Ghost Girl

by Ally Malinenko

Perfect for fans of Small Spaces and Nightbooks, Ally Malinenko’s middle-grade debut is an empowering and triumphant ghost story—with spooky twists sure to give readers a few good goosebumps!

Zee Puckett loves ghost stories. She just never expected to be living one.

It all starts with a dark and stormy night. When the skies clear, everything is different. People are missing. There’s a creepy new principal who seems to know everyone’s darkest dreams. And Zee is seeing frightening things: large, scary dogs that talk and maybe even . . . a ghost.

When she tells her classmates, only her best friend, Elijah, believes her. Worse, mean girl Nellie gives Zee a cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.

But whatever the storm washed up isn’t going away. Everyone’s most selfish wishes start coming true in creepy ways.

To fight for what’s right, Zee will have to embrace what makes her different and what makes her Ghost Girl. And all three of them—Zee, Elijah, and Nellie—will have to work together if they want to give their ghost story a happy ending.

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Ghosts, Mystery, Halloween

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2021

About the author

Ally Malinenko is the author of several poetry collections as well as Ghost Girl, the Bram Stoker nominated This Appearing House both from Katherine Tegen Books. She is also the author of The Other March Sisters (Kensington) as well as the forthcoming Broken Dolls (Harper Collins). She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and blogs at allymalinenko.com. She can also be found blathering about Doctor Who and David Bowie at @allymalinenko.

Reviews

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Girl was a fun, atmospheric little story about a very lovable trio of kids. I can definitely see recommending this to any kid who likes horror or dark fantasy stories! While there are some creepy elements, I don't think this is a story that's going to scare the average kid, and I would pitch it as paranormal fantasy just as soon as horror.

My favorite thing about Ghost Girl wasn't the spooky atmosphere or the writing or the plot, but was the characters, and how well we got to watch their friendships blossom with one another. Zee, Elijah, and Nellie are all incredibly lovable kids and you can't help but root for them - even Nellie, who gets a rough start but I quickly warmed up to.

There are some sad and heavy elements at play here, too: Zee's mother passed away in childbirth, and Zee blames herself; Elijah's father fat-shames him and Elijah's mother is doing poorly with her mental health; and Nellie depicts the sort of classic "mean girl with a miserable home life" trope. I enjoyed how Malinenko didn't shy away from any of these topics, but still allowed a gleam of hope to shine through.

Ghost Girl wasn't a perfect read for me, but I enjoyed it overall and absolutely recommend it to young readers, as well as any adult who loves middle grade stories and needs a good reminder of the power of friendship and love.

✨ Representation: Zee is questioning and implied queer; Elijah is Black and fat

✨ Content warnings for: parent loss, grief, fat-shaming, emotional abuse and neglect, anxiety, untreated bipolar disorder

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[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t read this book, my niece did because I bought it for her birthday and she has great taste. I trust her opinion. Here’s what she said (she’s in the 5th grade, just turned 10)
“Hey Sadie,

Here's my blurb for Ghost Girl. Thanks for getting it for me!

Ghost Girl mixes the power of friendship with scary details that will make your skin crawl. It is not exactly a bedtime story, as I learned the hard way, but the writing is so addicting that I read the whole book in less than one day!”

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, WOW! This was PHENOMENAL! Now I know why so many people are obsessed with this book. This was so spooky, & I was creeped out several times. These characters are outstanding, & you root for them the whole way. Zee is a terrific MC, & I loved the friendship she & Elijah share. Even though I despised the bully in the beginning, I really enjoy that aspect of the story-mainly because of how that part of the story unfolded & what we learn about the bullying, the bully, etc.

I loved how each of the kids were so different, & all had different kinds of real life issues to deal with. You have guilt over a parent death, a parent who leaves & the oldest sibling has to step up & basically take care of everything, a parent with mental illness, parents putting down kids in a toxic way(while maybe not even realizing the damage they’re doing), & parents who put too much pressure to be perfect & don’t show love. Also, that you should never judge by appearances. For example , there could be 2 people-1 who their life looks terrible, the other 1 their life looks amazing. But what might not be apparent is that the person that their life looks terrible-with what matters most in life, they have a better life than the other, even if they themselves don’t realize it. Loved that.

