The Archivess

The Mediator 1: Shadowland; The Mediator 2: Ninth Key; The Mediator 3: Reunion; The Mediator 4: Darkest Hour; The Mediator 5: Haunted; and The Mediator 6: Twilight, all by Meg Cabot, @ 2000-2005, Harper Collins

I have to admit, I would never have tried these books if Jennifer had not said that she liked them. She said in class that she was surprised by how good they were, and so I gave them a try.

Any self-respecting girl knows who Meg Cabot is. She wrote those Princess Diary books, which, while not exactly good role models, are really well written and fun to read. Hey, we all need to dream, right?

This series is about a teenage girl named Susannah, Suze for short, who moves from New York to California when her mother remarries. However, rather than being all about the angst of divorce, relocation, stepfathers and stepbrothers, new schools, (i.e., PROBLEMS) etc, these books are about Suze who is a mediator. That is to say, she helps dead people finish up their unfinished business so they can move along to the next plane.

As soon as you found out they were about dead people, you knew I would love them, right?

Actually, what I like about these books is, like Flashcards of My Life, the author really captures the teenage voice. She writes of Suze’s inner thoughts as if you were really there and you can just hear (very muffled) yourself, or (a little more clearly) your children talking. I admire that and respect the authors who can do this without being crass or flip.

I normally avoid this kind of “woo-woo” book like the plague, but I liked them! Try them–you may too.