I remember liking this when I was younger (perhaps because I had an unhealthy interest in ghosts and scary things...). Now, this story simply seems unnecessarily harsh and inexplicably not like most historical fiction novels. I'm sure other people have already mentioned this, but the creepy ghost girl was not necessary in the story and simply serves to make everything else seem rather unrealistic.

Either way, I think everyone who has read this book can agree that Behind the Masks is the strangest (by far) of the Dear America series. I myself wouldn't recommend this book anymore, but it's worth a try if you're set on reading it. :) Still, the other Dear America books are certainly worth reading.

Content warnings: Mentions of brothels, gun fights, mining accidents, dead bodies, "curves" on a woman, blood and bleeding, drowning, and the 601 vigilantes. In one scene, a tiny ghost girl is seen drowning in a puddle. Even though this serves as a plot point, the scene may be quite disturbing to younger readers. I will elaborate more on this later.

Full review to come. ( )

Odd story, but I was able to imagine living in Bodie in 1880. ( )

PSC REVIEW: The newest addition to the Dear America series doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects. Author Susan Patron returns to the California desert (Higher Power of Lucky) for this story about Angeline Reddy of Bodie in 1880. It opens with Angeline and her mother receiving word that her father has been killed. Angeline discovers this isn’t true when she sneaks into the mortuary and discovers another man in her father’s casket. The complex story includes the former brothel employee now married to the town butcher, a Chinese girl who finds Brodie residents hostile, and the vigilantes who threaten to take over the town so it’s run their way “the decent white” way. Patron writes in Victorian speech, so the characters may seem a little stilted to today’s readers but it is an authentic voice. This book may be to challenging for many Dear America readers, but the honesty of frontier life will be appreciated by more mature readers. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

I selected this book for two reasons, historical fiction is my favorite genre, and I have visited Bodie, California. The use of diary entries to tell the story, and the amount of historical detail included made it almost believable. The eerie description of the ghost encounters were extremely detailed and spooky. I could picture the scene each time. The reader of the story added to my enjoyment of the book. ( )