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The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney
In high school, the last thing you want is for people to think you talk to ghosts. When Sparrow begins tenth grade at a huge new school full of strangers, she thinks her dreams of anonymity and a fresh start are finally coming true. No more following in her six older sisters' footsteps. No more going to class with kids who've seen her grandma doing jujitsu in the front yard next to the headstones of her four dead husbands. And no more worrying about keeping her deep, dark secret hidden. Sparrow makes a new best friend and has her eye on an irritatingly appealing guy in her history class. She feels like she's well on her way to a normal life. But it's another boy—a dead one—who wants Sparrow's attention, and he won't let her be till she's helped him Move On. You see, Sparrow Delaney's secret is that she's a psychic. And there's one very persistent ghost who won't let her forget it.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2007
22 people are currently reading
1784 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Harper
42 books103 followersSuzanne Harper has published two young adult novels, The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney and The Juliet Club. She is currently working on a third young adult novel and a middle-grade series.
She has also written three original novels based on the Hannah Montana TV series (Rock the Waves, In the Loop, and Swept Up) and a number of novels (under the pen name N. B. Grace) based on High School Musical.
Her nonfiction books include: Boitano’s Edge: Inside the Real World of Figure Skating (with Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano), The Real Spy's Guide to Becoming a Spy (with Peter Earnest, executive director of the International Spy Museum), Terrorists, Tornados,and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life’s Danger Zones (with Lt. Col. John C. Orndorff), and Hands On! 33 More Things Every Girl Should Know: Skills for Living Your Life from 33 Extraordinary Women.
She earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and English from the University of Texas-Austin and a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Southern California. She now lives in New York City.
She has also written three original novels based on the Hannah Montana TV series (Rock the Waves, In the Loop, and Swept Up) and a number of novels (under the pen name N. B. Grace) based on High School Musical.
Her nonfiction books include: Boitano’s Edge: Inside the Real World of Figure Skating (with Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano), The Real Spy's Guide to Becoming a Spy (with Peter Earnest, executive director of the International Spy Museum), Terrorists, Tornados,and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life’s Danger Zones (with Lt. Col. John C. Orndorff), and Hands On! 33 More Things Every Girl Should Know: Skills for Living Your Life from 33 Extraordinary Women.
She earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and English from the University of Texas-Austin and a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Southern California. She now lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
June 7, 2016
The Setting: A slightly and smartly tweaked version of Lily Dale.
The characters: Eccentric, charming, and all(even the ghosts) bursting through the pages with life.
The plot: Pitch perfect
The writing style: Lovely, fluid and injected with just the right amount of delicious banter and good humor.
The story is told in first person point of view, Sparrow Delaney's, the 7th daughter of the 7th daughter from a family of medium who wants nothing but to pass as just another teenage girl in her new school, all the while struggling to stay sane in a household of 9 females( distracted mother, eccentric grandmother, and 6 older sisters), 1 bathroom, and malevolent tabby cat, not to mention all the ghosts dropping by asking for help or offering unwanted advice( mainly that she give up keeping her enormous psychic gift a secret).
Then a boy in her history class catches Sparrow's eyes. He's got dark hair, hazel eyes, and a crooked smile. He's also smart, funny, and stubborn and persistent in the most charming way. He's absolutely perfect- well, except for one thing: He's Dead. And he's hell-bent to convince Sparrow that she's his last hope of heaven.
The book was one of those impulse buys. You know, when you happen to stroll by a bookstore and then check out some stationery and then ended up going home with a book in your arms. This book is such case and its been lounging on my shelf unread and neglected for months before I've finally picked it up and read. And when I did, I've never been happier with an impulse buy. I've read all 362 pages either smiling or laughing out loud except for that made me cry. This may be Suzanne Harper's first book but it sure made me wish she'd write some more- a lot more. Because I absolutely, positively loved her writing. Her characters are simply endearing, even the vague ghosts lurking in the corners and the schoolmates that only appeared in one to two paragraphs. Most charming of all is Grandma Bee, the Delaney matriarch; and Sparrow, who might be a superspiritualist in training but at the end of the day is just really every other teen- a little confused about what to do with the rest of her life. Luke also is one great factor in overall fabulousness of the book, being the most swoon-worthy ghost I've ever read about.
After the last page I'm quiet demanding 10 more pages. In fact, make that 362 more pages. I want a fudging sequel!
