Ballad for a Mad Girl, by Vikki Wakefield

Grace is a prankster and a risk taker, her behaviour always on the edge - especially since the death of her mum. Amid the pressures of year 12and looming exams, life is changing, alliances are shifting and Grace finds herself more and more on the outer in her semi-rural community. Strange experiences start to haunt her and lead her to investigate the 20-year-old mystery disappearance of a local girl. But is she really being haunted or is she going mad? Maybe both. Grace’s friends and family are equally worried and exasperated. Can they help pull her back from the edge as she plunges deeper into the mystery of what happened to Hannah Holt and how that is linked to her mother’s death? The plot often stretches credulity but the fast pace and strong characterisation helps to leap the gaps and make the story enjoyable.