The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin (Paula Hayes, illus by Katy Jiang, Fremantle Press)
Eleven-year-old Lily Griffin is precocious but lonely—bullied by her brother and benignly neglected by the rest of her unusual family. Lily’s life changes dramatically when she discovers a girl trapped in a mirror in her grandparents’ spare room, beginning a journey towards friendship, familial reconciliation and self-discovery. Told through highly articulate journal entries, Lily’s story unfolds over three distinct parts. The first, originally published as Lily in the Mirror (2016), covers the mystery of the mirror girl, and the declining health of Lily’s grandmother. Part two continues with a supernatural puzzle, linking to Lily’s mother’s expedition to find her birth family in Vietnam. Part three concludes the ghost story which began in the first section, and showcases Lily’s growth in regards to her understanding of her extended family and her new friends. The writing is fast-paced, almost frenetic, as if Lily is rushing to ensure the reader knows everything that is happening. Coupled with Lily’s tendency to drop in observational side notes and word definitions, and some quite dense historical detail, this style can be distracting, though this eases in the second half of the book. While this novel qualifies as supernatural in genre, the ‘real world’ is very present in the story. The issues of friendship, bullying, family dynamics and death that are explored throughout the book are relatable and suitable for the intended middle-grade audience, but overall the book is recommended for stronger readers in upper primary.
Tehani Croft is a teacher librarian, academic, publisher and literary awards convenor.
Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
