Title: The Haunted Purse
Author: Kimberly Baer
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Book Blurb:
That old denim purse Libby Dawson bought at the thrift store isn’t your run-of-the-mill teenage tote. It’s a bag of secrets, imbued with supernatural powers. Strange items keep turning up inside, clues to a decades-old mystery only Libby can solve.
Filled with apprehension and yet intrigued by the mounting pile of evidence, Libby digs for the truth. And eventually finds it. But the story of the purse is darker than she imagined—and its next horrific chapter is going to be all about her.
My Review:
Libby Dawson never expected the adventure that awaits her when she picked up the denim purse at the thrift store. Items appear and disappear without her control. She faces embarrassment, ridicule and docked grades because of the purse but when she confesses her idea to her best friend that the purse may be haunted, they decide to try to unravel the mystery. It turns out a murdered teen from decades ago once owned the same purse and she can only communicate through Libby's purse. Can Libby discover the truth about what happened years ago or will she be the next victim?
The Haunted Purse is an unexpected young adult paranormal mystery. While the beginning feels like a fun teen paranormal (my purse ate my homework), it soon takes on a dark, ominous tone. Libby is a poor teen basically living on her own. Her flaky mother stops in from time to time to give her money before rushing off to join her wealthy boyfriend who doesn't like kids. While it's easy to feel sorry for Libby, her perspective on life and people leaves a bad taste in my mouth. She's obsessive about the flaws of everyone around her and compares her best friend's skin color to two crayons in a box. It struck me as odd and a little racist but then, maybe that is the author's point. Racism, even when you're talking about best friends, can be so ingrained, it isn't perceived by those having the thoughts. The mystery behind the purse and the murdered teen kept me turning the pages. The crush Mason had on Libby was cute and fairly realistic for teen love. Overall, this was a good young adult and I recommend it.
Trigger Warning: child abuse
My Rating: 4 stars
Buy it Now:
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D39H9SZ
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08D39H9SZ
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08D39H9SZ
Author Biography:
Kimberly Baer is an author and professional editor who was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town marginally famous for having endured three major floods—and she lived there during one of them. She currently lives in Virginia. Kim has had her nose in a book practically since birth, and she decided early on that she wanted to be on the giving end of the reading experience as well as the receiving end. Her first story, written at age six, was about a baby chick that hatched out of a little girl’s Easter egg after somehow surviving the hard-boiling process. Her recent focus has been on writing middle-grade and young adult fiction. She no longer writes about eggs.
Visit Kim at www.kimberlybaer.com.
Social Media Links:
Reviewed by: Mrs. N