The Name of the Star

     Is Jack the Ripper back in modern day London? When a new "Ripper" murder is caught on tape there is only one problem, no one is there. Rory Deveaux, from Louisiana, finds herself in the middle of Rippermania, as she attends boarding school in London. When she chokes on some food and almost dies, she starts seeing things- ghosts. And they know she can see them. Who can she tell? Her friends Jazza and Jerome will think she is crazy. She catches the attention of the murdering ghost, and he decides that she will be his next victim. Luckily for Rory, she meets a squad of ghost hunters who have a way of making the ghosts disappear, but at what cost? Can they save her from her ultimate fate with the Ripper? Should she sacrifice herself to save her friends? This book was a great read. I have a strong desire to go to London and take a "Ripper" tour. The characters are well developed and interesting and the author, Maureen Johnson, does a great job with foreshadowing to draw you into the dual worlds of Rory. This is book one and it left you with quite a jolt at the end, leaving you curious about Rory's new powers and how her future may not end up where she would have thought. There is a little romance and girl drama, as well as great descriptions of London and it's culture. Rory has a fascinating, cooky family back home that I hope play more of a role in the second book. I picked this book because of it's cover, which I hear it's not good to do, but this time it played out. Though I think this is the same picture of the guy that is on the cover of The Silver Blade, it is an intriguing image. What is everyone else reading these days? My next book club book is The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, so I may avoid grading for a little while to get started. It's freezing in my house, so I'm going to curl up under a blanket and escape into a book for a while. Happy Reading my friends.