebumps and the like. Suspenseful, exciting and endlessly entertaining." -- Kirkus Review "Sunshine's story started as a YouTube series, and this creepy, suspenseful story condenses the plot of the original and offers a more polished voice than the videos. Existing fans won't be the only ones eager for more of this strong but vulnerable heroine just awakening to her potential." -- Booklist (Grades 7--10) "This sometimes frightening tale and series opener is based on a YouTube channel of the same name, so transmedia fans can enjoy both formats. Readers who appreciated Holly Black's Doll Bones (2013) or Cassandra Clare's City of Bones series ... should consider picking up this creepy debut." -- Julie Zimmerman, School Library Journal "The plot moves along smoothly and rapidly, and the writing is graceful and wonderfully polished... It's hard not to finish The Haunting of Sunshine Girl." -- Lev Grossman, Time Magazine "When teen prodigy Paige McKenzie sets her mind to do something, she does it big time. 200,000 active YouTube subscribers on her site and over 100 million views, for instance. Not bad for a kid who still gets carded and can't vote. So when she decided to write a scary book, she nailed that one too. By the end of the first chapter I turned on all the lights in the house, even though it was noon. And it wasn't long before I'd retreated into that last-resort safe room buried deep beneath my brain's Fear Center, praying the lock would hold. No such luck. Before I knew McKenzie was out there she'd hacked the door and let all manner of frightening things slither in to get me. ... Things that go bump in the night are afraid to read this book. Things that lurk beneath the bed cry for their mothers by page ten. McKenzie's skill telling the story of a young girl who inadvertently moves into a haunted house with her clueless mother is a thing that slips up behind and puts a cold white hand right down your spine and just won't let go. The book is called The Haunting of Sunshine Girl. Read it if you dare, but don't say I didn't warn you." -- Wes Craven, Filmmaker
