Jilly's Ghost, by Dian Curtis Regan
Young Adult, 1990
This isn't exactly a classic....but there's a good story to go with how I discovered this book. My parents went out of town when I was about 9 or 10 and came back with this book in paperback, personally signed by Dian. However, since I had nightmares almost nightly (and it has Ghost in the title...) and it's about teenagers, they set it up on the top shelf in their closet where I ignored it, realizing myself I wasn't ready for it. A few years later, when I was about 13, I decided to try it out. It was one of my first reads that had romance in it (beyond subtle hints that no 10 year old could find), and a ghost that wasn't scary at all.
Jilly has lived in the same house since she was born, where she has grown up comfortable with a ghost in the backyard, and her best friend, Amanda. When her creepy Trekkie-type neighbor moves in and tries to uncover the truth behind the ghost, she's forced to make some decisions about what she wants to keep secret. Uncovering hidden letters in her family's tool shed, she finds more about her ghost, which includes a forbidden and thwarted romance. While doing all this sleuthing, she may find romance herself...if he isn't just out for a good story of his own.
While there are some obvious 80s/90s cliches in here with a healthy dose of blue eyeliner, I think anyone who grew up in that era might appreciate the nuances. The story is simple, and the romance decent, although fast. Not something I'm going to read over and over, but decent enough to grade a B.
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