1. BibliographyCabot, Meg. 2000. The Mediator: Shadowlands. Avon Books: New York. ISBN 0-06-072511-7.
2. Summary
Suze feels different from other kids her age. That is because she is a mediator. She has a "gift" that enables her to see dead people and help them crossover. She doesn't feel blessed to have this ability. Because of this, Suze doesn't have much of a social life and not many friends. Unfortunately, her mother has remarried and they are moving from New York to California. Suze is happy for her mother, because she seems to really be happy for the first time since Suze's dad died. Suze has a chance to start over in a new place with brothers. However, when she moves into her new house she finds her room is inhabitated by a very good looking, young ghost. To make things even worse, there is the angry spirit of a young girl who has recently committed suicide and she is not happy with Suze. Suze finds herself in the position of trying to save lives and send spirits to the "other side" all the while trying to control her feelings for the dead guy who lives in her room. This is book 1 in the mediator series.
3. Impressions
I have read other books by Meg Cabot. I enjoyed the Princess Diary series, however I was really impressed by this book. I thought the premise sounded interesting, but this is an idea that has been overdone as of late. But the story was really good. The story of the young girl, jilted in love and committing suicide only to come back as an angry poltregeist bent on revenge made the story unique. The idea of a mediator is different also. Not only can Suze see dead people, she must help them in order for them to get where they are suppose to go (i.e. the afterlife). She is plagued with requests from the dead that she feels obligated to fulfill. She even has frequent visits from her dead father. All the while, her poor mother fears that she does not have enough friends or much of social life. If only she knew!
While I did enjoy the story, I was disappointed in the writing. It seemed very juvenile. Also, there was a point in the story where it seemed the author thought the story had gone on too long and just ended it. Suze was convinced that she needed to run for class Vice President. She doesn't have many friends and she has only been in the school for one week. She reluctantly agrees that she might do it and then the next day she is called and told congratulations, you won. She never ran and there was never an election. It just seemed the author stuck that in and then saw the story was running too long and left some parts out. I was confused at the end of the story.
I think that most young adults would enjoy this story, especially girls. This is another story that shows the power and strength that girls possess. It might seem a little creepy to some girls that Suze has feelings for a dead guy, but that really seems to fit with who she is. I really look forward to reading the rest of this series.
4. Reviews
These reviews taken from http://www.amazon.com/Shadowland-Mediator-Book-Meg-Cabot/dp/0060725117/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228188886&sr=1-2
From Publishers Weekly The inaugural installment of The Mediator series introduces high school sophomore Suze, who, in her words, has "this unfortunate ability to communicate with the dead." As a "mediator," the girl helps ghosts put unresolved issues to rest so they can move on to the next world. When her mother remarries, Suze moves from New York City to California, where she and her three stepbrothers attend a Catholic academy headed by a priest. Conveniently, the priest is also a mediator (the first of her kind that Suze has ever met). During the course of this rather repetitious and intermittently sluggish caper, Suze encounters two ghosts: a handsome young man from the 19th century who haunts her bedroom and a girl who was a student at the academy until she killed herself when Bryce, her boyfriend, broke up with her. As Suze attempts to protect Bryce from the angry apparition's wrath, the ghostly girl grows determined to get revenge on both her former beau and Suze. Suze finally resorts to an exorcism to get rid of her. As a narrator this teen is a bit too tough-talking and cocky to be credible. Still, the intriguing premise of a 16-year-old with a sixth sense may stand more than a ghost of a chance at snaring teen readers. Ages 14-up. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc
