Totally fascinating story about a ghost (or is she a ghost?) forced to work out the mystery of her own existence. It kept me guessing, but at the same time it's not really about the answers, at least not factually.

The central story is about a family of sisters essentially raising themselves while their neglectful and abusive parents run a school. I have a feeling this might be somewhat autobiographical, but whatever the inspiration, the family is wonderfully idiosyncratic. The girls hate each other and love each other, and have no end of bad ideas. So many bad ideas, in fact, it's almost a miracle they're still alive. No doubt they've saved each others lives a lot.

What makes them even more real is that the book then skips some time so that we meet the girls again when they're older. They've developed in surprising ways, but are also the same as they ever were. The supernatural mystery turns out to explain some pretty serious adult problems. Again, this is something DWJ really has a gift for, creating characters who have lost something of themselves and grab at their chance to find it again.