Breathe a Ghost Story.

My ten-year-old daughter and I read this book together. She proclaimed "Breathe" an awesome book and raved to all her friends and teachers alike. Once we had started reading this book we could not stop until forced to go to bed. It was suspenseful, well written and full of descriptive language. The author made you feel for each of the characters, even the ghost mother, who we found ourselves loathing yet pitying at times. Be warned, for sensitive readers some parts may be too intense. This is a ghost story, so be prepared to be a little frightened. There are references to death and a nether world called the Nightmare Passage which is a pretty spooky place. We would recommend this book to older children and adults who like suspense and a book that is nearly impossible to put down.

Breathe, a ghost story, by McNish is one of the few books I've read that has really caught my attention. I was interested in the book from the first page to the last. One of the things that the author did a great job on was the suspense he added throughout the story. For examples the ghost mother got inside Sarah, how jacks asthma attacks almost killed him multiple times, how he had contact with the other side, and so many other problems. All the main parts of the story lead up to one and another. I also liked that he could add such an evil character such as the ghost mother, and still make us connect with her. I feel like i connected with all the characters, and now that it is over, i feel i want more. Overall , this book was great and i would suggest it to all age groups.

McNish has pulled off an amazing feat: he's combined ghosts, an asthmatic youth, a single-parent family, 19th century poverty and much more into one coherent, creepy story. It's got a Shirley Jackson feel in that you're never quite sure if certain characters are good or bad, if there will be a happy ending (and if it were happy, what "happy" would be). The story is sophisticated and complicated but the subject matter would still be ok for those advanced readers who are still too young for Young Adult books. Very satisfying.