ONE FOR SORROW, by Mary Downing Hahn

The story: Elsie, a girl in Annie's class at her new school, is deeply unpopular--so when the girl dies of influenza in the great 1918 epidemic, Annie is taken aback, but not particularly sad. That is, not until a sledding accident in the cemetery opens a conduit for Elsie's vengeful ghost to start haunting Annie, changing her comfortable life so much that the girl soon ends up in an asylum. Only one old ghost hunter might be able to help--but only if they can deal with Elsie before she exacts her revenge.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (hauntings, implied possession by an evil spirit, scary situations) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I'm always kind of uneasy when the story involves a child either being possessed or tormented by an evil spirit, and this story certainly has that. However, I thought the WWI setting added interest, and luckily Annie is able to find an adult who not only believes her, but who can help her--pretty important for a book aimed at grades 4-6. Hand this one to girls looking for something scary...but not too scary. (There's not a boy character in sight, sadly.)