Ellen Potter

Olivia Kidney
by Ellen Potter
Recommended Age: 10+

Olivia is a lonely girl. Her father is an apartment building superintendent, but not a very good one. Consequently, they move a lot. The latest move is to a high-rise building where some of the residents are distinctly weird, some of them shockingly unpleasant. But some of the people Olivia meets are, just as surprisingly, good company. They show her that she has a gift she never dreamed of... and they help her to let go of a loss she has not accepted.

More than that I dare not tell you, for fear of spoiling the story for you. All right, I’ll give you a hint. Which of the following do you suppose Olivia meets in her apartment building? (A) A ghost. (B) A deadly pirate. (C) A woman who lives in a glass apartment, for fear of her enemies. (D) A woman whose whistling turns everyone who hears it into her slave. (E) A real, live spirit medium. (F) A talking lizard. (G) All of the above.

Just guess. Gee! It’s not hard!

EDIT: I may have neglected to mention that this story is touching, spooky, funny, and exciting in turn. I certainly neglected to mention that this was the first book in a series, which continues in Olivia Kidney Stops for No One [a.k.a. Olivia Kidney and the Exit Academy], Olivia Kidney Hot on the Trail, and Olivia Kidney and the Secret Beneath the City. Potter's other work includes a novel titled Pish Posh.