Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake

Gilda Joyce #2

by Jennifer Allison

Having earned a scholarship to a girls' private high school, self-proclaimed psychic investigator Gilda Joyce investigates the circumstances surrounding the drowning death of a student whose ghost supposedly haunts the campus.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jennifer Allison is the author of the Edgar-nominated GILDA JOYCE: PSYCHIC INVESTIGATOR mystery series for readers age nine and up (www.gildajoyce.com). The first book in her new series, IGGY LOOMIS: SUPERKID IN TRAINING (www.iggyloomis.com), focuses on the sometimes stormy relationship between two brothers -- Daniel and his younger brother Iggy, who mysteriously develops strange superpowers. IGGY lOOMIS is a smart, funny read-aloud that will engage both avid and reluctant readers.

Ms. Allison holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from American University. Her various careers have included work as a news reporter and high school English teacher. She has also held numerous odd jobs — piano player in a shopping mall, assembly-line worker for General Motors, waitress, preschool teacher — that have helped her generate ideas for characters and stories. Jennifer Allison currently lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Reviews

[Gizelle]

The book is about a girl named Gilda Joyce who is very intelligent and is trying to solve a mystery about a girl who has gone missing and who made her disappear this story is a mystery which in this case a few of the girls at her new school while she is investigating this disappearance she is also a writer at her house writing down her stories.

I like this book because I like how you can't stop reading it and the mystery just gets more confusing which makes it better because you want to know who made that girl disappear and who was that girl that disappeared

[vibha · Rating 5 out of 5]

the power is out and i am reading books from elementary school and wow this one is fab.

[Šárka · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gildu budu prostě doporučovat na věky věku!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was organizing my library (ah, heaven) and came across Gilda. I read the first two books in this series a long long time ago and then forgot about it. I only have the second book but I still remembered the first book well enough so I decided to read it and see if I still liked Gilda as much as I used to.

Gilda is a "psychic investigator." She always wants to believe in psychic occurrences but really she just stumbles across crazy mysteries and uses her dogged perseverance and excellent observational skills to figure things out.

Gilda earns a scholarship to a hoity-toity private school for girls. She learns rumors about a haunting at the school. A girl died their several years ago and is said to haunt the bridge. Gilda is thrilled and determines to find out all she can about the ghost. She's sure the school is hiding something.

Gilda is a great character. She's never afraid to be her lovable quirky self. I had a lot of fun rereading this book and look forward to reading more in the series.

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a kid! And it’s still fantastic.

Quite a morbid story for a children’s book when you really think about it (a young High School student drowns in the school’s lake as a result of a heinous prank), but I’m not complaining. Love this book.

[mckenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

this ate when i was 11 listening to it on audio from my disney cd player on my roadtrip to utah and it ate rereading it after finding it while cleaning.

gilda joyce walked so lesson in vengeance could run.

[Katie Wynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, this book was really boring but then everything became so interesting at the end. Priscilla is so spoiled.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books have a humorous aspect, with a serious mystery. The books touch on death, grieving, suicide, hazing, and murder in a lighter tone than a YA book would. These are fine for middle grade. I think the word ass was said at one point, and "retarded" was said for a character to describe something. I hadn't heard it used in a while that it gave me a little jolt.

Not that I ever saw myself as psychic, but I enjoyed being weird with Gilda. I did love Harriet the Spy as a kid (sadly Michelle Trachtenberg just passed). I would've wanted to read these as a tween/teen to go along with my Confessions of Georgia Nicholson love.

[Milli W.B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed "Gilda Joyce: The ladies of the Lake". I found it a eerie, suspenseful, mysterious and fast-paced read. It sent chills up my spine at some parts, it made me laugh out loud at others and always kept me fascinated.The narrator is funny, quirky, intriguing and the type of person you would love to be friends with. Gilda Joyce, self-proclaimed psychic is not thrilled when she is accepted on scholarship to "Our Lady of Sorrows" a Catholic, All-Girls School in an ancient, musty, rotting castle. Why should she trade her stilettos and leopard prints for a uniform? But after a tour around campus, and hearing about a freshmen's sudden death four years ago, Gilda agrees to come to Our Lady, just long enough to delve through the mystery surrounding the death of Dolores Lambert. When she arrives at Our Lady, Gilda soon realizes that she doesn't fit in. But she is determined. Gilda also realizes that the school appears to be haunted with leaky pipes, dead fish and anything else water-related and it is universally accepted that Dolores Lambert is haunting her past school because of her own untimely death falling through the ice of the school's pond. On Halloween night, Gilda and her best friend/slide-kick Wendy overhear three of the school's most popular seniors performing some type of ritual on the ground's deserted ruins. They seem to be afraid of Dolore's ghost and will not stop at anything to keep her happy...

[Pixiegurl10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilda joyce is now at an advanced school for young girls because she was given a scholarship to attend. As soon as she gets there she meets a group of girls who turn out to be members in a secret club:The Ladies of the lake. A couple years back, something horrible happened to a young girl attending the school, and these girls are certain that she haunts the river next to the school. Gilda must find out why these girls look so guilty and solve this young girl's untimely death. This is the 2nd book in the Gilda Joyce series

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It talked a lot about Dolores Lambert(she died). I love mysteries!!!

