MAGICALLY SPOOKY

                

I really loved all of these books and I hope you will find one that you love, too! For the most part, these books are not overly creepy. Ophie's Ghosts is probably the spookiest.

Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban An abandoned girl finds a place to call home with the help of a ghost dog.

 

Our main character is 11-year old California Poppy. California was dumped with one relative and then transferred to another while her dad disappears to Alaska. Great-Aunt Monica - recently widowed - decides to distract California with genealogical research on Eleanor Fontaine - a famous relative who wrote etiquette books. Except there's more to Eleanor's story than anyone knows. California gets a lot of help untangling that mystery from Eleanor's ghost. She forms a special bond with a ghost dog and even manages to find a few human friends! This book has lots of layers including death of a mom, grief, a depressed dad who makes some not so great decision, and body image, to name a few. But there's a lot of heart warming humor, too plus a few lessons in letter writing.

Sheets and Delicates by Brenna Thummler Friendly ghosts help save a laundromat - and a life! THESE ARE SO GOOD!

Hooray! Graphic Novels! Also - trigger warning - death and suicidal teen.
Sheets Marjorie Glatt’s life is pretty miserable. Her mom is dead; her dad is depressed and leaves everything up to Marjorie - taking care of herself and her brother plus running the family laundromat. Fortunately, Marjorie discovers Wendell - a young ghost - and he and his ghost friends help Marjorie defeat the bad guy. Marjorie is around 7th grade in this one and 8th grade in Delicates which is darker than Sheets.

In Delicates, Marjorie desperately wants human friends and finds herself in the precarious position of lying to her ghost friend, Wendell, in order to be one of the popular kids. Another classmate, Eliza, is obsessed with photographing ghosts which makes her the kid everyone else makes fun of and bullies. Marjorie knows that feeling but she's not sure she wants to sacrifice being popular for being compassionate (and her true self).

Marjorie was lucky to find Wendell when she felt all alone. Will she be able to offer friendship to Marjorie? And will she make that decision in time?

The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington  An orphaned girl adopted by zoo caretaker solves a mystery - and finds lost treasure - with the help of a ghost.

I am so happy this was a 2021 Bluebonnet nominee because this is one that I don't think I would have read - and then I would have missed out on a really great story! Lexington Willow is swept up by a tornado and lands in a Nebraska zoo where Nyah, an elephant, protects her from the full fury of the storm. That's where Roger, one of the zoo's caretakers, finds her. He adopts her and they get to live in the zoo! Lex has a telepathic link with Nyah which leads her and her best friend Fisher on the trail of missing treasure.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by F. T. Bradley  This is a classic whodunnit with a ghostly twist. JJ Jacobson, aspiring ghost hunter, finds himself tracking down a murderer with new friends Penny and Emma.

JJ Jacobson is obsessed with ghost hunting. And struggling with his schoolwork. His mom has promised him a special treat so when she receives an invitation to the local hotel - which has a haunting reputation - JJ is eager to tag along. When they arrive, they learn that the hotel's owner has been found murdered! Little do they know that they and the other invited guests are stepping into a carefully woven trap. Will JJ and his new friends, Penny and Emma, be able to unravel the true motive and identity of the murderer?

One Jar of Magic by Ann Corey Haydu  Can too much magic be a bad thing? And can no magic at all be a good thing? No ghosts but lots of magic. Also - an abusive dad.

In Rose's town, magic comes in jars that are harvested once a year. And her father is the very best at finding the magic jars. He knows that Rose will be the best, too - and tells her and everyone else that finding magic is her true destiny. Rose ends up sacrificing a lot in her attempts to please her father but trying really hard to find magic doesn't make it come to you. This is a complicated book set in a world similar to ours - it's just that the town where Rose lives has magic and other towns - and some people - don't. A bit of a spoiler but also a warning - Rose's father's obsession with magic has become out of control and he is willing to cheat and lie to get it, abandon family members who don't have the same passion for magic that he does, and fly into rages when things don't go the way he has planned. The story is about living up to impossible expectations and how to handle disappointment in yourself and your loved ones.

Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland Daffodil House may look lovely but the ghosts that live there - and the house itself -have a different story to tell. Can Ophie solve the mystery before it is too late?

 The story begins in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia in 1922. Twelve year old Ophie (short for Ophelia) can see and communicate with ghosts. She is introduced to this amazing ability when her father - who has just been murdered by a group of white men - appears to her and warns her that she and her mother need to hide because the gang is headed to their house. Why was her father murdered? Because he voted. Ophie does not realize at first that she is speaking to her father's ghost but the grim realization dawns upon her fairly quickly. Ophie tries to tell her mother but her mom does not want to hear about it. Instead, they leave Georgia and head to Pittsburgh to live with her father's Aunt Rose. And Pittsburgh has a LOT of ghosts. Especially at Daffodil House where she and her mother work as maids. Can Ophelia solve their mysteries and help them move on to wherever they should be? It's dangerous work but she desperately wants to help the ghosts. Well - most of them, anyway.

I liked this book a lot - and enjoyed how the author inserted chapters that gave the viewpoint of the train, the trolley, Daffodil House, Pittsburgh, and other places impacted by our every day lives. She does not flinch from describing the injustice and cruelty experienced by black people throughout the history of America. It's also a quick read because the reader will want to untangle the mysteries presented by the book and learn how things turn out for Ophie. I would welcome a second book where we learn of more mysteries solved by Ophie. This book and Pony have the creepiest ghosts.

Pony by R. J. Palacio When Silas's father disappears, he and his ghost friend, Mittenwool, set out on the adventure of a life time to find him.

 
R. J. Palacio's latest is captivating. It is the story of a boy on a quest to find his father who has been kidnapped by a small band of unscrupulous men. Silas Bird and his best friend, Mittenwool, wake up in the middle of the night to a group of three armed men on their doorstep. These men want to take Silas and his father; they have even brought a white faced pony for the boy to ride. But the father refuses to go unless they leave Silas at home. He makes Silas promise to stay at the house (which is in the middle of nowhere Ohio) until he returns. But when the white-faced Pony shows up all alone, Silas decides his father must be in trouble and sets out with Pony and Mittenwool to find him.
I have been pondering exactly what genre fits Pony. It is a bit supernatural because it has ghosts but it is not overly scary. It is historical because the story takes place just before the Civil War - when people still rode everywhere on horseback. And some historical facts are discussed. It's also a bit of a mystery because there are a lot of unknowns that are resolved by the end of the book. It's realistic fiction because it is the story of the relationship between a boy and his father. But mostly it's a quest story which is why I would mark it an adventure. With a sprinkling of mythology and ancient literature thrown into the mix. The dog's name, for example, is Argos. And Silas considers any number of names for Pony (such as Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse). But none of the names seems to suit as well as Pony.
I think it would make an excellent read-aloud for a classroom of 5th/6th graders. There is a lot to discuss; the chapters are short; and no one is going to want to stop reading it once they truly get into the story.
And then there are the antique photographs sprinkled throughout the chapters and sections. The author explains those in her note at the end!

River Magic by Ellen Booraem Donna will do anything to not be shipped off to live with her terrible aunt and cousins. Even cleaning house for the creepy lady who moves in next door. But why are there so many chickens?

This was a very enjoyable read! It starts out with Donna grieving the death of her aunt and worrying about how to make ends meet. Donna lives with her mom (Mim) and her older sister Janice. Her aunt used to live with them and had been planning to start a carpentry business with Mim but her untimely death (by drowning in a kayak accident on the titular River) left the family with a pile of bills and Mim working three jobs. Things are also not great at school - Donna knows her grief has changed her. Her BFF Rachel has started to hang out with other friends, leaving Donna to navigate school with another loner. Her luck seems to be changing when she begins to hear her aunt's voice in her head, providing guidance. Then an older lady moves in next door and hires Donna to clean house. And that's when all the really strange things start to happen! The lady pays her in gold. Donna sees something huge and scaly swimming in the river. And strange chickens keep appearing. Will Donna's desperation to help her family out of financial trouble lead to a completely chaotic situation? Yes - yes it will.
Like several other books on this list, this book starts out like realistic fiction and then quickly veers into fantasy. The first 100 pages are intriguing but after that, you will have a hard time putting the book down because you want to know how everything is going to be resolved!

