The Girl Who Wasn't There

Moving house and school can be difficult at the best of times, but for Maisie it is a mixed blessing.  She needs a new start, as does her father; the only member of the family not happy is her older sister Clem.

Maisie struggles to make new friends until she meets Kat, who like her seems to be an outsider that the other students ignore.  Together they decide to solve the mystery of the ghost in the art room window.

This is a story about mourning and moving on. Maisie’s mother died may years previously and Maisie clings to the notebook she left for her daughter, full of words of wisdom.  Clem clings to her old house, her old life and her old friends and Kat… well, she has her own issues. It raises and deals with, thoughtfully, those big issues such as trust, acceptance, closure and moving on.

I enjoyed this book, it was entertaining and thought-provoking and will speak to these tweenies who are still working through their friendship groups and forging the main relationships of their teens.