A big take away is to not let your fears control you, & with the support & strength from friends you can tackle almost anything. I loved Zee & what she was able to do, & LOVED how that connected her to another character. The villain is creepy & kind of reminded me of a tv evangelist I was once a receptionist for-ugh. Lol(I’m a Christian, but this man was not a good guy is what I mean). Then there are the hounds, wolves, & just this whole town..actually everything in here is atmospheric, because the writing is so vivid & atmospheric itself. This shows/is full of danger, suspense, adventure, friendship, mystery, fear, HOPE, determination, the fight for what’s right, teamwork, the importance of just LISTENING, ghosts..& all while being full of real life issues that I mentioned, that the author weaves into the story so well.

Another great message in here is how rough it can be just being a girl. Zee has a thought in here that is so on point: “Sometimes it seemed like women could be killed for just existing.” 👏🏼 Also, the expectations are so different. Like if a boy gets in a fight, that’s just boys being boys. For a girl it’s just horrifying, & we should never act like that! We should be polite, & small. Ugh So I loved that. Such an eerie, creepy, & beautiful story. HIGHLY recommend! STUNNING cover by the amazing Maike Plenzke too!💜

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some genuinely creepy moments in it, not just “creepy for a Middle Grade story.” Zee starts seeing ghosts around the same time that a dark force starts impacting the townspeople. Along with the help of her best friend Elijah and her nemesis Nellie she has to learn how to defeat the bad guy and save her town.

I really liked Zee as a main character, she was angry in a way that felt very real for someone in her situation. I enjoyed reading about her relationship with her big sister and with her best friend. The book did a great job of showing the different types of complex relationships that kids can have with their parents.

Some aspects of how Zee learned where her ability to see ghosts came from felt too convenient. Also, while I liked the message behind how the kids defeated the villain, in the actual execution it felt too easy. I was left feeling like “... that’s it??”

But overall I thought this was a spooky and charming story about kids coming together to save themselves and others.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book absolutely blew my expectations out of the water! I couldn’t put it down the second I picked it up (even though, if I’m being honest, I read it in the dark and DID get a little scared and had to put it down to sleep but) and I finished most of it in only two hours.

I love ghosts and paranormal and this middle grade was everything I would’ve wanted as a kid, it was everything I could’ve wanted now even. I saw myself, both young and current me, in Zee and I really felt for everything that she went through in this story—her hopes, her dreams, her disappoints in herself and yes, even the ghosts. There were many times where I had to put this book down and look around, because I honestly thought the author had written me and not a fictional character.

This might be my favorite middle grade of all time, which is saying a lot because middle grades are fun reads that I almost always love. This book is PERFECT for spooky months, but I could read this at any time of the year and feel the same as I would in October. If you love ghosts, paranormal or even mysteries, give this book a chance, I promise it won’t disappoint you.

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start by saying thank you to Katherine Tegan Books and SparkPoint Studio for sending me a gifted review copy!

How fun was this? Honestly, the moment I read the synopsis I knew I would have the best time reading this. If there’s anything I love more than middle grade books it’s spooky middle grade books. This story was such a delight to follow. It had so many creepy moments and situations, which made me enjoy this even more. Very fast paced and you go through the story in a flash. I loved that this book dealt with some important topics and that it was made perfectly for a younger audience. I don’t think I’ve read many MG books that have dealt with similar things so that was genuinely a surprise.

I adored our little main characters! Zee was a delight to follow. I loved her personality and how she didn’t back down from anything. She had a fire to her that was refreshing to see. Each of the characters had their own difficulties and issues to get through and I loved that the author didn’t shy away from sharing that. The story itself was really fun to read about. You have some paranormal things going on with a tiny bit of mystery mixed in. I loved the way it all played out and that it had some genuinely creepy moments. The writing was great and everything flowed together so perfectly. A really smart story with some important messages and one I definitely recommend you give a read.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I wanted to thank them and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this book.

