School Spirits: A Hex Hall Novel

by Rachel Hawkins Narrated by Cris Dukehart

Overview

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy's older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break. Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it's not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it's strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush. Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Audio

10/28/2013
Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick doesn’t have a typical home life. Her family hunts monsters, or at least they did until her sister went missing. Ever since the disappearance, Izzy’s head hasn’t been in the game. Hoping to provide her with a less challenging foe, Izzy’s mother sends her to a normal school to investigate a ghostly occurrence. But Izzy is soon distracted by her first experiences at high school. In this first person narrative, Cris Dukehart deftly captures Izzy. She skillfully handles the book’s quips and sarcasm, and perfectly portrays Izzy’s inner doubts and guilt. Dukehart’s voices for the book’s human characters are consistent and appropriate. However, the voices she lends the book’s monsters sometimes fall flat. Still, fans of Hawkins’s Hex Hall series will find this a lively and enjoyable listening experience. Ages 12-18. A Disney-Hyperion hardcover. (Aug.)

School Library Journal - Audio

02/01/2014
Gr 7–10—Izzy Branick is a fighter, the last in a long line of supernatural hunters. A year after her sister goes missing in battle, Izzy and her mom settle down in a small town for a routine assignment that turns out to be anything but. A local high school is being haunted, but it isn't just a ghost that's got the huntress unnerved: the strange boy who may have a crush on her and the friends that, until now, she's never had. This fish-out-of-water story (Hyperion, 2013) ably read by Chris Dukehart is fun without getting too steeped in the more terrifying aspects of horror or the heart-wrenching longing of romance. This series launch is a middle-of-the-road title that will suit casual readers, but plot twists are minimal and the text complexity is relatively low as well. Middle-grade listeners who've blown through chapter books and are just beginning to flirt with YA will love this story, and parents and librarians can feel comfortable recommending it.—Shanna Miles, South Atlanta Educational Complex, GA

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175703543
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Series:	School Spirits
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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