The Forgotten Lore (Ellen Poe #1)

In this intriguing ghost novel by Peterfreund (In the Ballroom with the Candlestick), an alleged descendant of Edgar Allan Poe seeks to uncover more about her lineage. Though 16-year-old Ellen Poe Reynolds’s family claims to be ancestors of the poet, it’s not something that she likes to advertise. Following a move into her family’s failing Poe-themed B&B, Raven’s Rest, Ellen has been plagued by nightmares, which her aunt claims are visions of various Poe tales. At school, Ellen keeps her head down—until the arrival of new student Gus, who’s been haunting her dreams as a ghost. Things get even creepier when she discovers a mysterious coded journal tucked into her backpack and realizes that she’s being trailed by a vision of Poe himself. Suspecting that the journal contains the original works by Poe, the teen—aided by Gus as well as cryptic quips from her ancestor—resolves to decode the pages, certain that publicizing the stories could save Raven’s Rest from foreclosure. Peterfreund deploys clever puzzles and codes across rapidly paced chapters to relay fascinating insights about the writer’s history and individual works. The protagonists read as white. Ages 13–up. (Apr.)