The Mediator 1: Love You To Death

Meg Cabot does it again and produces an epic but humorous story with all the ingredients that provide a girly read. It's the best book I have ever read!

Meet Susannah Simon. She's a typical teenage girl who just happens to be a ghost-hunter...oh and she's also dead-over-heels for Jesse - the hottest spook ever! But can this girl get her ghost? In "Love You To Death" Suze arrives in california and has barely unpacked when her mediator skills are put to the test. A viscious spirit in her new school is hell-bent on making her life a complete nightmare but Suze is more than ready to kick some serious ghost butt if she has to.

Review

The book begins with Suze arriving in California to stay with her mum, stepdad and stepbrothers, David, Brad and Jake. However, her new home isn't that bad and her mum is definitely trying to make her feel at home since life is completely different compared to New York. It isn't long before Suze meets Jesse, a totally hot ghost who has been living in what is now Suze's bedroom for one hundred and fifty years after being killed there. Suze is totally overwhelmed by him but it's just too bad that he's dead. When Suze attends her first day at her new school she has already made new friends and found out that her ability to see and communicate with ghosts is shared with the school principal and priest Father Dominic. Suze is releieved to find out she isn't the only mediator around. What she doesn't know is her regular ghost encounters aren't over and it isn't until she hears about Bryce Martinson and the death of his girlfriend Heather, that she realises her mediator skills are definitely needed. Saving Bryce when the ghost of his girlfriend attempted to kill him wasn't exactly how Suze planned on making first impressions but news spreads and Suze is really popular. Even Bryce (the hottest guy in California) is interested in her and asks her out on a date! Unfortunately for Suze, when Heather purposefully sends a large crucifix down upon him, and Father Dom tries to save him, both end up in hospital and it's clear Suze is not going on any date. With Heather's powers and her want of revenge on Bryce becoming stronger, it's up to Suze to send Heather to where she belongs and restore peace. Surely she can't fail. Isn't kicking some ghost butt what she's best at?

An extract from the book I found particularly interesting was:

I gave her a hug. I'm as tall as she is, in my ankle boots. "Sure, Mom," I said. "Sure, I'll be happy here. I feel at home all ready."

"Really?" My mom was sniffling. "You swear?"
"I do." And I wasn't lying either. I mean, there's been ghosts in my bedroom back in Brooklyn all the time, too.

She went away and I shut the door quietly behind her. I waited until I couldn't hear her heels on the stairs any more, and then I turned around.

"All right," I said, to the prescence on the window seat. "Who the hell are you?"

A feature

My favourite character has to be Suze because I love the way she speaks like a teenager and is very strong minded. It's very humorous the way she deals with the ghosts she meets and her longing to go out on a date can be compared to reality. She's a great character and I am constantly enticed by her ghost busting methods.

I would give this book five stars because I absolutely loved it and it was hard to put down.

Click on this link to watch a youtube clip to give you a rough idea of the storyline and characters. (They aren't the real characters)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APULq8x9ySw