Noel, Alyson. Whisper.

Noel, Alyson.     Whisper.    Macmillan/Square Fish   215p  $7.99

978-0-312-64156-6       ms          Good        Supernatural     

Riley Bloom, a soul catcher who, by the way, is dead, is sent to catch the soul of a Roman gladiator named the Pillar of Doom.  Along the way she meets a young girl who works at cross purposes to Riley, for her own reasons.  As a result, Riley could get caught in the other girl's world.    

Riley Bloom is written in a manner that will capture the interest of middle-school girls with an interest in the supernatural.  The dialogue reads as smoothly as a dialogue between friends.  The image of a young girl pitting herself against a big, burly gladiator as well as a scheming young woman will pull readers into the story, even though much of it is told on a superficial level.  The book is an easy read that would probably lend itself to female reluctant readers.  The Immortals & Radiance series presents a world that middle-school girls with an interest in supernatural tales will find interesting.  The series presents itself as a set of titles for female, reluctant readers.                        --Lynn Fisher