I went back and forth and back and forth about my rating for this book, but I think I finally landed on a 2.5 stars. There was a lot about this book that was clever and captivating but there was also a lot that just didn’t work.

As always, let’s start with what I enjoyed.


The writing:
For anyone who knows me well, they know I am a sucker for good writing style. In fact, it can make or break a book for me. In this case, there were large portions that were excellent – I was getting chills up my spine, my heart was racing with fear for our characters, and, during those moments, I was completely invested.

The characters:
There were certain aspects about the characters I really enjoyed. I loved Zee’s relationship with her sister – having a sister myself, it was easy to identify with and get invested in Zee and Abby. I loved their whole dynamic, especially Abby’s fierce desire to protect and provide for her little sister (while also, at times, wanting to strangle her. Which, if you have a sibling, is often how those relationships work.)
I wasn’t as invested in Elijah and Nellie, especially since Nellie starts the book as a bully, but I appreciated Elijah’s concerns and sensitivity about his weight and appearance. I find this is an issue not often addressed in Middle Grade literature and it was heartening to see a character that kids might be able to identify with. And while I didn’t necessarily enjoy Nellie’s character (like, at all) it was encouraging to see a character who was portrayed in a negative light have some redemption in the end. No one is perfect and it’s important for kids to see characters who can change their ways.

The story concept:
Listen, I was here for this story concept. Ghosts, demons and creepy crawlies are my thing. There were a lot of solid ideas in this particular book and while it sometimes felt like there was too much going on for one story, many of these ideas were executed well. I do think I would have preferred for the author to narrow her focus a little and concentrate on doing a few things really well rather than doing a lot of things poorly.

Now for the things I didn’t like.


The writing:
As I said above, there was a lot of great writing in this book. I want to stress that – there were portions where the book had me. However, a book cannot necessarily be saved by patches of good writing. And the bad patches here…they were pretty bad. This caused the pace to feel choppy; I would fly through bits and have to plod through others. It really dragged down my rating because I never felt like I knew if I was going to enjoy the next page or hate it.

The characters:
Listen, I know middle schoolers aren’t usually considered to be the wisest bunch out there, but man, these characters made some pretty dumb decisions. While there were things I really liked about Zee and her gang, their poor decision-making made it hard to root for them.

The story concept:
For the most part, I really liked what was going on here, as I have said above, despite sometimes have one too many elements. But man...that ending just about ruined the whole book. It’s all well and good to hit the notes throughout but the ending is often what sticks with the reader and a bad ending can sour an entire reading experience, as it did here. I don’t want to go into any details because, hello, spoilers, but I will say I was bitterly disappointed to spend all that time reading this book to have it end the way it did. This is what ended up dragging my rating down an entire star.

So, on the whole, I had a (mostly) fun time reading this with some bumps along the way and an unfortunate pitfall at the end. I would be interested in reading more books by this author – sometimes a little practice and experience are needed to smooth the rough edges.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate a slow-starter that hits it out of the park. I had some moments where I wasn't sure I'd like this, but I'm glad I kept listening. I really love middle grade horror, especially when the author leans into the dark and scary. The villain is a charismatic fellow who manages to exude evil to the wary, but also hooks the needy and desperate in by saying what they want to hear and ostensibly giving them what their hearts desire. It reminds me of current figures in society, and that was very uncomfortable and added to the spook factor.

Our young heroine Zee is a bit of a rebel and an outcast. She's had to develop a tough skin because of her family situation and because she was born with white hair, both of which make her the object of attention to bullies. As she's used to being an outsider, she's less susceptible to the silver-tongued new principal, who seems to be set on making his own little self-help empire in her sleepy little town. While Zee has longings of her own, her sense of foreboding is stronger.

The spooky atmosphere is great. This would make a good movie because the author's words renders everything in a cinematic way. The hauntings escalate to the point of genuinely frightening set pieces and a sense of overt danger to Zee, her friends and everyone she loves. The reader faces a threat that is unexplained, and they are given plenty of time to speculate on exactly what's going on. Zee also has a special ability that develops, which initially contributes to the spooky, eerie vibe.

