The Presence
by Eve Bunting
Non-series
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN-10: 0-547-48032-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-48032-9
Publication Date: September, 2010
List Price: $7.99
Review: Imagine your best friend dying in a car accident, but you survive. Your parents think you should take some time off so you go to visit your grandma in California. A man tells you has talked to your deceased friend. This is what 17 year old Catherene must deal with in the book The Presence by Eve Bunting. Catherene has had a tough time ever since her best friend Kirsty died in a car crash, but when Catherene meets a mysterious man who says he can talk to the dead, things get strange. The Presence is a romance/ghost story.
Catherene's grandma is watching over her 24/7 because in the newspaper she reads that a girl just like Catherene has disappeared. Catherene's grandma works at the local church where Catherene meets Noah, a mysterious man (who's a ghost) who says he has talked to Kirsty (CREEPY!!!). So when Catherene starts to get know Noah, he starts to show feelings for her. Then Grandma's neighbor, Miss Lovelace, gives Catherene her diary from her childhood. When Catherene starts reading the diary everything gets really freaky because it turns out Miss Lovelace knew Noah when she was a child. Since Miss Lovelace is really old, how is this possible when Noah is only 17?
This book really wasn't for me. Based on the title and the cover of the book, it seems as if this should be a ghost story, however it's mostly a romance novel. The pace of this book at times is slow and occasionally the wording is a little confusing. Catherene tends to whine frequently so it's hard to like her. If you like mystery/romance novels, this book is good for you. The book is a ghost story, but only because there's a ghost in it. The most thrilling part is the end because it's very suspenseful and if you need to pick a book for a report this is a good, uncomplicated book to write about.
Review written by Kyle (6th grade student).
We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of The Presence for this review.
Have you read The Presence? How would you rate it?
You're probably right, thinking that a book labeled "A Ghost Story" would be more of a horror/thriller story than a straight romantic suspense mystery. Still, your review suggests that it's a well-balanced story with elements of different genres present to appeal to a wide range of readers.
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