Shades of London: Book 1
Written by Maureen Johnson
The story takes place in Wexford, an English school in London.
Characters: Aurora is the main character. She is a girl from the U.S.A. and is attending Wexford while her parents are working in Bristol. Jazza is Rory’s roommate. Stephen is a member of a secret police agency which hunts ghosts. Boo is another roommate/ member of the same agency. Callum is the third member of the agency. Jerome is Rory’s boy interest.
Good Points: The story moved along and it brought in historical information about Jack the Ripper.
Plot Summary: Rory can see ghosts. Someone is recreating the murders committed by Jack the Ripper in 1888. Rory gets involved because she is a witness. The story unfolds as the group tries to stop the killer from committing more murders.
Review by Warren Child, Cyprus High Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: High School
The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson
Shades of London: Book 1
The Name of the Star
Written by Maureen Johnson
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
372 pages
Release Date: September 29, 2011
ISBN: 9780399256608 (hardcover)
I don’t know why, but I love anything with a hint of British talk and Jack the Ripper is a bonus.
Very excited to read this book. So glad it was on the reviews, the name of the book didn’t give me a clue about what it was about.
Once again, I love Historical Fiction. I think this book sounds like a great read, and will be on my list.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. The characters were real teenagers, doing just enough naughty stuff to make them feel human. However, once she met the others who could see ghosts it got a little choppy and unreal. I understand that it is fiction, but I like when it doesn’t feel like fiction. I like my fantasy/historical/sci fi to make me believe it is possible to live in such a world. That said, it was a good read and Jack the Ripper is always an intriguing character, dead or alive! I would be interested to try the next installment when it comes out, since I did enjoy the writing in the first half of the book.
NEW GIVE-AWAY:I have a copy of this book to give away. The next person to leave a comment here receives it for their school.
Love mysteries. We would love this book for our library.
Great! A lot of the high schools already had this book, so I am glad to find a home for it.