While this is about the horror, it is also about the powerful bonds of friendship which develops and strengthens in adversity. I appreciated Zee's friendship with Elijah through thick and thin. They accept each other's idiosyncrasies and are there for each other in ways their family cannot be. It made me sad how Elijah's dad would bodyshame him because he was chubby. I thought it was interesting how Zee forms a friendship with her once greatest bully, Nellie as well. This might be spoilery, but it's a very important part of describing the story, so I apologize. Nellie comes off as an entitled brat, but it soon becomes apparent that Nellie craves genuine connection and envies Zee for what she seems to have and Nellie lacks, despite her family's wealth. There's a good message about how looks can be deceiving, and what appears to be a perfect family often hides a lot of dysfunction. Also, sometimes being yourself means being the outsider and outlier, and maybe that's not necessarily always a bad thing. And others envy your ability to be yourself no matter what.

I do think the villain was a bit on the one dimensional side, and I would have appreciated a little more development and backstory. It was pretty scary how he had taken over the town. I guessed what he was, so the reveal was fun and pretty dark. There was one aspect of the climax that felt a bit contrived but I understand where the author was going with that. I just wish she had picked another way to advance the narrative. With those things in mind, that's why this was only four stars. But otherwise, this was a very good book. I enjoyed the audiobook narration as well.

Thanks to Jordaline Reads for talking this book up on her Booktube channel.

[Alysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zee Puckett, whose favorite book is Frankenstein, loves to tell scary stories. And the neighborhood cemetery is one of her favorite places to go with her best friend Elijah. Until one dark and stormy night when everything changes. People in town have begun mysteriously disappearing, and Zee is seeing the kinds of things she used to make up in her stories: large dogs with eyes full of blood, and ghosts, both friendly and terrifying. At the same time, there's anew, and creepy principal in town who seems to be everywhere. And even worse, pretty and popular Nellie, who has never liked Zee, labels her with a new and cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.
But when everyone in town begins to act in increasingly strange and dangerous ways, Zee and Elijah must band together with Nellie to find the truth and fight the dark forces that have overtaken their town.
This fast-paced story is perfect for MG readers who love a creepy and scary adventure. But the book is also woven through with so much heart. In addition to running from hell-hounds and hiding from trees with eyes, Zee and her friends all face difficult personal and family issues. The beaut of the story is how they all come to terms with loss, anger, and grief -- all while defeating a powerful demon determined to take over their town.
I highly recommend this heartfelt and exciting spooky adventure.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the HarperCollins for the E-Arc.

[Georgann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully good and creepy!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ally Malenko’s middle grade horror book is a must-have for middle grade libraries. Zee, Elijah and Nellie make outstanding main characters and the evolving friendships reflect many of those in the 10-13 crowd and their fight against an evil that is threatening to envelope their whole town will keep readers turning pages and looking behind them for a creepy principal or a red-eyed hound. Family configurations are not the typical and mental illness in a parent is part of the dynamic. Text is free of profanity and sexual content and while the eerie factor is high, the violence is low. Highly recommended for collections designed for grades 4-7 and maybe slightly higher.

Thanks for the preview copy, NetGalley and Edelweiss.

[Edgaras Šakuras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy read for the season with long nights. Some scenes are of really high intensity even for the adults. It would be great if this book contains more... ghosts.

[Keisha | A Book Like You · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know where to start. This book was so spooky and incredible! Small Spaces may have a rival for my favorite spooky middle grade! There were a few things that I thought wrapped up a little too easily in the end, but I still enjoyed this so much! Highly recommend!

[stefiereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW : grieve, lost of a parent, bullying.

Ghost Girl… wow.
Amazing! It’s indeed a very creepy book and I had to hold my breath so many times. Bone chilling story.
But it’s just not that… this story have so many layers - the importance of family, grief for a loved one (which I can relate and made my eyes teary), the friendships, fear, dream, and hope and more.

This is a kind of sorry that would creep you out but also touch your heart. It’s truly beautiful to see Ally weaving the story together.
The character developments are also so great!