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten Clara can't remember what happened last summer but she is determined to figure things out no matter what it takes.

Something happened to 12-year-old Clara last summer but she can't remember what it was. She catches glimpses of it in her memory but there's a blank in her mind. She does know that she gets angry very easily. And that she used to love the water but now she is afraid of it. She loved to surf, swim in the ocean, and play in the river but now she just can't. She lives in the small community of Sycamore in Jamaica. There are two other story lines that run parallel to Clara's memory loss. One is that her uncle Eldorath has been accused of witchcraft and banished to his house on the hill. The other is the new girl, Rudy, who is from New York and visiting her grandmother. And there is also Clara's cousin and (sometimes) best friend, Gaynah.
I was immediately drawn into the story because, of course, I wanted to know what had happened to Clara! And also the mystery surrounding her uncle which no one really wanted to talk about. I actually had to make myself put the book down and go to bed. Which is when a piece of the puzzle clicked into place for me. But there were still a lot of unanswered questions - which all fell into place when I finished the book the next day.
I loved how supportive Clara's mom and dad and uncle (eventually) are with her while she works through her trauma. And the interesting people that lived in the community. I think this would make a great read-aloud in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. And it pairs nicely with The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold.

The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold  Never (ever) trust a witch. But if you do, talking rats and librarians are there to help!

Don't judge a book by its cover. At least, not this one. There are witches and talking rats in this book - and I would never have guessed that from looking at the cover. Gabrielle has moved to Brooklyn from Haiti to live with her Uncle John and his family. Her mother and father will join her as soon as they get their paperwork in order. On her very first night in her new home, she can't sleep so she takes a walk - and encounters a witch - Lady Lydia - who assures her that she can help her if she is ever in trouble. Gabrielle knows better than to trust a witch so she tells the witch no. But soon she must navigate going to a new school in a new country with no friends and very little English. She had good friends plus her loving parents in Haiti but in Brooklyn she has no friends, her new family is very busy, and at school there is a bully who makes her life miserable. Trying desperately to make friends and fit in, Gabrielle turns to Lady Lydia and makes a deal. Three wishes. But magic in this world comes at a cost. Each time she uses a wish, she loses something. And if she uses all three wishes, Lady Lydia will control her essence. Yes - Lady Lydia is definitely a bad witch. Fortunately, Gabrielle has a few friends - Carmen, a school friend; Rocky, a talking rat who wants to be a rabbit and has an invisibility cloak; and the school librarian who is also from Haiti. They help her overcome her mistakes and fix the mess she makes - though Gabrielle is ultimately the one who has to have the courage to admit that she messed up big time.

Gabrielle and Carmen are ten years old but the magical elements in the book should grab the interest of older readers also. I think it would make a good read-aloud. Kids will be able to relate to Gabrielle and her mistakes. The book also addresses how difficult it can be for a new student from another country to fit in at school. And encourages students to not give up on their culture and customs but embrace and share them with others.

So many middle grade books this year have ghosts in them!  Or some aspect of the supernatural. They may be historical or mystery or realistic - but then there's a magical element thrown into the mix. At first I thought I might be imagining it  - but even the kid lit journals have commented on it. How to classify these books? What genre sticker do you put on the spine? Supernatfantastihistoricarealistic? I know that not every book needs to be pigeon-holed into a category but as a librarian, a few of these books would drive me batty. As a reader, however, it's delightful and intriguing. Why so many ghosts this year? I know magic and ghosts are plot devices that help move the story along. Mittenwool, for example, is an essential element of Pony. No answers, really. Just more questions!

And these are only a few of the books that have ghosts! Do you have a favorite?