Julia Watts

Free Spirits Julia Watts

Twelve-year-old Miranda Jasper has the Sight, a gift that allows her to see into other people's thoughts. Most regular kids are scared of Miranda and avoid her; however, Miranda does have two friends who definitely aren't regular kids: horror-movie obsessed Adam who has moved to Wilder from the big city, and Abigail, the ghost of a girl who died in the 1800s.

Lately the kids' hometown of Wilder, Kentucky, has been going through some changes. A meat-packing plant has opened, bringing new workers to the area, many of whom are Latino. Miranda and Adam are delighted by the growing diversity and are even more delighted by El Mariachi, the excellent new Mexican restaurant that has opened in town. But not all Wilder residents are happy with the town's new Latino population. The Latino kids at Wilder are teased and excluded, and Isabella, whose father owns El Mariachi, tells Miranda and Adam that someone has vandalized the restaurant. When another attack follows, one that endangers both the business and its customers, Miranda, Abigail, and Adam vow to discover the identity of the vandal. But as they put both their natural and supernatural detecting skills to use, they uncover not just the truth behind the vandalism, but a terrible secret that haunts their community.