  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/01/2016 Seventh-grader Tony Gilbert isn’t thrilled when his weirdo uncle Charlie moves in with them, but Charlie turns out to be a fun old guy, and when he dies, Tony feels like he has lost his best friend. Shortly after, in accordance with Charlie’s wishes, the family moves to San Francisco so Tony can attend his uncle’s alma mater, the Penda School—which turns out to be weirder than Charlie. There’s a strange boy, seemingly unnoticed by anyone but Tony; a magnetic but mysterious girl who wants him in her circle; and almost every other person Tony meets, adult or child, seems odd, scared, or both. The secret of Penda School is predictable, but when it comes to who is enemy and who is friend, readers will feel as off-balance as Tony. His tight, internal narrative adds to the neatly claustrophobic feeling of the story. The demonic plans unravel to a drawn-out ending that nevertheless will leave more than a few hearts pounding. Give this to readers who like an old-fashioned ghost story with a contemporary twist. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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