[Caroline Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too predictable

[Kashfia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You better watch out this book will make your soul come out and scream!!!!!

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gilda goes to a new school and is excited about it only because there's a mystery to solve. Dolores Lambert died and Gilda has to find out how. She relentlessly works toward that goal leaving her schoolwork to fall behind. In her home life Brad has moved in....yikes! he lost his job and her mom says it's temporary but Gilda hates it. He's pushing his way into their lives. He bought Stephen a car and got Gilda into the prestigious school she's in now. Gilda acts older than she is, not wasting time thinking about boys and makeup....things the other girls are obsessed over. So she stands out as weird. She doesn't care....all she cares about is being a psychic investigator and solving Dolores' mystery.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch out Nancy Drew, here comes spunky and hip Gilda Joyce. I absolutely loved this mystery for older children. I thought it was a good mix of realistic fiction, mystery and it was not as predictable as other mystery books for children. Gilda attends a private school Old Lady of Sorrows and finds herself amongst cliques, secrets, and a school haunting. She finds herself drawn to clues that unwrap what happened to a mystery girl who died falling through ice on a frozen lake. As the story unravels, so do other aspects of Gilda's life. She stays true to her character, yet changes along the way.
A must read for any Nancy Drew fan! I highly enjoyed this book.

[Julia Szydlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was very interesting, due to the fact that it was about a "homicide" as said in the book. Gilda Joyce needs to investigate a crime because someone died by falling into a lake that had a thin ice sheet. Gilda has a struggle, because with her whole case coming along, she still needs to focus on her schoolwork that will determine whether or not she will get a scholarship for college. Overall, it was a mystery that I really enjoyed.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great second book. Gilda Joyce goes to this rich private school on scholarship. Despite the mystery, the secret society, and the premise, it isn’t dark academia because Gilda has to wear a pink uniform. Gilda is out of her element here, and it makes her much more likeable. The mystery she gets into, about a disappeared girl, is very interesting, and the resolution is harsh and gets into teen hazing. The setting of the private school is described in great detail and makes it feel lived in. All in all, a great gothic mystery.

[Olivia Hollandsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time in 4th grade. I remember being so enthralled and so spooked and anxious with anticipation!! Of course, rereading it as an adult just makes it all seem so silly. I do still love the story though and I think it’s so fun that I can revisit something like this as an adult and have new memories of it! I love Gilda and maybe I’ll finally read past the 2nd book hahahah.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gilda Joyce and the Ladies of the Lake (Audiobook)
by Jennifer Allison (Goodreads Author), read by Jennifer Almasy

I think this is the first book in the Gilda Joyce series, and it's a little darker and scarier than the other books I've listened to so far. Still, it was a good story.

Almasy does a really good job as reader.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish that the Gilda Joyce series was more well known in the world of horror. It holds its own despite being a book series for children. Any Gilda Joyce is great fun, especially when I'm hankering for a comforting read. Allison's fantastic ability to write a teenage girl's mind is a cherry on top.

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read this book in yearssss but I remember liking it so much!!! It’s a little creepy but very intriguing! Such a cool story and I’ve never read anything like it. I want to reread it now before October ends for Halloween time! I have it a 3 because I haven’t read it in so long and don’t remember everything but I remember liking it a lot. I will update my review after I read it!

[Ilsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this sequel! Definitely this series has it’s spooky moments. I liked the setting and the way the mystery all unfolded. I also thought the nod to Hamlet was actually really cool. I still really like Gilda but I did get a bit annoyed by her with her “embellishments” and not really admitting she’s wrong. I do keep in mind that she is 13 but I’m only mentioning it because it was something that I’ve noticed. I’m excited for the rest of the books though!

[Lisa Crotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was great, but the book is poorly edited. One of the characters, Ms. Underbill, had her name change repeatedly from Underbill to Underhill throughout the story. There were also instances of words used incorrectly- "tides" instead of "titles."

[Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An A+ book that explores ghost stories, hazing of young girls, and being your own quirky self.
My favorite kids mystery series. Found by accident on sale at a book store years ago. Named my dog after her.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a childhood favorite that really held up! Gilda is funny and likable, and the mystery was super intriguing. Also, rereading this made me realize how much depth these books really have. Gilda Joyce forever!

[Emily G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still remember reading this back in middle school and absolutely loving Gilda Joyce. Her sass, wit and need to investigate is something I related to then and still do now. 🤭 It’s always good to revisit a childhood fav.

[Kara McClintock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Gilda. She’s super funny and unapologetically herself. Side note: While this book was full of teenage girls and I know teen girls often worry about their weight, I think it was mentioned too much throughout the book. I also am 28, but loved this despite it being written for young adults.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love middle-grade mysteries.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does she do it? Such a good read. I love the main character Gilda Joyce. All of Jen Allison’s characters feel so real.

[i · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 STARS