Mothman's Curse

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 17, 2015

Review

The Mothman legend comes alive, as well as other paranormal activity, when Josie and her two brothers acquire an old camera from their family's auction house business. Taken from the John Goodrich's estate, a recluse old man who recently committed suicide, the camera prints out photos superimposed with his picture, even without film. The spookiness is multiplied when lights explode, John's ghost appears and Josie's dad is knocked down the stairs by the red-eyed, winged Mothman monster. The Mothman appears right before a disaster as part of a 100 year-old curse. As Josie untangles the clues that the ghost tries to communicate to her, she becomes the conduit of the curse and must save herself or protect the town. The pacing of the story, the action and the backstory of Mothman will appeal to ghost lovers. Hindle's black and white illustrations are scattered throughout and enhance the spooky overtones of the paranormal events. Although there are fantasy elements in the paranormal story line, the resilience of the family and the natural interactions of the characters in the family will resonate with readers of realistic fiction, too.

Overall Book Score: excellent