The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, the companion to Sheila Turnage's Newbery honor–winning Three Times Lucky, may even top its predecessor.
We join Miss Moses (Mo) LoBeau, chief investigator of the Desperado Detective Agency, and her co-founder and best friend, Dale, just a few months after the conclusion of the previous novel. When sixth-grade teacher Miss Retzyl tells her students to interview a town elder as part of the 250th anniversary celebration of Tupelo Landing, Mo and Dale select the oldest town resident, whom they believe will guarantee them an A. They set out to identify and interview a ghost in the Tupelo Inn, which Miss Lana accidentally purchased at a town auction. Along the way, they form surprising friendships and allegiances with a local moonshine maker and relatives of all sorts (related or not), among others.
Turnage gives just enough context for those who have not yet read Three Times Lucky to root them in the story, while not insulting the intelligence of those who already have. Whether or not this is readers' first visit to Tupelo Landing, they will be charmed by the Southern storytelling and be drawn into a tale of mystery, friendship, ghosts and community--past and present. The plot brims with delightful twists and turns, but it is the language that escalates the storytelling. Turnage knows how to turn a phrase, and uses similes both to keep up the witty pace and to substantiate the cast of characters with all their eccentricities. --Susannah Richards, associate professor, Eastern Connecticut State University