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cajundoo's review against another edition
5.0
Really cute book. I read it together with my 8 year old. Can’t wait to read the next one
corncobwebs's review against another edition
Trouble is brewing in Kaz's family. But it's not the run-of-the mill troubles that plague most families. Kaz and his folks are ghosts, which causes a unique set of challenges. Foremost among them is the fact that, because they're insubstantial specters, Kaz's older brother and grandparents have been whisked away by a hearty gust of wind. Now their whereabouts are a mystery, and Kaz doesn't know if he'll ever see them again. To make matters worse, Kaz is having difficulty mastering the basic ghost skills. "Passing through" (as in passing through walls) is particularly hard for him. But things get a whole lot worse when a wrecking ball starts demolishing the abandoned building Kaz calls home. With a giant hole in the roof, the wind gusts in and blows the ghost family out into the wide world, each member taking a different trajectory. Kaz ends up in a library, where he meets a girl who can actually see him. Though his first priority is to reunite with his family, Kaz takes an interest in a mystery that's taking place at the library -- there seems to be a library haunting afoot, and there's concern that the presence of ghosts will drive library patrons away. Kaz and his new friend put on their metaphorical detective hats, and discover that the "ghost" is actually the girl's grandmother, the proprietor of the library. While some folks think that ghosts will scare people away, the grandmother thinks they'll draw people in -- hence the elaborate ruse. So that mystery is solved, but Kaz still needs to find his family. The girl seems to think she saw Kaz's older brother, Finn, in the library -- thus, the stage is set for other installments in this series.
I was pretty "meh" about this one. There seemed to be a lot of logical inconsistencies, which I get pretty worked up about even though I probably shouldn't. For instance, why does Kaz know the word "blanket" but he doesn't know the word "bed"? There are lots of cases like this, which are annoying for me as a 32 year-old-person, but probably don't make a lick of difference to a 7 year-old. Also, the story is funny-scary rather than scary-scary, which I always find kind of pointless. My feeling is that if kids want to read about ghosts, they want a story that will scare them -- not a story where the ghosts are funny and harmless. It makes me think of James Preller's Scary Tales series, which is a similar reading level but is definitely more of a scary-scary book.
Will I recommend this series? Meh. I feel like I'm not going to remember it well enough a few months from now for it to even be a possible recommendation.
I was pretty "meh" about this one. There seemed to be a lot of logical inconsistencies, which I get pretty worked up about even though I probably shouldn't. For instance, why does Kaz know the word "blanket" but he doesn't know the word "bed"? There are lots of cases like this, which are annoying for me as a 32 year-old-person, but probably don't make a lick of difference to a 7 year-old. Also, the story is funny-scary rather than scary-scary, which I always find kind of pointless. My feeling is that if kids want to read about ghosts, they want a story that will scare them -- not a story where the ghosts are funny and harmless. It makes me think of James Preller's Scary Tales series, which is a similar reading level but is definitely more of a scary-scary book.
Will I recommend this series? Meh. I feel like I'm not going to remember it well enough a few months from now for it to even be a possible recommendation.
jillcd's review against another edition
4.0
A fun mystery for younger students. There are ghosts but it isn't scary.
elfeeza's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I really enjoyed this book. I love how Dori Hillestad Butler portrayed ghosts and how she built the world around the ghosts and the fact that ghosts are people instead dead people. Like they are a race of people on their own . It's interesting. I also liked the mystery part so it's not just a ghost story but you get more out of it. The part about a young girl wanting to be a detective like her parents but was told that she was too young and that she has a special ability to see ghosts and then end up being friends with one and starting a ghost detective business is just inspiring. This book teaches children to embrace their weird instead of being ashamed of them and finding something like and keeping to it. I love this book. And I'm pretty sure some of my students will enjoy it too. Definitely a 5-star book for me and of course I will recommend this series to my students. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series myself.
syebba's review against another edition
3.0
In a slightly-more-intense-than-I'd-like-for-AJ haunting story, a little boy ghost who doesn't like to go through walls, can't glow (the prerequisite for "solids" seeing ghosts) and doesn't go outside is separated from his family by the wind when his haunt gets knocked down. Thus it begins, which is really the part I previously mentioned--it's a little too intense for AJ, but I get: I'm not sure how they could make a little boy ghost on his own without some sort of upsetting backstory.
Anywho, Kaz blows away and finds himself in a small town library where the granddaughter of the librarian (who lives in the library) can actually see and interact with him. Claire and Kaz become friends as they attempt to figure out who the library ghost that the other library-user kids can see is, but that they can catch, and neither can Beckett, the other ghost that lives in the library.
By the end, good stuff, but it took us awhile to find our groove and get over the worry about Kaz being separated from his family. Forging ahead with book 2: The Ghost in the Attic.
Anywho, Kaz blows away and finds himself in a small town library where the granddaughter of the librarian (who lives in the library) can actually see and interact with him. Claire and Kaz become friends as they attempt to figure out who the library ghost that the other library-user kids can see is, but that they can catch, and neither can Beckett, the other ghost that lives in the library.
By the end, good stuff, but it took us awhile to find our groove and get over the worry about Kaz being separated from his family. Forging ahead with book 2: The Ghost in the Attic.
christopher_adam's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up an ARC of this book at C2E2 on Sunday and the only reason I picked it up was because it's something that I would have loved to read in 2nd/3rd grade. I have to say I wasn't disappointed it was a really quick fun read. I think kids will really love it. I also have to say I think it would make a great cartoon on Disney Channel.
icameheretoread's review against another edition
5.0
This was adorable, if I ever start the Chapter Book Club up again, we are so doing this. This would also be a good read aloud for older kids (school visits, maybe). I'll have to test it this fall.
shanblackman's review against another edition
4.0
Rated by my kids. First half really good... second half not as much. But intended to be read as series so stuff doesn’t get wrapped up in first book.