This tale, Sherman’s fifth novel, begins on Cassie Denning’s 16th birthday as she films the dawn and thinks of the future. However, mysterious events soon disrupt her life. Rumours about her wild dancing, at times when she is home in bed, flood the school; a strange guy phones claiming she has given him her phone number; and she begins to feel a threatening presence around her.

Eventually, the malevolent ghost of a girl who died a century before materializes. Cassie must find out why the ghost is trying to take over her life. Impetus is added to her search when she discovers that others the spirit has haunted have died within months of turning 16.

This is a traditional ghost story in an updated setting. Fans of R.L. Stine will be disappointed by the lack of cheap shocks, but those who stick with it will be rewarded with some genuine shivers down the spine, as in: “…she appeared, a face, a shape…pale but splendid in a shimmering gown, still ready to dance after a century of waiting.” The problem is that the shivers are all at the end. This is the story of an average teen dealing with a stressed home life without the lyrical prose of a Monica Dickens to carry it along. The reader may also wonder why the ghost insists on killing its victims rather than continuing to manipulate them.

Grave Danger is aimed at the YA wanna-be-scared market. It’s a solid story with no gore, a good main character, and suitably evil ghost. Unfortunately, it is not remarkable enough, either in plot or in telling, to stand above the large crowd in this genre.