Haunted: A Tale of the Mediator (Hardcover)

by Meg Cabot (Author) "Well, well, well, said a distinctly masculine voice from behind me..." (more)
Key Phrases: mediator thing, soul transference, Paul Slater, Father Dominic, Mission Academy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-Suze Simon, a mediator who can see and communicate with the dead, begins her junior year of high school in Carmel, CA. On her first day, she runs into Paul Slater, another mediator who is the drop-dead-gorgeous new guy at school, and the subject of Suze's nightmares due to the fact that he tried to kill her over the summer. The protagonist has other things to contend with as well: her boyfriend happens to be a ghost who lives in her room because that was the site of his murder 150 years ago. He has been standoffish lately and Suze can't understand why. Also, her stepbrother brings a new friend home from college, and the friend's dead brother tags along. Suze has to help him to come to terms with being dead. This fifth installment in the series (the first four of which were published under the name Jenny Carroll, Cabot's pseudonym) is full of high school concerns (student elections, friends, cliques, homework) and family issues (stepsiblings, getting grounded) while also dealing with the supernatural and Suze's powers. Cabot successfully melds these strands into an interesting story with enough romance and suspense to keep readers turning the pages-and leaves enough unanswered questions for the next book. Fans of the series or of Cabot's other work will enjoy this title.
Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. The great popularity of Princess Diaries books has opened the way for Cabot's paperback series The Mediator (published under the pseudonym Jenny Carroll) to move into hardcover under Cabot's own name. In many ways, 16-year-old Susannah Simon is a normal, sassy teenager with a keen interest in clothes, makeup, and boys, but her ability to see and occasionally trounce ghosts makes her more than a bit out of the ordinary. Teen "mediator" Paul Slater doesn't see the job in the same benevolent light that Susannah does, and Susannah finds herself attracted to him even as she's repelled by his chilly manner. A subplot involves a ghost who wants to take revenge on its brother. Making sense of the plot definitely requires having read previous books in the series, which begins with Shadowland (2000), but teens (especially fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will find it worth the effort; they'll enjoy meeting the brave, nonchalant heroine and following her romantic dilemma. Susan Dove Lempke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1st edition (January 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006029471X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060294717
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,117 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The Mediator Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!, January 26, 2003

By	Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

Susie Simon has an interesting life. She is just beginning the junior year of high school, has a fascinating job, a broody boyfriend, and has caught the eye of the handsome new boy in town.There are just a few glitches. The "job" is as a mediator, someone who helps departed souls find their place. Her boyfriend, Jesse, is a ghost, and the new guy almost got both of them trapped in another universe over the summer. Not only that, but he is currently running for her job as student vice president, and there is a newly displaced ghost lurking around in need of her help. This ghost might also have deadly plans for a living person, and Susie is finding that she needs none other than her nemesis, Paul's, help in making sure everything works out all right. To further her problems, she is attracted to Paul, and feels disloyal to Jessie as a result.

***** Teen age life can be nasty business, and Ms. Cabot is wonderful at expressing this in a humorous, yet touching way. The romantic triangle forming here is fascinating, if less erotic, than two other triangles that have captivated older readers, the Stephanie - Ranger - Joe or Anita - Jean Claude - Richard, ones. Mothers can enjoy this book almost as much as their teen and slightly preteen daughters, and are encouraged to do so. Although I might have enjoyed it more had I read the other books in the series, I had no trouble picking up on the action. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The living nightmare..., May 13, 2005

By	hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haunted (The Mediator, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Susannah (Suze) Simon is not your ordinary sixteen year old girl. She is a mediator, a person who guides wayword souls to their final resting place. After going through a hectic summer and finally kissing Jesse, the hot 150 year old ghost who lives in her room, Suze is ready to get back to school. Things though just don't go Suze's way. The new guy in school is creating a lot of buzz and it just happens to be Paul Slater, a hot, but very evil fellow mediator whose been giving Suze nightmares all summer. Suze though is intent on staying committed to Jesse, even though he has been avoiding her ever since their intimate kiss and it doesn't help that Paul seems to know a lot more than Suze does about a mediator's powers and what it could do to certain ghost, like Jesse. Not only does Suze have to deal with Paul, but her stepbrother Sleepy has brought back a new college friend who also happened to bring along a resentful dead brother. Things aren't working the way Suze had hoped for and for once her fears may be catching up with her.

This book had so many plotlines and what Paul said about mediators was somewhat confusing. The next book should clear up some of the confusion though. This overall had to be the weakest book in the series. The humor and edginess was definitely missing but it is still a good read even though Meg Cabot wasn't at her best.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Blast, December 4, 2005

By	Zainab (Essex, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haunted (The Mediator, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Meg Cabot's kept her promises and has added another truly fantastic book to the compelling Mediator series. Meet Susannah "Suze" Simon, whose life is getting more complicated by the minute. Her heart belongs to Jesse, a gorgeous 19th century ghost that haunts her bedroom - in a good way - but Paul Slater, who's unexpectantly turned up at the Mission and is described by his grandfather as 'the spawn of the devil' is keen to take her breath away. And, as much as Suze hates to admit it, he's succeeding.

But she can't help it. Because Paul is threatening to send Jesse hurtling off into the afterlife, and this time for real, unless she spends more time with him. Visits to Paul's mansion aren't exactly a chore, either - Suze is learning more about how to utilize her abilities as a 'shifter' and has discovered terrifying things about her kind. And researching isn't the only activity the two alive teenagers get up to, either, and Suze can't confess it to Jesse.

And Father Dominic, clueless about romance, has been doing some interfering himself, which may explain why Jesse has been acting weird around Suze lately.

Will the hot Jesse and ghost-busting heroine Suze be separated forever? Or is it just meant to be? This amazing instalment will transport you to another world, where there are whirlwinds of passion, hate, mystery and secrets of soul transference. You can't miss it, buy it now.