Kiki Strike:
Inside the Shadow City
by Kirsten Miller
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2006

This is the first book in the Kiki Strike series. It is a mystery/action adventure novel for older children and young adults, with the protagonists themselves ranging from about 12-14. It is primarily written for girls, but not in a princesses and fashionista sort of way. Despite the princesses and the bits about fashion. Seriously, boys will enjoy it too.

Ananka Fishbein is a 12-year-old history nerd; this would make her an outsider at most schools, but thanks to a bequest from her very odd grandfather (he's dead, but he'll be making an appearance later), she is also attending an exclusive private school in New York City. Poor(ish), weird, and smarter than your average tween, she is not one of the popular kids.

Which bothers her sometimes, but from the age 12 on, she also happens to be involved in…

Sadly, the Haunted House on our street is gone for good. As a result, we received fewer trick or treaters.

I had to explain that it was gone to one of the groups of costumed kids who did come by. They were about 11 or 12 years old and had heard about it all their lives, from their earliest forays on Halloween night, accompanied by parents, through the dead Samhains of COVID. The haunted house! Dry ice fog and ghostly light! Screaming kids and a pretend maniac with a chainsaw!…

you finally know me - forever, I am framed

by your memories - your photos - your strange 

stories and stage. against all odds, I remain the same

and perhaps, this looks like heaven to you: 

blessed with eternal youth and no fear of age

a body, forever in state and forever in frame

but you…