My total rating: 4 stars
My advice: Read it. Read it. Even if you're not a teen my spirits tell me you're gonna like it.
The characters: Eccentric, charming, and all(even the ghosts) bursting through the pages with life.
The plot: Pitch perfect
The writing style: Lovely, fluid and injected with just the right amount of delicious banter and good humor.
The story is told in first person point of view, Sparrow Delaney's, the 7th daughter of the 7th daughter from a family of medium who wants nothing but to pass as just another teenage girl in her new school, all the while struggling to stay sane in a household of 9 females( distracted mother, eccentric grandmother, and 6 older sisters), 1 bathroom, and malevolent tabby cat, not to mention all the ghosts dropping by asking for help or offering unwanted advice( mainly that she give up keeping her enormous psychic gift a secret).
Then a boy in her history class catches Sparrow's eyes. He's got dark hair, hazel eyes, and a crooked smile. He's also smart, funny, and stubborn and persistent in the most charming way. He's absolutely perfect- well, except for one thing: He's Dead. And he's hell-bent to convince Sparrow that she's his last hope of heaven.
The book was one of those impulse buys. You know, when you happen to stroll by a bookstore and then check out some stationery and then ended up going home with a book in your arms. This book is such case and its been lounging on my shelf unread and neglected for months before I've finally picked it up and read. And when I did, I've never been happier with an impulse buy. I've read all 362 pages either smiling or laughing out loud except for that made me cry. This may be Suzanne Harper's first book but it sure made me wish she'd write some more- a lot more. Because I absolutely, positively loved her writing. Her characters are simply endearing, even the vague ghosts lurking in the corners and the schoolmates that only appeared in one to two paragraphs. Most charming of all is Grandma Bee, the Delaney matriarch; and Sparrow, who might be a superspiritualist in training but at the end of the day is just really every other teen- a little confused about what to do with the rest of her life. Luke also is one great factor in overall fabulousness of the book, being the most swoon-worthy ghost I've ever read about.
After the last page I'm quiet demanding 10 more pages. In fact, make that 362 more pages. I want a fudging sequel!
My total rating: 4 stars
My advice: Read it. Read it. Even if you're not a teen my spirits tell me you're gonna like it.
July 27, 2009
**Possible spoilers and gloating**
Okay, first off, love the cover. Those tarot cards are awesome. As was this book. It sat on my night stand for a little while, but after I read some I seriously couldn't put it down. Sparrow is such an interesting character. But living in a house with 8 other females? I think I'd kill myself. Good thing she has an attic room or I'm not sure how she would have survived. Grandma Bee is hilarious too. With her innocent 'Weed the garden for me?' act and her kung fu or whatever. The whole book was pretty funny actually. And I totally knew Luke was Jack's brother! I totally guessed it!! I love when I do that. :) I felt really bad when everything started going wrong for her at the message service, but luckily everything got better quickly. If breaking your leg is better. Seriously loved this book! I love books with the whole ghosts and teenagers thing going on. It would be epic if there was a second book...?
~Tori
Okay, first off, love the cover. Those tarot cards are awesome. As was this book. It sat on my night stand for a little while, but after I read some I seriously couldn't put it down. Sparrow is such an interesting character. But living in a house with 8 other females? I think I'd kill myself. Good thing she has an attic room or I'm not sure how she would have survived. Grandma Bee is hilarious too. With her innocent 'Weed the garden for me?' act and her kung fu or whatever. The whole book was pretty funny actually. And I totally knew Luke was Jack's brother! I totally guessed it!! I love when I do that. :) I felt really bad when everything started going wrong for her at the message service, but luckily everything got better quickly. If breaking your leg is better. Seriously loved this book! I love books with the whole ghosts and teenagers thing going on. It would be epic if there was a second book...?
~Tori
November 12, 2012
Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com
For Sparrow Delaney, having to switch schools before starting tenth grade isn't a curse--it's a blessing. All her life she's wanted to be normal, and now that she's found a chance to start over, she's not about to let anything ruin it. But it's hard to live a normal life when your sisters, mother, and grandmother are all mediums, in contact with the spirit world, and when you live in Lily Dale, New York, a town devoted to spiritualism where s�ances are regular activities and everyone you meet has some affinity for the dead. It only gets harder when you hear the dead, too.
