The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School

The Breakfast club adventures #2

by Marcus Rashford

Marcus and the Breakfast Club Investigators are back! From #1 bestselling author Marcus Rashford comes another exciting adventure full of fantastic friendships, high-stakes mysteries and strange goings-on! Written with Alex Falase-Koya and packed with tons of illustrations by Marta Kissi, it's the perfect book for children aged 8-11.

There’s something strange going on at school . . .

The Breakfast Club Investigators haven't managed to solve a mystery in months – and, even worse, Marcus is worried that the group is going to break up! So when Gbenga, the captain of the school basketball team, comes to ask for their help Marcus knows this might just be the Investigator's last chance to prove themselves.

The basketball team have had a streak of bad luck, and Marcus and his mates are sure there's more going on than meets the eye. As the mystery deepens and they uncover one surprising clue after another, they discover that someone – or some thing – has cursed the basketball team! Can Marcus and his friends solve the mystery in time?

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

288 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 15, 2026

Reviews

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more children's book reviews: https://littlesquirrelsbookshelf.blog...
Book two in The Breakfast Club Adventures is every bit as suspenseful as book one. The Breakfast Club Investigators (BCI) are back in this exciting mystery The Ghoul in the School.

The BCI haven't been doing so well in solving mysteries lately and Marcus is concerned the club will close and he will lose his friends. When Gbenga, the captain of the school's basketball team, asks for their help Marcus thinks this mystery will get them back on their feet. The school's basketball team has been losing all their games. They think they are cursed and a ghoul is haunting the courts.

This is a great story about friendship, working together and not being afraid to ask for help when needed. It has themes of learning from your mistakes and trying again. I love that Marcus and his friends all have different personalities and each brings a different skill to the club. The club is a mix of boys and girls and they all work together to solve the mystery, there is no defined leader and everyone's opinion is listened to.

The Ghoul in the School is a fun story, easy to read and filled with page turning suspense.
Recommended age: 8 - 11 years

[Luna fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and this one is about a ghoul in the school in a basketball court.

[#Blackjack · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this book is about Marcus and his friends — they’re part of a secret group called the Breakfast Club Investigators. Some are funny, some are brainy, and some are just really good at noticing stuff. They solve mysteries at school, but lately... nothing’s been happening. No clues, no cases, just boring school stuff. Marcus is worried the club might break up!

Then boom — the captain of the basketball team, Gbenga, shows up and says something weird is going on. The team keeps losing and it’s not just bad luck. Marcus and the gang start digging and find creepy clues that make them think the team might be cursed. There’s spooky stuff, secret messages and a mystery that gets bigger and stranger the more they investigate.

The writing is super fun and easy to read. It feels like you’re right there with Marcus, solving the mystery and sneaking around school. There’s loads of cool illustrations by Marta Kissi that make the story even better — like comic-style drawings that pop up in the middle of the action.

It’s fast-paced with short chapters and cliffhangers that make you want to keep reading. The authors mix mystery with friendship and a little bit of spooky stuff, but not too scary. I liked it!

[Victoria Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good fun and kind of reminded me of Scooby Do with all the talks of a ghoul. The main theme of this book is around people putting pressure on themselves and others to be perfect and the importance of asking for help. Marcus wants the Breakfast Club Investigators to be the perfect team who can solve all the mysteries put their way. When they struggle to work out what's going on, he starts to worry that the club will end and he'll lose all of his friends. Meanwhile, the school basketball team have suddenly hit a bad run of form and their captain, Gbenga, is feeling the pressure to be the best. Both Marcus and Gbenga recognise that the pressure their putting on themselves to be successful is taking its toll on them and the things they used to enjoy but they're not sure how to fix it. Thankfully for Marcus, his friends are there to support him and teach him that actually, asking for help is a strength and it can even mean you make new friends.

I know the children in my school would enjoy this book, especially as it contains characters that they'd recognise from their own community. I can't wait to get it on our shelves.

[gemma sharples]

Good

[Libby Crewe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second instalment of The Breakfast Club Adventures introduces a new mystery for the investigators as they try to uncover what is causing the school basketball team’s losing streak. The story builds nicely on the first book and provides sufficient recaps to jog your memory (which I appreciated!).

The characters are extremely relatable and some of the issues they face will be welcomed by the younger reader - self-doubt, anxieties around friendships and in-school rivalries to name a few. But the main takeaway message is that it is ok to ask for help as we can’t all be good at everything.

This is an easy to read and a well written book. I have seen some criticism recently of celebrities releasing books, however these books definitely have a place. Having the name ‘Marcus Rashford’ on the front cover will encourage many reluctant readers to select the book and the story within doesn’t disappoint. The illustrations and inclusion of regular humour keep the read nice and light. However some subtle mentions of visiting the school library, discussing current reading books amongst friends and a regular reading hour at home are lovely to see included.

