In this Hex Hall spin-off, Hawkins takes us to Ideal, Mississippi, where 15-year-old Izzy Brannick and her mother have fled to escape Izzy's sister's disappearance and Izzy's own botched attempt to slay a vampire. But Ideal is hardly the ideal small town. Instead, the high school where Izzy will soon enroll has endured a series of progressively escalating hauntings. Perhaps this is Izzy's chance to restore her reputation by solving a tragic, yet harmless, ghost visitation gone awry. Or perhaps it's just the opportunity she hasn't even known she desired: to finally have a best friend and even a boyfriend, who, by the way, might just be a Prodigium, a warlock of sorts. In true Hawkins fashion, School Spirits combines romance, intrigue, and the paranormal with humor and high-school drama to produce a light read that bodes well for another Hawkins series, this time featuring the Brannicks. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This spinoff of the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series should be similarly well received.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2010 Booklist

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick doesn't have a typical home life. Her family hunts monsters, or at least they did until her sister went missing. Ever since the disappearance, Izzy's head hasn't been in the game. Hoping to provide her with a less challenging foe, Izzy's mother sends her to a normal school to investigate a ghostly occurrence. But Izzy is soon distracted by her first experiences at high school. In this first person narrative, Cris Dukehart deftly captures Izzy. She skillfully handles the book's quips and sarcasm, and perfectly portrays Izzy's inner doubts and guilt. Dukehart's voices for the book's human characters are consistent and appropriate. However, the voices she lends the book's monsters sometimes fall flat. Still, fans of Hawkins's Hex Hall series will find this a lively and enjoyable listening experience. Ages 12-18. A Disney-Hyperion hardcover. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Izzy--short for Isolde--and her mother are the last in their centuries-old line of monster killers. Izzy's sister Finley disappeared while the sisters were dealing with a witches' coven, and Izzy has felt guilty about the incident ever since, holding herself responsible. Looking for a break, Izzy's mom moves them to Ideal, Miss., and sends Izzy to high school, an environment completely foreign to the girl, with the hope that she will be able to deal with a local ghost. Izzy makes actual friends there but learns that this ghost has far more power than usual, and she comes to suspect that one of her cherished new friends may have summoned it. Worse, she's attracted to Dex, but the boy gives off vibes that Izzy picks up as supernatural. She can't tell just what kind of being Dex might be, but she hopes she won't have to kill him. Hawkins dials the level of humor up to high throughout most of the book, with deftly phrased witticisms in both the narrative ("worry slithered through me") and her characters' dialogue ("I am affronted!" declares Dex). Her characterizations shine as original and funny, especially Dex and Torin, an Elizabethan-era warlock trapped for centuries in the Brannicks' mirror, who dispenses dubious advice. Finley still being missing, it's entirely possible this, itself a spinoff of the Hex Hall books, may become a series. Here's hoping the Brannicks will be back--their story's marvelous fun. (Paranormal comedy/suspense. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Izzy (Sophie's cousin from the Hex Hall series) has been off her monster-killing game since her sister disappeared. Her mom assigns her an easy case to regain her confidence: a potential haunting at a Mississippi high school. But the job means Izzy has to attend high school, a scarier prospect than fighting paranormal baddies. The supernatural and mundane blend here to humorous effect. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 7-10-Izzy Branick is a fighter, the last in a long line of supernatural hunters. A year after her sister goes missing in battle, Izzy and her mom settle down in a small town for a routine assignment that turns out to be anything but. A local high school is being haunted, but it isn't just a ghost that's got the huntress unnerved: the strange boy who may have a crush on her and the friends that, until now, she's never had. This fish-out-of-water story (Hyperion, 2013) ably read by Chris Dukehart is fun without getting too steeped in the more terrifying aspects of horror or the heart-wrenching longing of romance. This series launch is a middle-of-the-road title that will suit casual readers, but plot twists are minimal and the text complexity is relatively low as well. Middle-grade listeners who've blown through chapter books and are just beginning to flirt with YA will love this story, and parents and librarians can feel comfortable recommending it.-Shanna Miles, South Atlanta Educational Complex, GA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Read in a convincingly youthful voice by Cris Dukehart, Hawkins's ("Hex Hall" series) new release tells the story of Izzy Brannick's adventures in high school. Izzy is new to the high school scene-she's spent her life in the family business, which is hunting vampires, ghosts, and other magical creatures. But her sister Finley has gone missing, and now it's just Izzy and her mother-oh, and the warlock trapped in the mirror. Izzy's mom moves to Mississippi and enrolls her in high school so she can have a taste of normalcy.and catch the ghost haunting the school. Izzy makes some friends, for the first time, along the way, and they help her out on her ghost hunt. Verdict Recommended for YA readers of all ages.-Cheryl Youse, Moultrie, GA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.