As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Sparrow is an exceptionally powerful medium. She's been seeing ghosts since she was five years old, and she knows her talents far surpass those of anyone else she's met. But Sparrow has always wanted more from life than being a medium, so from a young age, she's hidden her gifts, pretending that she cannot communicate with the dead at all. She sees her move to a new school as a chance to finally break away from the teasing that's always followed her, and the first step in becoming someone who has no need for annoying spirits who refuse to Move On.
Unfortunately for Sparrow, the spirits don't care too much about what she wants. On the first day of school, the spirit of a teen named Luke appears to her and urges her to help him solve the problems that are keeping him from Moving On. Sparrow ignores him at first, but Luke is more persistent than the other ghosts she's shrugged off over the years, and eventually she finds herself grudgingly listening to his story. Sparrow also has to deal with a history project partner, Will, who decides they should focus their local history report on Lily Dale and "those psychic quacks" who live there. Not to mention the continued worrying of her mother, grandmother, and sisters about her apparent lack of talents.
I came into this story less than thrilled by the premise, but I was quickly won over by Sparrow's first-person voice as she articulated all of the difficulties of being a teenage medium trying to hide her talents. The author does a good job of painting realistic--albeit quirky--relationships between Sparrow and her family members and new-found friends. The intricacies of her interactions with Luke and Will kept me wanting to know more about all of the characters involved. Even readers put off by the story's fantastic premise will be sucked into the drama of Sparrow's life and fly through the plot's twists and turns until they reach what I felt was a very satisfying conclusion.
For Sparrow Delaney, having to switch schools before starting tenth grade isn't a curse--it's a blessing. All her life she's wanted to be normal, and now that she's found a chance to start over, she's not about to let anything ruin it. But it's hard to live a normal life when your sisters, mother, and grandmother are all mediums, in contact with the spirit world, and when you live in Lily Dale, New York, a town devoted to spiritualism where s�ances are regular activities and everyone you meet has some affinity for the dead. It only gets harder when you hear the dead, too.
As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Sparrow is an exceptionally powerful medium. She's been seeing ghosts since she was five years old, and she knows her talents far surpass those of anyone else she's met. But Sparrow has always wanted more from life than being a medium, so from a young age, she's hidden her gifts, pretending that she cannot communicate with the dead at all. She sees her move to a new school as a chance to finally break away from the teasing that's always followed her, and the first step in becoming someone who has no need for annoying spirits who refuse to Move On.
Unfortunately for Sparrow, the spirits don't care too much about what she wants. On the first day of school, the spirit of a teen named Luke appears to her and urges her to help him solve the problems that are keeping him from Moving On. Sparrow ignores him at first, but Luke is more persistent than the other ghosts she's shrugged off over the years, and eventually she finds herself grudgingly listening to his story. Sparrow also has to deal with a history project partner, Will, who decides they should focus their local history report on Lily Dale and "those psychic quacks" who live there. Not to mention the continued worrying of her mother, grandmother, and sisters about her apparent lack of talents.
I came into this story less than thrilled by the premise, but I was quickly won over by Sparrow's first-person voice as she articulated all of the difficulties of being a teenage medium trying to hide her talents. The author does a good job of painting realistic--albeit quirky--relationships between Sparrow and her family members and new-found friends. The intricacies of her interactions with Luke and Will kept me wanting to know more about all of the characters involved. Even readers put off by the story's fantastic premise will be sucked into the drama of Sparrow's life and fly through the plot's twists and turns until they reach what I felt was a very satisfying conclusion.
December 27, 2025
This was a cute read with an interesting concept with the FMC being able to see ghosts! All the characters had good banter, definitely laughed whenever the grandma had some witty remark or was up to her crazy antics!. Liked all the main characters. Good ending, honestly was disappointed there wasn’t a sequel!
June 16, 2008
I found this book at the library and loved it! The story revolves around 15-year-old Sparrow, who comes from a psychic family and lives in the medium-friendly community of Lily Dale, New York. She's embarrassed of her abilities and has continually told her family and that has never felt a single spirit - in actuality, she's seen them since she was 5 and has the rare ability to see, hear, touch, and smell spirits; most people only can do one. But despite her abilities, Sparrow wants to break free from this type of life and jumps at the chance to attend a different high school than her older sisters and reinvent herself somewhere no one knows her or her family or their abilities. There, she makes a best friend, meets a boy in her class, and is followed by another boy (this one a ghost) who wants her help, though Sparrow is determined, as usual, to not acknowledge the spirit or offer assistance.
