I only gave this one three stars on Goodreads. I will probably have my 6th grade daughter read it and give me her opinion before I’m completely firm in my 3 star rating. What I’m learning from reading all these young adult fiction books is that I am no longer a young adult. Ha!
I am finding myself being more and more critical of plot and character development, holes in the story, completely unbelievable plot twists.
What I need to remember as I read these books is to read them through the eyes of my students and my older daughter.
This book’s concept is pretty interesting. I can’t tell you if it’s a new concept or not because I tend not to read books about ghosts or horror books. The main character’s parents work together to write a book series about a ghost inspector. Cassidy, however, is the only one in the family that actually sees and interacts with ghosts.
Her parents’ book series gathers enough attention to get them a TV show, and the TV show is the reason that Cassidy, her parents, and their cat, Grim, have to go to Edinburgh, Scotland. There is one other guest on their journey, Jacob, a ghost who Cassidy has befriended, and whom she calls her best friend.
What I liked about this book:
- It was different from what I normally read.
- The parents and daughter have a nice relationship.
- Jacob, the ghost, is funny.
- All the Harry Potter references
- Well-written
- Interesting characters
What I didn’t like about the book:
- ghosts – I’m just not the biggest fan of this type of literature.
- Cassidy – there is just something about her that doesn’t sit well
- It was different from what I normally read.
The book was the beginning of a series for Victoria Schwab, and I am curious enough to possibly read one more. There are some things said at the end that make it seem like one of the characters is not what s/he seems to be.
The book didn’t make me cry at all or really give me that much of a creepy feeling. I’d say this is a good book for the 6th graders, but I can’t see my 8th graders liking it all that much.
Michelle Reads & Writes 