From School Library Journal
Grade 4–7—What's haunting the Jenolan Caves in Australia's Blue Mountains? Allie, president of the Exorcists' Club, is traveling with her family on a trip organized by Paranormal Research Investigation Services and Monitoring (PRISM) in the fourth adventure in this series by Australian author Catherine Jinks. The group is staying at Caves House, a hotel near the caves that are supposed to be haunted. The novel is written from Allie's point of view as a report for members of her club who were unable to make the trip. What Allie didn't plan on are the endless family squabbles among the members of the group. Traces of an Aboriginal monster have been linked to the caves, and visitors have reported mysterious sights and smells. Narrator Melissa Chambers speaks in a distinct Aussie accent and uses many unfamiliar words and alternate pronunciations. She enthusiastically gives voice to the many different genders and ages, but listeners will be challenged to recall all of the characters and their respective partners. Too much of the dialogue is devoted to characters complaining and bad-mouthing one another (with the occasional mild swear word). Although Jinks succeeds in her creepy description of the eerie, other-worldly caves and builds a fair amount of suspense, the mystery is never resolved and no ghosts are seen. Listeners craving a real ghost story will want to look elsewhere.—Ruth Lorbert, East Woods School, Oyster Bay, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
From AudioFile
Australian actress Melissa Chambers transports listeners "down under" in Case Four of Allie's Ghost Hunters. Twelve-year-old Allie is hoping to see ghosts during her family's weekend trip to the Jenolan Caves Ghost Tour. Unfortunately, the promising holiday is disrupted by the arrival of Allie's long-absent father, who is eager to be more involved in her life. While secondary characters are not so distinctive or vibrant, Chambers's portrayal of Allie as excited and hopeful is spot-on. She delivers this lighthearted, fast-paced story without neglecting Allie's growing frustration with her quarrelsome parents. Music is used to separate chapters and as a reminder to switch discs, which is a bit disruptive to the overall listening experience. For listeners who enjoy puzzling out a mildly scary ghost story. L.A.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