What I loved about this book is that everything flows so well. The opening scene is great and pretty much told me all I needed to know to understand Sparrow's life and sympathize with her, and it keeps moving forward. All the characters are great, from Sparrow's 6 sisters (all named after birds!), to the friends she makes at school, to the ghosts that haunt her. Furthermore, the author makes the town of Lily Dale seem fascinating, truly bringing it to life, and makes me want to learn more about the place that actually exists but is, of course, used fictitiously in this novel.
I loved that the mystery in this book was blended together with your typical teen angst and a touch of romance. The author carried this off so well - amazingly well - and made it hard to put the book down! I thought the whole plot was great, and even though not every single question raised in the book was fully answered at the end, it didn't matter all that much to me. The ending was very satisfactory, and the small loose ends left were just the way life is sometimes.
I highly recommend this book to all YA lovers or those looking for a good teen book to read. I enjoyed it so much that I almost want to read it again - and I just finished it yesterday!
What I loved about this book is that everything flows so well. The opening scene is great and pretty much told me all I needed to know to understand Sparrow's life and sympathize with her, and it keeps moving forward. All the characters are great, from Sparrow's 6 sisters (all named after birds!), to the friends she makes at school, to the ghosts that haunt her. Furthermore, the author makes the town of Lily Dale seem fascinating, truly bringing it to life, and makes me want to learn more about the place that actually exists but is, of course, used fictitiously in this novel.
I loved that the mystery in this book was blended together with your typical teen angst and a touch of romance. The author carried this off so well - amazingly well - and made it hard to put the book down! I thought the whole plot was great, and even though not every single question raised in the book was fully answered at the end, it didn't matter all that much to me. The ending was very satisfactory, and the small loose ends left were just the way life is sometimes.
I highly recommend this book to all YA lovers or those looking for a good teen book to read. I enjoyed it so much that I almost want to read it again - and I just finished it yesterday!
May 14, 2009
Sparrow comes from a long line of mediums, her grandmother, mother and sisters all see ghosts. As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter Sparrow has extraordinary abilities but she has hidden her talents for years, longing for a life that is normal. When Sparrow starts 10th grade at a new school her hopes to blend in are dashed by a good looking ghost who needs her help.
This book was so hard to put down. The writing is richly descriptive and the characters are unique. The only part I didn't like was a point near the end of the book when Sparrow lets a ghost inhabit her body to communicate with his brother. When that happened I kept picturing Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost; awkward! All in all it's a cute story about embracing who you truly are.
The book is YA but it's a tame read that you could easily recommend to tween(s). Ages 12-14.
This book was so hard to put down. The writing is richly descriptive and the characters are unique. The only part I didn't like was a point near the end of the book when Sparrow lets a ghost inhabit her body to communicate with his brother. When that happened I kept picturing Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost; awkward! All in all it's a cute story about embracing who you truly are.
The book is YA but it's a tame read that you could easily recommend to tween(s). Ages 12-14.
December 9, 2008
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney is probably one of my favorite books. I'm not quite what sure what makes it so but I can give a few examples. The plot is very intriguing, first of all. Suzanne Harper takes Sparrow Delaney, a girl who has the most eccentric family of mediums you can imagine. She wants to find a place to start over, a place where no one knows about her crazed life at home. She gets that at a new school but enter Luke, a ghost who is determined to get Sparrow's attention and won't stop until he does.
The humor in this novel was absolutely beautiful. The writing is a true account of what can possibly go on inside a teenager's head when she's got so much on her plate. Kudos to Suzanne Harper!
The humor in this novel was absolutely beautiful. The writing is a true account of what can possibly go on inside a teenager's head when she's got so much on her plate. Kudos to Suzanne Harper!
December 15, 2009
Despite a few awful characters (more on that below), I found this book to be delightful. I'm sure there are better words to describe it, but it's the only one I can come up with at the moment.
I felt that Grandma Bee was more annoying than charming, the twin sisters (Linnet and Lark) were weak Fred and George Weasley ripoffs, and Fiona-the BFF-was simply useless.
I felt that Grandma Bee was more annoying than charming, the twin sisters (Linnet and Lark) were weak Fred and George Weasley ripoffs, and Fiona-the BFF-was simply useless.
