Sixth grade isn’t easy for Jesenya Moradi, especially since her father’s recent remarriage and tension with her new stepsister, Kammy. After an incident at school that nearly destroyed Kammy’s life, Jess has been desperate to get on Kammy’s good side. But a fateful trip to an allegedly haunted bathroom changes both girls’ lives forever.

The rumors about the bathroom are true, and now Jess is convinced a demon’s possessing Kammy. Eerie things happen whenever she’s around – flying objects, flickering lights, not to mention the fact that something, or someone, is making people into its puppets.

Worse, the demon seems fixated on making Jess confess her part in ruining Kammy’s reputation. Sticking to her Muslim faith, Jess enlists the help of an imam to exorcise the demon from Kammy. But can they get rid of the demon before it destroys her new family? 

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Jess and Kammy have been stepsisters for a short time, but they’ve known each other from school for quite a while. There are, of course, emotions that are important for the girls to deal with. That’s what this story is about in part. I think if the author had stuck with that, this could have been an excellent book.

There’s a paranormal side to the story involving a demon in a haunted bathroom possessing one of the stepsisters. That part of the book wasn’t believable and seemed poorly researched. Knowing middle grade readers, many of them would roll their eyes and go on to the next book.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure that the targeted audience would like The Haunted Stepsister, which is too bad because it does teach that lying hurts everyone, especially the liar.

About the Author

I was born in New York City and I presently call Miami my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, I found my niche writing for young people. Today I’m a writer for all age levels published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, I’m a public school teacher. My memberships include Mensa and SCBWI.

Website http://medeiasharif.com
Twitter medeiasharif