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Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine
Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2007

Teenager, Lucas Swain is just like any ordinary boy of his age, a little shy, interested in girls and spending the odd night away from home with friends.

But once he meets Violet Park by accident, in the middle of the night, his every waking moment is overshadowed by her spiritual presence. This was an encounter with a difference. Violet Park was old, she was dead and she was in a box on a shelf.

When Lucas manages to gain possession of her urn of ashes from the nearby cab office he is convinced that Violet is desperately trying to communicate with him from beyond the grave. The more he feels her influence, the more he is drawn into discovering his true identity and the mystery that surrounds the disappearance of his father. The voyage of self-discovery that he embarks on and over which he has little control, forces him to let go of his idealistic fantasy about his missing father and face what actually happened to him.

Finding Violet Park is a great read for teenagers. Jenny Valentine’s first book will draw the reader in by its great storyline, by its well-developed characters and their very realistic family relationships. There’s something for everyone in this story that could be described by what’s known in the trade, as a cross-over book, which appeals equally to teenagers and adults.