What do you do with a girl like Suee? You give her a mystery to solve. This time, hopefully not one dealing with a not-so-nice Shadow that wants to hurt you. Well, she doesn’t have a shadow this time (that I noticed anyway), but there are some really equally wonderfully wacky and weird things that happen in Suee and the Shadow V02 Suee and the Strange White Light by Ginger Ly and illustrator Molly Park.
Like many series for me, I wish I had read volumes one and two closer together or read book one again. While I remembered Suee, I had forgotten a bit about her friends. And yet, in many ways you do not need to know volume one to understand two, but of course, it helps. This time around we have a more solid story (book one felt more “wispy” and focused on a more supernatural element almost from the start) with twists and turns that felt familiar. Therefore, it is both a new story, with a fresh take on the themes, but with some classic pieces (such as the mother is absent from Suee’s life, the idea of friendship, asking for help, the idea of needing “happy juice” to never feel the sad/bad stuff anymore) as well.
While reading, I actually forgot that this was the sequel to Suee and the Shadow because of the more realistic approach from the start. We still have magic and supernatural (slight spoiler, one character is several hundred years old and there might be a witch/witch-like character) but we are set in a mystery that could be Nancy Drew in the early 2000s (I never got a “now” feeling, but a “recent in the scheme of things” one). The characters are more “rounded” and the mystery mixed in with science and a bit of magic, gives it an “all readers” feeling. Some things might be a bit “intense” for a more sensitive/young reader, but good for most third graders and up (or strong 8-9/10 to (young) 14).
The story itself is that Suee will be staying home on her school break, while her friends will be vacationing. However, a mysterious letter arrives making Suee realize they must gather their friends and hunt down the clues. In the process they learn some strange things are happening: children are missing, cats are missing here, too (Suee’s clues take her to her old hometown, where she is staying with her aunt as her mother is away. Again.), and the grown ups are all addicted to television. And what is up with all the wonderfully bright, white lights replacing old ones from homes to the street lamps? And what does the kids’ school nurse have to do with anything and why is he popping up all over?
There is humor, mystery and supernatural. Know your reader as there are a couple little “spooky” parts or “funky” images. However, those images really set the tone by making what could be a serious, dark story into a more lighthearted adventure, but still keeping with the element of the supernatural. Colors and details are used to move things along, clues do hide within the images, and overall it is a clever, fun romp.