the headless cupid by zilpha keatley snyder

Zilpha Keatley Snyder was an American writer who had an almost inexhaustible writing career. Now I'm hoping Zilpha Keatley Snyder's ghost shows up, too. Probably.Īll I know is that I am in that same weird position again.

Was this because Shirley Jackson's work leaned toward the supernatural? I don't know. No, more specifically: I wanted to hang out with her ghost. Let me clarify: I did not wish to raise her from the dead and sit with her, and learn from her (a natural feeling I have, with several beloved authors). The Stanley family and AmandaÂ have also been featured in The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case, Blair’s Nightmare and Janie’s Private Eyes if you want to read about more of their adventures.When I discovered Shirley Jackson's work, a few years back, I had the unique experience of wanting to find her ghost somewhere and coax her back to my house for visits.

The “occult” Amanda studies is really a bunch of hocus pocus.Â Â It’s an interesting contrast to Blair, the cherubic twin, who can talk to animals and ghosts but doesn’t say muchÂ to people.Â This was an enjoyable and fast read.

Usually the parental figures in young adult books are nonexistent or swept aside so it was a pleasant surprise to have two of them make several appearances throughout the book.Â David is close to his father and really likes having Molly as a parent though it took a while for him to get used to the idea.Â I think the book realistically deals with a child’s feelings about remarriage. This book is at least twenty years old but still reads well.Â The parents are mostly absent but they are always there for family meals.Â The father has a long commute to the university and ends up going out of town for three weeks.Â The stepmother is an artist who uses one of the rooms as her studio.Â It’s obvious the parents care for all of the children and that Amanda is acting out.Â She’s unhappy that she needs to go to a new school, has a new family, is living in a new house and that her biological father is too busy for her.Â This was another book I decided to read during Banned Books Week.Â I began reading itÂ yesterday and finished it up today which is why the review is up a day after the week ended.ĭavid Stanley’s mother has been dead for a year when his father remarries.Â David’s been in charge of his younger brother (Blair) and sisters (Janie and Esther).Â When his twelve-year-old stepsister, who claims to be a student of the occult, comes to live with the Stanley family, odd things begin to happen around the house.Â David thinks his stepsister is behind it all but the last event leaves him wondering if a poltergeist really has come back to haunt the house.

The headless cupid by zilpha keatley snyder