The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney

by Suzanne Harper

I picked up The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney from our school library, and I think it is my favorite book of 2010 so far. I guess I like young adult lit better than stuff written for grown-ups. Anyway, the book is told from the perspective of Sparrow Delaney, the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter in a family of psychics. She is expected to have tremendous psychic powers...which she does, but she keeps a secret, even from her family (hence the title), because she wants a "normal" life that does not involve seeing dead people. Of course, this all changes when she meets a new boy and a new ghost.

The characters are engaging, well developed, and compelling. The plot is suspenseful and well constructed. It's quirky yet poignant. And best of all, it takes the reader (or at least it took me) into an another world for at least a few hours. Go read it.