October 27, 2010
A lighter look at the supernatural; made me laugh in several places and this intrigued me as it was set in the real life place of Lily Dale, NY. Will this be a series?
August 15, 2011
This book is about a girl named Sparrow Delaney. Sparrow can talk to gost and theirs one particular gost who wants her help and is desprate.
September 6, 2020
I have a lot of nostalgia woven in this story for me so maybe the story should be a 4 star but I feel happy every time I remember reading this as a teenager.
June 3, 2019
The idea of this book had a lot of potential but wasn’t executed to the best of its ability. Sparrow makes a lot of silly choices throughout that only make the end goal of her guides that much more difficult. I felt like some of the words used didn’t match how a 15 year old would speak either. I couldn’t get a clear vision of her in my head either. Her description was kind of vague and the clothes weren’t entirely clear either. All the interactions with her family weren’t very interesting or important to the story. A lot of the stuff in this story is very random and doesn’t contribute much to the overall story. The twist was also kind of obvious to me as well. It was okay and cute I guess but just lacks a certain charisma that a story about things like mediums or ghosts really needs to make it work. I didn’t enjoy her friend Fiona very much either, she immediately turned on her then flip flopped once it became clear sparrow wasn’t lying. I didn’t really understand why sparrow chose to hide her talents either. Her childish stubborn streak was a big part of why I didn’t enjoy reading about her very much.
March 27, 2022
3.5 stars.
This reminded me the tiniest bit of Emerge (Tobie Easton), only with a family that can communicate with ghosts as opposed to a family hiding their secret mermaid identity, but I think the similarity lay mainly in the older twin sisters with names that both began with L.
I enjoyed this book for the humor, the snarky narration by Sparrow, and of course the fascinating premise. That being said, I did have a few beefs by the end -- -- but they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
This reminded me the tiniest bit of Emerge (Tobie Easton), only with a family that can communicate with ghosts as opposed to a family hiding their secret mermaid identity, but I think the similarity lay mainly in the older twin sisters with names that both began with L.
I enjoyed this book for the humor, the snarky narration by Sparrow, and of course the fascinating premise. That being said, I did have a few beefs by the end -- -- but they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
January 14, 2018
This book fell flat for me. Sparrow comes from a long line of mediums. As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, her powers are supposed to be exponentially. After growing up in Lily Dale, a town full of spiritualist who make their living from their craft, the only thing Sparrow wants is normalcy. Which is why she hides her gifts.
At fifteen , she's determined to keep her true powers hidden. Regardless what her three spiritual guides say, or how much her family truly wishes she's join the family business of telling fortunes. When she switches to a new highschool, fate begins to unravel it's own plans.
The setting was incredible, I liked the tone, and Sparrow. There were unanswered questions on the end that really bothered me , and the story did sag in certain places. Still, this was an enjoyable unique read, I just didn't "love it."
At fifteen , she's determined to keep her true powers hidden. Regardless what her three spiritual guides say, or how much her family truly wishes she's join the family business of telling fortunes. When she switches to a new highschool, fate begins to unravel it's own plans.
The setting was incredible, I liked the tone, and Sparrow. There were unanswered questions on the end that really bothered me , and the story did sag in certain places. Still, this was an enjoyable unique read, I just didn't "love it."
August 23, 2023
Just exactly what the doctor ordered - a fun, light-hearted, entertaining read with a delightful cast of characters!
I just love Sparrow's family and all the chaos that make up their household. Each of her sisters have a unique personality, her grandmother is guaranteed to elicit some giggles with her outrageous antics, then there's Sparrow herself, who you can't help but root for as she tries to navigate her way through high school while hiding the fact that she can see & speak to ghosts.
I would highly recommend this book if you're looking for a little escape one afternoon. It would probably be perfect for a lazy afternoon in October. I just wish it was the start of a series, but sadly it does not have a sequel.
I just love Sparrow's family and all the chaos that make up their household. Each of her sisters have a unique personality, her grandmother is guaranteed to elicit some giggles with her outrageous antics, then there's Sparrow herself, who you can't help but root for as she tries to navigate her way through high school while hiding the fact that she can see & speak to ghosts.
I would highly recommend this book if you're looking for a little escape one afternoon. It would probably be perfect for a lazy afternoon in October. I just wish it was the start of a series, but sadly it does not have a sequel.