The story kept me guessing to the end and I’m pleased to see that a third book is being released later this year.

[Smitchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series feels a bit like Scooby Doo for a new generation. Breakfast club adventures is a fun middle grade school-based adventure for readers 7-12. The Breakfast club investigators are hot on the trail of the Ghoul that has cursed their basketball team! But things are not all smooth sailing - a series of failed investigations and the Journalism Club being hot on their heels means there is a possibility that the Breakfast Club Investigators may disband permanently!
Can they solve this mystery? Is it really a ghoul who has cursed the team? Can the Breakfast Club members still be friends if they aren't allowed to solve mysteries?

This is a fun story with lots of action, a little bit of spookiness, and a little bit of a message about friendship.

[Jason C · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can definitely tell this book was rushed to get it on the market whilst Marcus Rashford was still floating about in the media. The story is thin on the ground with very little detail, and there are multiple typos, grammatical errors and misprints which immediately reduce the quality of the book. Such a shame as it has so much potential but feels like it's been created to exploit a media frenzy.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging story for primary children who will enjoy the mystery and the fact that it is written by Marcus Rashford. Being set in a school will further engage children. There is clearly potential for more books within this series although the author will have to be careful with the creation of the mysteries - how many things can feasibly be explored/solved within a school setting.

[Gabriel Pereira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tried to get back to reading and decided to go with this one, the second book in Marcus’ breakfast club series. It’s a short book, with a very good plot for a children’s mystery/adventure story. It also teaches one that it’s okay to make mistakes, and most importantly to ask for help when needed. I enjoyed it, and look forward to seeing more of Marcus at his very best this season! #GGMU

[Chelsea May xxx · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the beginning of this book boring as it started of so slow. I found this book not to be as good as the 1st one. I like the characters in this book as they all work really well together and all the characters make the book work that well. I thought the mystery in this book was boring and uninteresting. I will be carrying on the series though xxx

[Clare Grové · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving reading this with my ⚽️ mad, Rashford-adulating son. Had to get this finished so we can begin the next BCI adventure The Phantom Thief .
And then we wait until March for the next instalment.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannend vlot te lezen verhaal. De ontbijtclubdetectives hebben de laatste tijd maar weinig zaken opgelost. Als de aanvoerder van her basketbalteam met een nieuwe zaak bij ze komt, gaat de club voortvarend aan de slag. Lukt het ze op tijd om het mysterie op te lossen?

[SalScamander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a fun read, had a very scooby Doo kind of feel to it. My only complaint is the writing changing sizes every now and then.

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a nice read. Again some great messages throughout and a great twist at the end.

[Charlotte Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a book full of suspence

[Adam Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book I love it

[Oscar Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of scooby doo and the mystery element I enjoyed it a lot

[Leigh Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final book as a 7 year old! It was really good and made you really think and had some mysterious stuff!

[Hayley Tipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really prefer this book then the first one and it gives me a real feeling that it actually happening

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new mystery haunts the school, this time a ghoul is out to play and a curse is on the basketball team!


So happy that I could finally read this one, and with this one read that means I am all up to date with the series. I am so excited that I found out about this series and happy that more books are coming~

In this one next to a spooky mystery we also get some worries. Because lately the BCA hasn’t had any luck so far with their cases. They aren’t able to solve them, the cases are a bit low, and things just go a bit wonky. And we see how that affects Marcus, our MC. He is worried that if there are no cases the group will fall apart and that they won’t be friends any more. I found that so sad, because I could see that just because they had little cases they were still a strong group. But I could also understand his worries.

I loved reading about the curse of the basketball team and then also of course meet the ghoul. Geez, that one was terrifying. Of course, because of all the other books, I knew that it had to be a human (or humans) inside, but still it was scary! And I love that. It was fun how that ghoul seemed to pop up in the creepiest times and places. The curse was a delight and I loved reading more about how long the curse has been around and why it is now back again. Plus, seeing them figure out what was truly going on was fun.

I wasn’t such a fan of the journalism group. I found them way too cocky and at points annoying. Later on this lessened a bit for Maxine, but not that much for Noah.

I also hope that our group has learned a lesson. To not just focus on their own, but also to ask help, either by the club or friends, but also teachers.

And well, Stacey was once again annoying. Again, I don’t mind that someone LOVES supernatural, but if it is all they can think about? That gets annoying and it gets in the way of a case. You need to look at it objectively, from all points, not just one. Plus, she is constantly frightening everyone, though I would think that eventually her friends would dismiss it a bit more.

But all in all, I had OODLES of fun with this one! It was spooky, exciting, and a great mystery. I would recommend this book and the series to all.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/