Perfect for autumn! If you don’t know what to read, go add this one to your tbr list this autumn! :)

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a deliciously creepy ride! Ally Malinenko has crafted a spooky MG story populated with characters you’ll root for. I fell for Zee and Elijah from the very beginning and was biting my nails as they tried to solve the mystery of the weird happenings in their town. Along the way they brave cemeteries, red-eyed hounds, and a sinister principal. They also battle everyday demons in their family relationships and their belief in themselves. A perfect mix of haunt and heart. Thank you to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books for the eARC.

[Amin (Sagittarian_bookaholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✳️If you are interested in reading a middle-grade spooky thriller novel, then Ally Malinenko's 'Ghost Girl' is the perfect choice for you. Although this is a middle grade novel, it is pretty standard and can be enjoyed by all age groups.✳️

✳️Zee Puckett has a thing for telling horror stories. Her hobby, in fact, will sound insane, but she searches for ghosts in graveyards and woods with her best friend Elijah. Because of her weird fascination for ghosts, Nellie, her classmate always bullies Zee by calling her 'ghost girl' and denigrates her sister and dad. Zee's sister, Abigail, has been looking after her since their father left town in search of work.
Nothing spectacular ever happens in their small town, Knobb's Ferry. But unexpectedly, people began to disappear, after a dark and stormy night. And Zee starts seeing scary dogs and other inexplicable stuff. Even the new principal at the school seems strange. And the most spookiest thing is that everyone's most wanted desires are fulfilled and that too in a creepy way. Now, saving the town and its people from the unknown entity are in the hands of three children Zee, Elijah and her nemesis Nellie.✳️

✳️I really enjoyed reading this one. If the ending was more practical or like dark, then this should have been a horror novel for adults. But I know, it was for kids, so the ending was perfect from their vantage point. For me, it was like watching a horror movie in Disney channel. I mean Disney's got some good movies for children. It really reminded me of my childhood ; me watching some scary stuff on TV.✳️

✳️Like Zee, I also loved chasing ghosts when I was little. But I never went to the cemetery for looking 😅. I really loved Abigail. She is the perfect daughter/sister anyone could ever ask for. This book teaches about how bad bullying is, and how important each others feelings are. And never judge someone by just seeing them. I am sure you will all love Zee, Elijah and even Nellie. This was a perfect horror murder mystery thriller and I recommend this book to all kids and also to adults who like reading middle grade novels.✳️

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t get the hype.

Things I liked:
- the characters
- the potential/the general plot

Things I didn't like:

For one, it’s overly descriptive. Such as when ghost-Deanna shows up and conveniently explains that Scratch is not only the one who murdered her, but that he did THIS and THIS and THIS and REMEMBER THAT THING THAT WAS MENTIONED IN CHAPTER 2???? He did THAT too!! The result is not only boring, it takes away much of the creepiness.

For another, parts of it don't make sense. Such as when ghost-Deanna explains that Scratch killed her – a random teacher – in order to get his job as the school's principal. The fact that the actual former principal, who disappeared in the same storm that Deanna did and was also never found, would’ve been a better kill for this purpose, was never brought up. No one even missed him.

Also, the fact that Scratch for ~some reason~ stole Deanna's bracelet while murdering her and for ~some reason~ left it in a tree for the kids to find, is never questioned or explained. I get that it might be a bit much for the age group for these kids to find Deanna's decomposing corpse, but it really could’ve (and should've) been done in a much better way.

It also, at times, felt weirdly edited. Such as when Zee sees the shape of Elijah's mother lie asleep in the bed while simultaneously seeing her laughing and smiling in the living room. It was a genuinely creepy moment and I expected Zee to slam the bedroom door open and bring attention to the other mother in the other room, but what does she do instead? She backs quietly out of the house and she doesn’t mention what she's seen to anyone (nor does she herself spend any time reflecting on it) for several chapters. Even though (!!) they're actively trying to solve the mystery and that bringing light to the fact that there were two mothers would've been a huge clue that no one could deny!! It was a weird choice by the main character, but the fact that she and Elijah meet up and spend the entire day together before discussing it is what makes it feel like an editing error.

