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A review by musingswithmiranda
Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
4.0
I am trying to read more middle grades whenever I get the chance, and this one has caught my eye more than once. Every time I think of picking a middle grade, this is one of the first ones that comes to mind. I am glad I finally picked it up though, especially since I am highly anticipating the author’s upcoming release!
Claribel A. Ortega’s Ghost Squad is a middle grade novel that follows Lucely Luna who lives with her dad and helps run his ghost tour business. She also has a rather unique gift where she can see ghosts, and her dead relatives live in a tree as fireflies. As the town prepares for Halloween, Lucely and Syd accidentally cast a spell that awakens malicious spirits. The two try to fix this while also attempting to save Lucely’s family, business, and home. This turns out to be a lot to handle, which makes the girls turn to Babette, Syd’s witchy grandmother, for help saving the town and Lucely’s fireflies.
This story was so cute and entertaining. It ended up being funnier than I was expecting too. Ortega does an amazing job at writing a spooky story that will appeal to middle grade children. It is also rich with Dominican folklore. This quest-like story with magic, ghosts, and jokes is well balanced and written. I love anything with ghosts, magic, witches, etc. so this book was really up my alley. Things were resolved much quicker and easier than I was expecting at the end though. I loved how the author included family and friendship at the heart of the novel. Lucely and Syd’s friendship was very sweet and heartwarming.
Ghost Squad is something I can definitely see having in my future classroom one day! If you’re looking for a fun read for spooky season, this book is a great option.
*Content warning: parental abandonment, death of a loved one, Harry Potter references*
Claribel A. Ortega’s Ghost Squad is a middle grade novel that follows Lucely Luna who lives with her dad and helps run his ghost tour business. She also has a rather unique gift where she can see ghosts, and her dead relatives live in a tree as fireflies. As the town prepares for Halloween, Lucely and Syd accidentally cast a spell that awakens malicious spirits. The two try to fix this while also attempting to save Lucely’s family, business, and home. This turns out to be a lot to handle, which makes the girls turn to Babette, Syd’s witchy grandmother, for help saving the town and Lucely’s fireflies.
This story was so cute and entertaining. It ended up being funnier than I was expecting too. Ortega does an amazing job at writing a spooky story that will appeal to middle grade children. It is also rich with Dominican folklore. This quest-like story with magic, ghosts, and jokes is well balanced and written. I love anything with ghosts, magic, witches, etc. so this book was really up my alley. Things were resolved much quicker and easier than I was expecting at the end though. I loved how the author included family and friendship at the heart of the novel. Lucely and Syd’s friendship was very sweet and heartwarming.
Ghost Squad is something I can definitely see having in my future classroom one day! If you’re looking for a fun read for spooky season, this book is a great option.
*Content warning: parental abandonment, death of a loved one, Harry Potter references*