Agony House. written by Cheri Priest, reviewed by Amanda Davies

Summary​:  After losing her dad and her grandmother in Hurricane Katrina, Denise and her mom built a new life in Texas.  But when Denise's mom and stepdad decide to move back to New Orleans and buy a run-down house to restore it and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, Denise has no choice but to follow along and try to make the best of it.  As Denise's family begins to refurbish the house, strange (and dangerous) things start happening.  Her stepdad falls through the front porch, a secure window slams down on her mom's hand, nails appear in strange places.  And then Denise finds an old comic book wrapped in plastic and hidden in an old chimney.  With help from new friends, her sluething abilities, and clues in the comic book, Denise is determined to figure out the mystery of her house before it kills someone. 
 Straight Talk for Librarians​:  Like Priest's book Princess X, Agony House incorporates graphic elements into a prose story.  As the main character reads the newly discovered comic book, readers get to follow along and try to unravel the mystery.  The retro style and black and blue color scheme of Tara O'Connor's illustrations parallel and compliment the text.  While the ending was predictable, this is still an important book to hand-sell to kids.  Priest tells the story of the impact of Hurricane Katrina and its devastation of the New Orleans community without beating the reader over the head with it.  Even more significantly, Priest addresses the issue of white "saviors" returning to the city to renovate homes with little concern for or help from the remaining black neighbors and neighborhoods.  For kids who aren't aware of the the racial tensions surrounding the
 rebuilding of New Orleans or who don't have vivid memories of the people trapped in the Superdome, this book is an important and engaging read.