Content: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Middle schoolers Aldo, Pen, and Jasper, are just beginning their summer vacation when they follow a slightly transparent boy into a hedge and discover the long-abandoned Grauche Orphanage for Orphans, which turns out to be the very definition of a haunted house. The ghosts need help to get free from a violent poltergeist. In order to help out, the boys must investigate the orphanage's past, evade Aldo's big brother, and try not to get dinged by an angry entity.
The boys are fun characters, and Aldo narrates as he tries to turn their adventure into a collective journal for a summer writing assignment, which gives added voice to the narrative. Despite the ghost theme, the book is more of a mystery and the boys solve it with enthusiasm, while disagreeing about almost everything. Humor, adventure, ghosts, and the possibility of being grounded for eternity make for a great read. The race of the main characters isn't fully delineated, but the cover art indicates they could be from several different ethnic backgrounds.
Michelle in the Middle
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