This Is Not a Ghost Story

Description

Nothing is as it seems in this chilling, twisting tale by bestselling author Andrea Portes, perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux and Danielle Vega. Rife with dark humor and chilling twists, This Is Not a Ghost Story is American Horror Story meets There's Someone Inside Your House. It will have readers flipping back to the very first page after the shocking finale. I am not welcome. Somehow I know that. Something doesn't want me here. Daffodil Franklin has plans for a quiet summer before her freshman year at college, and luckily, she's found the job that can give her just that: housesitting a mansion for a wealthy couple. But as the summer progresses and shadows lengthen, Daffodil comes to realize the house is more than it appears. The spacious home seems to close in on her, and as she takes the long road into town, she feels eyes on her the entire way, and something tugging her back. What Daffodil doesn't yet realize is that her job comes with a steep price. The house has a long-ago grudge it needs to settle . . . and Daffodil is the key to settling it.

Andrea Portes is the bestselling novelist of the critically lauded adult novel, Hick. The book was her debut and has since been made into a feature film starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Alec Baldwin, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, and Juliette Lewis. Bury This, her second novel, was published in January 2014 by Soft Skull Press. Anatomy of a Misfit is her third novel, and her first for young adult readers.Andrea grew up shuffled around between such disparate locales as Nebraska, Brasilia, Texas, Rio de Janiero, Baltimore, North Dakota, California, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Finally, Andrea was granted relief from this nomadic existence when she was accepted to Bryn Mawr College. She attended on full scholarship and later graduated cum laude, with a major in English literature. She then earned her master's in fine arts degree from UC San Diego.After her relentless education, Andrea moved to the neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles, where she spent years mostly getting into trouble. It was in this period of vague nothingness that Andrea penned her debut novel, in longhand in three notebooks. Currently, she lives in the neighborhood of Los Feliz, in Los Angeles.

"[Portes] tempers gruesome scenes with Daffodil's likable and chatty personality, and creates a memorable novel reminiscent of John Bellairs stories." - Publishers Weekly "The chills here are on par with The Shining. Readers [will] know to be very, very afraid." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "For all that the title claims, something spooky is happening in this house. This is a horror book that pokes fun at itself and the genre, managing to be both spooky and funny...[with] an interesting twist at the end." - School Library Journal Praise for ANATOMY OF A MISFIT: “It's rare that a book can be as funny and absolutely delightful as it is moving and thought provoking, and Anatomy of a Misfit is both." - Lauren Oliver, author of Before I Fall "A self-deprecating and highly memorable heroine whose bawdy, laceratingly funny narration makes her instantly endearing while also revealing her flaws, uncertainties, and ethical quandaries." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A romance filled with seriously funny dark humor and tragedy." - Kirkus Reviews "Anika's droll voice shines, and her emotions are palpable. After a heartbreaking tragedy, Anika's ending . . . will leave readers cheering." - School Library Journal "Fifteen-year-old Anika Dragomir throws her arms around us and draws us in from the very beginning... Droll, intimate, often laugh-out-loud funny narration carries the reader through more than 300 pages... Anika's winning voice may just be the star of Portes's first young adult novel." - New York Times Book Review "Anika Dragomir is the funniest, snarkiest, most insightful misfit a reader could ever hope to meet. I laughed my way through Anatomy of a Misfit right up until the very end, when the book broke my heart into a million pieces. This is a beautiful, brave and powerful novel." - Melissa Kantor, author of Maybe One Day and The Breakup Bible PRAISE FOR ANDREA PORTES: < “Portes writes with such cool grace we almost forget to be astonished by her narrative's complexity." - Matthew Specktor, American Dream Machine "Portes's short chapters and staccato narration make for a quick and compulsive read." - Publishers Weekly "Andrea Portes writes with the tip of a knife, shape-shifting between characters and laying bare their darkest secrets." - Dylan Landis, Normal People Don't Live Like This