Misadventures in Ghosthunting

by Melissa Yue

A girl must save her family from vengeful ghosts when she can barely write in Chinese, let alone practice the ancestral calligraphy magic needed to defeat her new enemies—only to discover she is also being haunted by family secrets that won't stay buried.

Genres: Middle Grade, Canada, Fantasy, Fiction, Ghosts, Young Adult, Magical Realism

Unknown Binding

First published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Finola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, I appreciated the immortal pigeon

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little slow to start, and I was hesitant with such a young protagonist compared to what I usually read. However, the story really picked up and I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would!

[Anya F · Rating 5 out of 5]

LEON IS BEST BOY! ❤️

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. A cute, light story with lots of pigeons, friends, and failures at calligraphy (what a mood). It was a very entertaining read from start to finish, and I love all the characters (Mah Mah is a badass!!!).

It is also kind of funny. My favorite quote: “Unfortunately, ghosts liked existing- around me, specifically.”

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A funny and action-packed adventure that cleverly explores how stories and traditions connect the children of immigrants to their culture. I loved following Emma on her journey to unearth her family's secrets."

- Julie C. Dao, author of TEAM CHU AND THE BATTLE OF BLACKWOOD ARENA

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible debut from Melissa Yue, filled with laughter, heartache, and the pains we all go through growing up and learning to be our own person.

This was such an incredibly fun read, with amazing characters and fantastic world-building! Be sure to check out Misadventures in Ghosthunting!

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started great. Loved the premise and was devouring the book until about ch.15...and then it was so frustratingly boring...thought I could push through. It would get better, right? Nope. Gave up after ch.25. I think it would have made a cracking novella.

[Niki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was disinterested enough that I found this extremely hard to follow. Perhaps my students will find more enjoyment in this novel.

Misadventures in Ghosthunting is a 2026 MYRCA Sundog nominee.

[Katyusha Subaru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misadventures in Ghost Hunting is an amazing book that I recommend. The book is about a girl named Emma Wong who wants to save the world from hyper capitalistic ghosts that want to restore imperialism and take over China. As Lenin once said, “Imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism”, and as we know capitalism corrupts companies like Disney, Nintendo, Twitter, and Tesla for example. The story has strong messages about the problems of capitalism on the lower class citizen and demonstrates how corrupt businessmen put people in unescapable debt, running their lives while the rich remain on top facing no consequences for their actions; much like cigarette/vape companies as well as other companies that sell addictive drugs.

The story goes that Emma discovers that the grandma is secretly dedicated to fighting fascism and helps Emma fight the ghosts. Emma gets help from some friends such as Michell, the Super Idol Samurai Girl, Henry, the inventor of the Soviet T-34 tank, and Leon Kalashnikov who is trying to start a communist uprising in Europe and invents the Автомат Калашникова to fight the fascists. The Russian technology is also more reliable than the overengineered German technology (with enormous amounts of complexity that makes it impossible to work with, like the Audi R8) and poorly engineered American technology (which is unreliable and full of budget cuts, like the Armalite M16 and Cybertruck). With the help of Russian soldiers and experts of the Sensha-dō arts, Katyusha, Nonna, and Alisa Mikhailovna, they fight the invading imperialists by traveling to the underworld by using the help of Amelia Watson’s and Homura Akemi’s dimension hopping technology that allows you to travel to different universes, and enter a large scale battle with the ghosts. Like Sun Tzu said in Art Of War, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” The characters in the story follow that quote and deceive the ghosts with advanced Guerrilla warfare tactics using abushes, sabotages, and espionage. They fight with a small-scale militia and hit the ghost armies with ambushes using the element of surprise on their side.
I enjoy the coming of age aspect of the story. Emma starts off as a normal kid in school but by the end has discovered how to use Super Saiyan powers and ascends to becoming a higher form of life. By the end of the book Emma gains super strength, can time travel, teleport, and becomes an invincible superhuman; a combination of Satima and Madoka's powers. Emma becomes the most powerful Mahou Shoujo in the climatic Marvel universe.

The ghost hunting group wins the battle because of the friends we made along the way. The end reminds us that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”. The book may have its flaws but it is beautiful in its own way, much like the Lamborghini Countach, Mercedes Benz CLR, and DeLorean.

[Jenna (Falling Letters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief thoughts originally published 20 Mar 2025 at Falling Letters.

I haven’t seen a lot of info about this book, so I’m going to drop some jacket copy here for context:

Emma Wong is struggling to tell her parents about a lot of things. Getting a D on her math test, for one. Seeing ghosts, for another. When a mysterious figure sets Emma’s family altar on fire, that’s one more secret to add to her list, which is growing perilously long. At the top of the list is the spectral ghosthunter named Henry, who has an attitude problem and a special loathing for Emma. […] And then there’s Chinese calligraphy—the magical kind. In the hands of a skilled ghosthunter, words and intention transform into magical protections. What’s more, her grandma is an exorcist with a secret of her own. A secret that is haunting the Wongs from the Underworld.

Misadventures in Ghosthunting feels plotted and stylized like a YA novel with the actual content and length feeling more like MG. There’s a lot going on but there are some quieter periods between the action. The characters read on the older end of MG protagonists, being in ninth grade. The challenges they deal with and the average length of the story feel MG. I struggled whether to call it MG or YA after reading it. As I originally shelved the book as MG, I’m sticking with that… I checked it out from the YA section of my library, while Chapters recommends it for 9-12. Definitely a title with crossover appeal!

The calligraphy conceit played a lesser role than I expected. Still, it was neat seing how it works with the Chinese ghosts and underworld.

Some of the supporting characters stood out to me. Let’s go Grandma!! And best friend as [redacted to avoid spoilers] is a fresh trope.

Boonus points for the Canadian setting of Victoria, British Columbia.

💭 The Bottom Line: A promising debut, check out Misadventures in Ghosthunting for a ghost story built on a strong foundation of family history with a healthy dose of action.

[Mary Averling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathlessly adventurous and imaginative, MISADVENTURES IN GHOSTHUNTING provides chills, twists, and sly humour galore. Full of characters you can’t help but love—including an immortal pigeon and ghost-shanking grandmother—Melissa Yue’s debut entranced me from the first page and never let go!