December 26, 2017
Harper, Suzanne The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney, 362 p. Greenwillow (Harper), 2007.
All of the women in Sparrow's family have the gift of receiving messages from spirits. Sparrow has the quadruple whammy of every gift possible for a spiritualist - but no one in her family knows it, because she has been hiding her talents since she saw her first ghost at the age of five. Now she has been found by a ghost she cannot ignore. The only way she can get her message across is by revealing her talents to the world.
Fabulous, fun and wonderful to read.
MS - ESSENTIAL
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2007/...
All of the women in Sparrow's family have the gift of receiving messages from spirits. Sparrow has the quadruple whammy of every gift possible for a spiritualist - but no one in her family knows it, because she has been hiding her talents since she saw her first ghost at the age of five. Now she has been found by a ghost she cannot ignore. The only way she can get her message across is by revealing her talents to the world.
Fabulous, fun and wonderful to read.
MS - ESSENTIAL
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2007/...
October 6, 2019
This is the next book chosen by Kales on Novel Predictions, so not something I would have read otherwise. It’s about a young girl, who is about to start high school at a new school and intending to hide her family background of talking to ghosts. This starts to go awry very quickly as a ghost starts visiting her at the school, keen to get her to resolve the manner of his death for his family. It’s a very light story, fun and amusing - and it’s about horrible tragedy, untimely death and familial grief. So, a bit of a disconnect between tone and content, in my view. I enjoyed it, and it has a very sweet ending, but I felt it could have had a bit more emotional depth.
October 27, 2019
I picked it up randomly at my school library, it seemed alright. I started reading and from the first page, it was great. I really, really liked it, just the right concept, balance and combination of... Well, everything!
March 3, 2022
I was on the hunt for this book all through middle school and all I could remember was that it had a Tarot card on the front and then I finally found it and it was perfect. I decided to read it again to see if it was as great as I remember and it was❤️
January 3, 2019
Fun read, can't believe there is not a sequel. It seemed that it was set up to be a sequel.
January 6, 2020
Love it. Easy to ready and Sparrow's family is really interesting.
March 15, 2022
I loved this book! It is definitely for more middle school ages but I didn’t even care. I absolutely adored the plot and especially the ending.
April 23, 2023
3 or 4 , I couldn't decide.
January 31, 2025
qoot!
August 4, 2025
Catholics shouldn't read this book since it dabbled in divination and witchcraft.
March 20, 2013
This review and others are found at my blog at:
http://brensbookstoread.blogspot.com/
Sparrow Delaney comes from a family of mediums, people able to see or otherwise communicate with ghosts of those departed. Not only that, but she is also the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, destined to have strong psychic abilities. Her entire family (6 sisters, mother and grandmother) are anxiously awaiting the day she first communes with the spirits.
But she wants NOTHING to do with ghosts. Ever since she was 5 years old, she has seen them. She can talk to them, see them and even smell them. But she does NOT want to be known as a psychic. She only wants to be a normal teen, have normal friends and be accepted by the rest of the world. If she sees a ghost, she has perfected the art of ignoring them until they go away. She even jumped at the chance to go to a normal school instead of the local one with all the psychic kids.
First day at the new school, Sparrow feels like things are going well. She's made a new friend, found her locker without any issue and is even one time to classes. There is even a cute boy, Jack, in her history class. But a really annoying kid is sitting behind Jack, flicking his ear. Why isn't the teacher stopping it? Then the annoying kid winks at Sparrow and disappears. It had been a ghost!
Sparrow is caught up in the mystery of this ghost, Luke, and what happened to him. When she gets assigned a project with Jack, it gives her a chance to investigate what happened to Luke, how they are connected and how she can help. But is Sparrow brave enough to acknowledge her powers?
I really enjoyed reading this book a lot! Yes it is a ghost story, but Sparrow goes through a lot of growth and self discovery through the course of the book. The book is really about her learning to accept herself, her abilities and learn not to fear or mistrust them.
I would recommend this to mostly girls, but occasionally boys. Good book, even if it's not spectacular. Humorous moments, lots of irony, and overall, fun to read. No inappropriate language or anything else. Pretty good book!
http://brensbookstoread.blogspot.com/
Sparrow Delaney comes from a family of mediums, people able to see or otherwise communicate with ghosts of those departed. Not only that, but she is also the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, destined to have strong psychic abilities. Her entire family (6 sisters, mother and grandmother) are anxiously awaiting the day she first communes with the spirits.
