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Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump
Carole P. Roman, author
Susannah Maya Logan is not having a good day. She doesn't want to go to her best friend, Lola's sleepover. Susannah thinks the house is big and spooky, not to mention the ghost that is said to live there. Lola's big brother, Kai, loves to tease Susannah with scary stories. Throughout her day, she sees people deal with things that scare them. Her sight-impaired friend, Macy, is terrified of unicorns, of all things. She sees a boy at a party who's frightened of clowns. Her teacher is afraid of getting a cold. Susannah realizes everybody is scared of something. She wishes she was more like Lola, who is not afraid of anything, or so it seems. Susannah discovers people have different ideas of what is scary and what is not, and only they can determine the difference. Join Susannah as she learns to confront her fears and not let her imagination prevent her from having fun.
Reviews
This second book in Roman’s Oh Susannah series, after It’s in the Bag, finds almost-eight-year-old Susannah Maya Logan nervous to accept an invitation to a friend’s sleepover: she believes Lola’s house is haunted. During 10 short chapters that gradually build toward the sleepover itself, Susannah struggles with her many anxieties and fears while also noticing them in others. Susannah’s literal interpretations of teachers’ comments cause her some confusion (she can’t understand what her teacher is scared of when the woman announces, “I’m afraid I’ve caught a cold”), but she rethinks her own fear of the dark with some help from a blind girl named Macy during a charity event. It’s a quiet, slow-paced story but one that should give nervous readers new perspective on their insecurities. Ages 7–10. (BookLife)
