The Mediator: Shadowland
By Meg Cabot, Harper Collins Publishing, December 2004, 304 pp, 7.99
ISBN 0-06-072511-7



Do you believe in ghosts? In The Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabot, Suze Simon can see the dead. She’s a mediator. Wherever she goes, she sees ghosts, and they aren’t always the nice ones. Suze has just moved to Carmel Hills, California from the suburbs of New York. She has left her life of being looked at as the weird girl and started a new one with her new family; her mother’s new husband, Andy, and his three sons, Jake, Brad and David, also known as Sleepy, Dopey and Doc to Suze. At Suze’s new school, she discovers the enraged ghost of Heather, who is out to get one of her student peers. This book is about the struggle Suze, and the principal, who is also a mediator (Father Dominic) go through to help Heather pass onto her next life. Suze is determined to do this whether it take peaceful or forceful measures.

I loved this book. Meg Cabot did a great job of making the characters realistic, especially Suze. I could really relate to her, how she felt, and what it was like moving to a new town and meeting new friends. The plot was very clever and I honestly couldn’t put down the book. At the end of every chapter, it was always timed so something extremely exciting was happening and I just had to keep reading and find out what happens so Suze. I love Suze’s voice, and she uses a lot of humor when she’s speaking. It’s easy to lose track of time while you’re reading this book. One of my favorite characters was Jesse, a ghost who haunts Suze’s bedroom. It’s very intriguing because Suze doesn’t know how Jesse died and she is eager to find out.

Since I’ve read this book, I’ve read the whole series and felt the same way about all of the other books, too. I think most teenage girls who like some action in their books would love this story. I would rate it 9 out of 10 points. Pick up a copy of this book and fall into Suze’s world.