One for Sorrow: A Ghost Story

Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon, succumbing to peer pressure, Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie. Elsie dies from influenza, but then she returns to reclaim Annie’s friendship and punish all the girls who bullied her. Young readers who revel in spooky stories will relish this chilling tale of a girl haunted by a vengeful ghost.

But what happens when your worst enemy is also your only friend—even after she’s dead?

• A Chilling Historical Setting: Step back to 1918, a time of war and a terrifying influenza epidemic, where fear is a part of daily life even before the haunting begins.
• A Toxic Friendship: New girl Annie is desperate for a friend, but being chosen by Elsie—a tattletale and a liar—is a friendship that feels more like a trap.
• Friendship and Betrayal: When Annie abandons Elsie to join the popular girls in tormenting her, she makes a choice that will come back to haunt her, literally.
• A Haunting Ghost Story: After Elsie dies, she returns as a vengeful ghost, determined to reclaim Annie’s friendship and punish every girl who wronged her.

"Hahn’s story is characteristically steeped in eerie atmosphere, and the novel’s blend of historical drama, the supernatural, and the intricacies of adolescent friendship is a gripping combination." - Publishers Weekly

"Hahn is a veteran author who clearly knows her apples about writing ghost stories, as this, her latest inventive page-turner, evidences... Shivers aplenty, but also genuine emotion that will invite empathy." - Booklist

 "Another historical and chilling success." - Kirkus Reviews

"Another solid addition to Hahn’s oeuvre, this would also make a spine-chilling pair with Cohen’s The Doll’s Eye." - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books