Lastly, the ending. I'm not a fan of how easily everything was solved. Just a sprinkle of the power of friendship and a dash of no one can force you to do anything you don’t want to do and BOOM, the villain gave up immediately by turning into an angry cloud and flying away through the window. The characters declared themselves the winners and then they went home and every little unhappiness was magically solved (by the power of the author, not by actual magic). The dad returns (he suddenly remembered that he loved his daughters after six months away), the lost dog returns (he was underneath the porch the entire time!!), and the depressed mother is back to normal (she was finally seen by a doctor and she's on medication now!!). Everything just nicely wrapped up with a pretty pink bow on top.
The End.

I think this book had a lot of great potential, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy the execution.

[Krysta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Source: Goodreads Giveaway

Ghost Girl is a creepy middle-grade novel that will appeal to fans of Small Spaces. When a new principal comes to town and promises everyone their deepest desires, only Zoe seems immune to his charms. But she has seen the supernatural dogs roaming the graveyard, and she knows that the people and the things the principal is conjuring cannot be real. However, the lure of having what one wants most can be stronger even than the truth. Ghost Girl does not particularly stand out from similar spooky middle-grade titles, but may interest tween readers who enjoy thrills and chills.

The premise of having a trickster-like character who promises one thing but delivers another is, of course, a very old one. As such, it does potentially have instant appeal–the character has been around so long for a reason. However, the familiarity of the concept can also make it difficult to make it feel new. In the case of Ghost Girl, the plot is a pretty standard one: the trickster comes to town, is recognized for what he is by a child, and then defeated by the rules of his own game. The signature sparks that make the tale feel original? Unfortunately, they are mostly lacking.

Great characters could have made this book really come alive. However, Zee also feels a bit standard as a protagonist. She is the odd girl at school, the one who prefers spooky stories and the world of the imagination to the horrible feeling of reality–her dead mom, her missing dad, her classmate bullies. Her main trait of originality is that she can actually be rather mean and dishonest, despite her complaints about the way others act. This mean streak, however, sometimes work against Zee, making it difficult to root for her. Her friend Elijah and her nemesis Nellie add a bit more of interest to the story, but their sudden romantic interest in each other feels forced, arguably ruining what could have been a fine tale of budding friendships.

The writing style also worked against the book for me. While it can be difficult at times to pinpoint exactly what about a writing style is grating, merely the fact that I noticed the writing style, instead of seamlessly falling into the story, is not a good sign. If I had not felt compelled to finish Ghost Girl in order to write a review, I likely would have stopped several pages in, from the writing alone.

Despite my reading experience, however, I recognize that the tween audience for which the book is intended might not be as concerned about originality as I am, and that many might even enjoy seeing another outsider character. Middle school, after all, can be rough, and many young people often feel that they do not belong, either. They may enjoy the book as something new, when I cannot, since I have read many similar titles. And they might relate to Zee in a way I do not, again having seen too many similar characters. Ultimately, the reading experience was solid enough, if not extraordinary.

[Julia Pika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ghost Girl follows Zee who is a creative storyteller, which does make her unpopular in school since her stories are considered "lies" rather than unique stories. She lives with her older sister who works her butt off to support the two of them while their father is out of town. Everything's pretty ordinary...until weird things start to happen. And no one believes Zee.

A very fun thriller/mystery/supernatural story that was hard to put down. Zee was a really fun protagonist and Elijah a great side character with depth of his own. Nellie bogged the story down to me because she was just so...outright nasty to Zee. I know redemption arcs are popular lately but it wasn't handled too well here, Nellie was just consistently rude to everyone to make her redemption believable. That's just me though.

The romance between Elijah and Nellie was ridiculous to me, it really broke the rhythm of the book in some parts. Why would Elijah be willing to date a girl that'd been bullying Zee for years? I would've seen this happen in the second book when some time passes and Nellie had completely redeemed herself but she was in the middle of her redemption arc and the romance just came out of nowhere, frankly. I like a good romance but it was just annoying in here.