But she wants NOTHING to do with ghosts. Ever since she was 5 years old, she has seen them. She can talk to them, see them and even smell them. But she does NOT want to be known as a psychic. She only wants to be a normal teen, have normal friends and be accepted by the rest of the world. If she sees a ghost, she has perfected the art of ignoring them until they go away. She even jumped at the chance to go to a normal school instead of the local one with all the psychic kids.
First day at the new school, Sparrow feels like things are going well. She's made a new friend, found her locker without any issue and is even one time to classes. There is even a cute boy, Jack, in her history class. But a really annoying kid is sitting behind Jack, flicking his ear. Why isn't the teacher stopping it? Then the annoying kid winks at Sparrow and disappears. It had been a ghost!
Sparrow is caught up in the mystery of this ghost, Luke, and what happened to him. When she gets assigned a project with Jack, it gives her a chance to investigate what happened to Luke, how they are connected and how she can help. But is Sparrow brave enough to acknowledge her powers?
I really enjoyed reading this book a lot! Yes it is a ghost story, but Sparrow goes through a lot of growth and self discovery through the course of the book. The book is really about her learning to accept herself, her abilities and learn not to fear or mistrust them.
I would recommend this to mostly girls, but occasionally boys. Good book, even if it's not spectacular. Humorous moments, lots of irony, and overall, fun to read. No inappropriate language or anything else. Pretty good book!
February 10, 2017
This was just pure fun to read. Sparrow Delaney is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. As such, she is special. So special that she not only senses the presence of spirits, she also sees them, hears them, and even smells them. However, since the age of five, she has been hiding these talents from her eccentric family of six sisters, mother, and grandmother, who all have similar, lesser, talents. She has also been hiding from the ghosts themselves. Almost everyone in her tiny community of Lily Dale, New York, makes a living in some way through delivering messages from the dead to the living, and Sparrow has no intention of joining their ranks. Since she is very stubborn, and has developed techniques for ignoring the ghosts, this has worked -- until she starts high school. There, she meets a new boy haunted by a teen ghost. Both boy and ghost are cute, of course, and the ghost may just be more stubborn than she is. He tells her that he has a message that has to be delivered and that she has to be the one to deliver it. The ensuing battle of wills is a blast to read about mostly because of the sarcastic dialog between Sparrow and Luke, but also because of the tricky way Luke reveals bit-by-bit why it is so important for him to communicate with his family. An Author’s Note explains that Lily Dale is a real place and tells readers how to find further information if interested.
February 1, 2016
Sparrow is 15 and is going into tenth grade at a new high school. She also has six older sisters. She is also the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.
Her mother, sisters, etc. are psychics and mediums, and they all expect her to be too. She hides the fact that she, too, has considerable powers. She also has three ghosts that serve as spirit guides, and one of them tells her she has four psychic abilities and is quite gifted.
Of course, ghosts being around all the time, wanting you to help them, can be a drain on a person, especially when they just want to get some sleep. The spirit guides want her to be a medium, and she doesn't want to be one. She doesn't want anyone else knowing she can see spirits, either.
It's a situation that would have kept up expect for one ghost, Luke, who really wanted Sparrow to do something for him. Sparrow is stubborn. Luke is stubborn. It's the “immovable object” and “irresistible force” thing, and it goes on for a while in a delightful manner.
Luke has something that he needs Sparrow to do for him. It's something that can help Luke move on to the “other side” and that also help his brother, but, to help him, Sparrow would have to reveal her abilities. Doing that could cost her all her friends, even brand her as a freak at school. As it turns out, doing that could even cost Sparrow her life.
This is an absolutely wonderful book; one of the kind that you want to just keep reading and reading until you're done. It's based on Lilydale, the center for Spiritualism, mediums, readings, and other spiritual matters. It concerns people who have real abilities to contact those who have passed on (or, at least claim to have those abilities, as skeptics would say). This story, though, deals with someone who has abilities but doesn't want to use them and thus expose herself to ridicule and social isolation.
The story also has a wonderful sense of humor in it. In addition, it really has a nice romantic theme to it, too. This is just a really great, wonderful read, one of the best young adult novels I have read.
Her mother, sisters, etc. are psychics and mediums, and they all expect her to be too. She hides the fact that she, too, has considerable powers. She also has three ghosts that serve as spirit guides, and one of them tells her she has four psychic abilities and is quite gifted.
