Title: Stuck
Author: Becky Mushko
Publisher: Cedar Creek Publishing
Format: PDF
Source: Author
To Purchase: Amazon
Book Description: A paranormal novel in which an
eleven-year-old girl-stuck in grief over her mother's death-helps a ghost who's
stuck on earth until she finds her daughter.
Review: Becky Mushko’s
Stuck touches the heart.
When eleven-year-old
Jacie’s mother dies, her entire world comes crashing down. She’s stuck with the
class bully at horse camp. She’s stuck in grief. Then, she’s stuck in her anger
over her dad remarrying a former high school girlfriend. When she meets a ghost
who is also stuck, she learns how to get everyone unstuck.
Stuck follows Jacie’s progress through the stages of grief and
growing up. At times, this novel brought tears to my eyes. Other times, I
laughed and smiled, especially at the twins’ antics. Death features greatly,
but it is more something to be sad about, a little mad, but not something to
fear. Mushko’s knowledge about horses shines through as well as rural farm
life. The characters are endearing, especially Jacie and her soon-to-be
step-mother Liz. The glimpse of the paranormal and mystery is light and moving.
Stuck is a fast-paced middle grade
novel and invokes a great lesson of how to be unstuck in a bad situation.
Stuck by Becky Mushko delights in this emotional tale of grief,
hope, and love. It may have been written with middle graders in mind, but
anyone can find something to enjoy.