Still, I found it hard to put this ghost mystery down and I do recommend it for middle graders who are looking for a solid mystery/supernatural story that's not too outright traumatizing, ha.

[Jessica Calla · Rating 5 out of 5]

GHOST GIRL is a fun horror-slash-mystery read, perfect for the MG crowd. The writing is superb and grabs the reader from the get-go, yet still manages to sound MG enough for a tween to read and enjoy. Zee is a wonderful, fully-developed (for her age) character, and I loved how she navigated her weird little town, and her not-so-perfect life.

I loved GHOST GIRL so much, and read it twice to appreciate its layers. Besides the horror/mystery plot, the friendship between Zee and Elijah, and the developing friendship with Nellie, felt true and special. None of these characters was perfect on their own, but together they made for a wonderful trio.

I also loved the familial aspects, and think it's important for the MG readers to see diverse families-- kids being raised by older sisters, parents who have unrealistic or aggressive expectations, parents who are mentally ill. I love that GHOST GIRL has children questioning authority figures, like principals. It's important that kids realize that if something feels not right, then they should pay heed to their instincts and confide in others.

Even with these important themes, GHOST GIRL remains entertaining and thoughtful, and in the end, the kids are just kids, looking for acceptance, love, and be in a place, internally and externally, where they can feel safe and loved.

[Iseult Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story of 11 year old Zee who loves stories and has a combative relationship with the world. Her difficulties, and those of her friends, provide depth but are never intrusive in this exciting adventure about what comes to town after a storm hits peaceful Knobbs Ferry.
This is exactly the kind of book I loved as a child (and still love). It’s full of excitement and scares, the pre teen characters are relatable and realistic, it doesn’t shy away from the hardships in life while showing the good things at the same time, while overall it talks about the temptations and pitfalls of life, and links to a truth that makes the book deeper, richer and more meaningful because of it.
If I were to nitpick, I found the resolution a little disappointing, but with the stakes raised so high it was always going to be difficult for three 11 year olds to change the world in a way that wouldn’t be a little easy in some shape or form.
I look forward to reading more of this author’s work. A definite recommendation, especially for fans of Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces series.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. Ghost Girl was pretty intense. On one hand, I sometimes have students who want scary stories. Ghost Girl delivers on scary, for sure. The head villain is fantastic and his story unfolds very nicely. The minions were very scary as well. Elijah is the best of friend of the main character, Zee. He is a great supporting character. But there is something just "off" about the rest of the story. In the beginning, the main character is angry to the point of being violent. It made it difficult for me to root for her. I'm not sure that anger was resolved in enough of a healthy manner for me to be comfortable recommending this story to my 5th graders. Also, there were some highly convenient solutions to some of the problems the characters faced. There were things I liked, but in the end, this story's not for me.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in the recent trend of very strong middle grade horror. Often truly chilling. But with great characters and plot development. And a very good message if caring for each other rather than simply looking out for what we think are our own best interests - a message that could really be used in America these days...

[Zhyar Jasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little spooky story.

My one problem would be the book didn't have enough ghosts in it, the MC can see ghosts and yet she only sees TWO ghosts the entire time!!! I am rightfully mad, with such cool ability I want the book to be roaming with ghosts.

[Stormi (StormReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Girls was a fun, slightly spooky middle grade book for all ages!

Zee loves ghost stories, she loves adding to ones she has heard and making them her own, but when she starts actually hearing ghost it's a bit different. Then some strange things start happening and her and her f riends have to try and figure it all out.

Very fun and I recommend it.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
This was the perfect spooky middle grade read for the Halloween season!

[Dee Dee G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a good balance of spooky and mystery. At times, it had a science fiction feel to it.

[Niko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic read! I could not put it down

[Pierre C. Arseneault · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a writer, I believe that there are certain skill sets that many authors have. For example, some are great at short stories and others are great at novels. Some excel at world building or evoking emotions. But writing YA fiction, to me is a skill set on its own and Ally Malinenko has it in spades. So, if you’re looking for some YA horror….

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty scary for a middle grade book.