I really enjoyed this series of books. The characters are memorable, sometimes relatable and often hilarious. And I very much enjoy the format that these were all written in. This family definitely has a talent for writing. ( )

Another swell one from Jaclyn Moriarty. One of the things I liked most about this last book in the Ashbury High series (I think it's the last, which makes me sad), is that we got a sense of the teachers through their own letters/notes/documents, and not just through the eyes of the students. I always liked Mr. Botherit, but it was mostly because his name made me laugh. Now I can add him to the list of characters that I love from this series.

Amongst all the silliness and windingly crazy plotlines of these books, there's something very real about these characters. They act like high school kids. They're silly, brilliant, emotional, and often make horrible decisions. I also like Moriarty's inclusion of adults in these books. They're characters rather than props, which is not always the case in young adult novels.

She was very clever, keeping the reader guessing at what the real ghost story might be. As always, I had an inkling that there was more to the story, but didn't come close to figuring it out. I wondered until the end what the point of Toby's writing as Tom was, and I started getting bored by these segments. By the end, I saw why she had written them. I still say those were the least interesting parts for me, and there could have been less of them without wrecking the overall effect.

I highly recommend this series. Books 2 and 3 are still my favorites, but they're all well worth reading. ( )

I have loved this series so much and wish it could continue into university. It's interesting because I have read the books as I went through high school and read them somewhat close to the year that I was in so in a sense I was growing up with the characters. The tone of some of the essays seems ridiculous to me, but when I think back to what I used to write, it's actually not too far from the truth sometimes. For year 11 I wrote an imaginative for the Enlightenment period which featured the sentence "The neo-classical lines of the hedges calmed her" which could definitely fit in with the Ashbury essays in terms of "let's fit as many references to the time frame as possible, who cares if it sounds ludicrous". Although sometimes the ridiculous tone of the essays went a bit far but hey it's fiction! ( )

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Although Jaclyn Moriarty’s young adult novel “The Ghosts of Ashbury High” is the fourth installment in the Ashbury/Brookfield series, it also works great as a stand-alone. In the final year of high school, Amelia and Riley, a mysterious couple, transfer to Ashbury High and soon become an obsession of their curious classmates: Who are they? Where are they from? What do they want? But Amelia and Riley is not the only mystery at Ashbury High this year. Emily, a girl from the popular best friend trio, is convinced that the Art Rooms are haunted, while another student, Toby, is fascinated by a ghost from the past: the letters of an Irish convict who was banished to Australia in 1800s. Gossip, romance, mystery, history, Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams… The final year at Ashbury High is everything but boring.

THUMBS UP:

1) Exceptionally executed multiple viewpoint approach.
The whole book is written in the format of essays, exams, emails, blogs, letters, meeting minutes and interview transcripts. Such a format is not only unusual and very engaging but also well-thought-out and skillfully presented. In addition, everything is written by multiple people, each of whom has a very distinctive voice and provides a unique angle to the same story. Well done!

2) Mysterious, unexpected and neatly wrapped up.
Since a majority of the story is told through students’ memoirs with gothic fiction elements (HSC English exam question), the vibe is ghostly and mysterious. To be honest, at first I felt perplexed: the book just seemed so… weird. Soon enough, however, things started looking more earthly and also quite interesting. Yet the best part was a completely unexpected, well-thought-out and fulfilling (but still slightly strange) ending. One can argue that the end was a little bit “too neat” as EVERY single mystery was revealed and explained and EVERYTHING turned out to be related, but in this case I did not see it as a flaw. I actually liked it.

3) Light and witty with a hint of seriousness.
Some characters in “The Ghosts of Ashbury High” are lovable and amusing, some are mysterious and intimidating, some are silly and even annoying, but they also are realistic, complex, memorable and, above all, relatable. The narrative is lively and hilarious so that all 500 pages fly by unnoticed (or most of them do); however, by the end of the book you realize that the author not only entertains but also probes quite a few serious issues that reach way beyond high school life.

COULD BE BETTER:

1) Lengthy.
In addition to quite a weird and slow beginning, some later parts feel a little bit prolonged too. Even though in retrospective everything seems relevant and important, certain passages can be quite discouraging. For example, I was’t very fond of Irish convict’s letters but I LOVED the rest of Toby’s narrative, especially his retelling of Australian and Irish history - hilarious yet so educational! Plus, the ending makes it all worth it (though again, it might be a few correspondences too long).

2) Format credibility.
Although the idea of a story told in a form of gothic memoirs written during HSC English exam sounds unique and appealing, it is very unlikely that 4-hour exam essays would be THAT long or that students would write in such an informal style. But, honestly, it’s just nit-picking.

VERDICT: 4 out of 5

“The Ghosts of Ashbury High” is an all-in-one multiple viewpoint young adult novel: light and funny, mysterious and serious, well-thought-out and equally well-written… It’s the first Moriarty’s book I’ve ever read but definitely not the last. ( )

Sorry about that, but this style of writing is simply not for me. Everyone else seems enamoured but apparently either I am incredibly old fashioned and out of it, or older than the target audience and more demanding of a cohesive, non-cobbled-together format.

I do admit however that for those who can tolerate the style, the story is interesting; and no doubt it takes a great deal of talent to write in this style.

All the same, I'd like to see the author write in a more conventional style. But then again, that's just me.