Of course, ghosts being around all the time, wanting you to help them, can be a drain on a person, especially when they just want to get some sleep. The spirit guides want her to be a medium, and she doesn't want to be one. She doesn't want anyone else knowing she can see spirits, either.
It's a situation that would have kept up expect for one ghost, Luke, who really wanted Sparrow to do something for him. Sparrow is stubborn. Luke is stubborn. It's the “immovable object” and “irresistible force” thing, and it goes on for a while in a delightful manner.
Luke has something that he needs Sparrow to do for him. It's something that can help Luke move on to the “other side” and that also help his brother, but, to help him, Sparrow would have to reveal her abilities. Doing that could cost her all her friends, even brand her as a freak at school. As it turns out, doing that could even cost Sparrow her life.
This is an absolutely wonderful book; one of the kind that you want to just keep reading and reading until you're done. It's based on Lilydale, the center for Spiritualism, mediums, readings, and other spiritual matters. It concerns people who have real abilities to contact those who have passed on (or, at least claim to have those abilities, as skeptics would say). This story, though, deals with someone who has abilities but doesn't want to use them and thus expose herself to ridicule and social isolation.
The story also has a wonderful sense of humor in it. In addition, it really has a nice romantic theme to it, too. This is just a really great, wonderful read, one of the best young adult novels I have read.
March 16, 2013
Sparrow Delaney is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Family lore has it that Sparrow should have a great deal of talent--but not just any talent. The family gift is that of communication with those who have Passed On. In other words, they all talk to dead people.
Everyone but Sparrow, that is. Well, that's what Sparrow wants them to think. She's been seeing, hearing, and smelling ghosts since she was five years old. The family medium business is not her thing, and she doesn't want to be dragged in to it. When she's given the chance to attend a new high school where nobody knows her, she signs up. It's the first time in her life where she can play the part of a normal kid... until the ghost of a teen boy starts to haunt her.
Sparrow is faced with the toughest choices of her life. Real life teens will relate to the pressures to fit in. At what point is "normalcy" better than embracing who you are? For Sparrow, it is the choice whether to give up the pretense of not being a medium. For the girl down the block, it could be the choice of being "normal" or indulging a passion that may not meet her peers' standards of "cool."
Harper's writing is fresh and fun. Although Sparrow comes off as whiny and selfish at times, her background compensates for most of it. This novel was so fun that I finished it in half a day. There were some loose ends, but I feel there is room for a series in which said ends could be addressed. There should be a series starring Sparrow's family: Grandma Bee, Mother, and six sisters with bird names (Oriole, Raven, Wren, Dove, and the twins Lark and Linnet) are great characters. They range from eccentric to, well, eccentric.
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney is a fun read for girls everywhere.
4.5-Books
*****
The reviewer may have received a free copy of this novel from the publisher, author, or other representative in this book’s interest. This has no impact on the quality or consideration of the review.
Everyone but Sparrow, that is. Well, that's what Sparrow wants them to think. She's been seeing, hearing, and smelling ghosts since she was five years old. The family medium business is not her thing, and she doesn't want to be dragged in to it. When she's given the chance to attend a new high school where nobody knows her, she signs up. It's the first time in her life where she can play the part of a normal kid... until the ghost of a teen boy starts to haunt her.
Sparrow is faced with the toughest choices of her life. Real life teens will relate to the pressures to fit in. At what point is "normalcy" better than embracing who you are? For Sparrow, it is the choice whether to give up the pretense of not being a medium. For the girl down the block, it could be the choice of being "normal" or indulging a passion that may not meet her peers' standards of "cool."
Harper's writing is fresh and fun. Although Sparrow comes off as whiny and selfish at times, her background compensates for most of it. This novel was so fun that I finished it in half a day. There were some loose ends, but I feel there is room for a series in which said ends could be addressed. There should be a series starring Sparrow's family: Grandma Bee, Mother, and six sisters with bird names (Oriole, Raven, Wren, Dove, and the twins Lark and Linnet) are great characters. They range from eccentric to, well, eccentric.
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney is a fun read for girls everywhere.
4.5-Books
*****
The reviewer may have received a free copy of this novel from the publisher, author, or other representative in this book’s interest. This has no impact on the quality or consideration of the review.
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