The Great Ghost Hoax

The Great Pet Heist #2

by Emily Ecton, David Mottram (Illustrator)

The Secret Life of Pets meets Scooby Doo as furry friends hunt down a ghost in this hilarious sequel to The Great Pet Heist that is “silly business galore” ( Kirkus Reviews )!

Butterbean is bored. She and the other pets pulled off a heist once, but that was like a million years ago. Nothing exciting has happened since then. That is, until Mrs. Third Floor shows up at their apartment, convinced there’s a ghost in the building.

Mrs. Third Floor’s rental unit is showing signs of paranormal activity—eerie noises, objects moving when no one is there, fish disappearing from the tank overnight. The pets decide to investigate. Soon they’re confronted with a bigger problem than just professional ghost hunters who are offering to drive out the spirits for a hefty fee. It’s up to Butterbean and the rest of the gang to save Mrs. Third Floor from losing her life savings to scammers, all while dealing with some really annoying new animals. Can the furry friends uncover the truth in time?

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Audiobook, Fantasy

272 pages, Hardcover

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

Emily Ecton is a former writer and producer for Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. She has also been a playwright, a chinchilla wrangler, an ice cream scooper and a costume character. After years of living in Chicago, she now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her dog, Binky.

Also writes under the name Emily Fairlie

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous second chapter for the pets we met in The Great Pet Heist are back in this ghostly mystery. There seems to be a ghost at work in the apartment on the fifth floor. Wallace, the rat, has been living there and it wasn't him who licked the cupcakes or broke the aquarium. Could the missing Mr. Wiggles, the celebrity zoo octopus have something to do with the shenanigans? Mrs. Food and her good friend, Mrs. Third Floor (the landlord), are stumped. Can the police be of assistance? What will happen if Mrs. Third Floor calls the ghost guys she saw on TV? Lots of great hilarious pet conversations and operations to help accomplish all their objectives. The humans are none the wiser. Great fun for fans of "The Secret Life of Pets" and "Toy Story."

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heist seems like an event from the very distant past. Butterbean the dog and the other animals are bored, living their normal mundane animal lives again. Then Mrs. Third Floor shows up and tells the animals’ owner, Mrs. Food, that her apartment is haunted. The animals are convinced Wallace, the building’s rat who just moved to a new floor, is behind this. But then Wallace tells them he’s also seen signs of paranormal activity. The animals decide to investigate, happy to have some adventure back into their lives. Then professional ghost hunters come knocking on Mrs. Third Floor’s door. But it quickly becomes clear they’re just trying to scam her out of a whole lot of money.


I absolutely love anthropomorphic stories. And this is a brilliant sequel to the fantastic Great Pet Heist. I also love that it’s not just another repeat of the previous plot but a completely new concept. It further expands the world we already know and it’s just so enjoyable to revisit these unique and already beloved characters.


It’s slightly spooky at first and a bit reminiscent of Scooby Doo. Then the scamming Ghostbusters arrive and the story takes a completely different turn that’s just silly and so much fun. I love it! Honestly, I like this one even more than the first book. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Stephanie Metz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Emily Ecton's debut The Great Pet Heist was a bright spot in my reading during the first wave of the pandemic. When I saw her follow up featuring the same characters I was excited!

The Great Ghost Hoax returns readers to the irascible group of pets, ranging from more mundane companions like cats and dogs to more exotic ones like octopi. This time, instead of pulling off an Ocean’s 11-style caper, the pets have to deal with some paranormal activity in a neighboring apartment.

Even though I had Ecton’s first book a little over a year ago, I would have liked a brief reintroduction to each of the animals to help distinguish them from each other. Overall, the beginning felt a bit rushed, almost as though the events of the previous book had never happened. Fortunately, readers will soon be caught up in the gang’s new adventures.

My favorite thing about this book is its sense of humor. Some of the animals are just plain goofy while others are snarky. The humans are no less funny, particularly the apartment building’s landlord who is terrified of the potential ghost in one of her apartments. Ecton’s ability to portray the animals’ and humans’ personalities while finding comedy within their group dynamic reminded me a bit of Bunnicula, a beloved series of books about a vampire rabbit and the other pets he lives with. The intermittent illustrations accompanying the text are adorable and a great aid for younger readers who are still getting comfortable with chapter books.

[Perfumegirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a cute book! what kid wouldn't enjoy reading about an investigative team made up of pets. We have the mysterious disappearance of an octopus, a ghost in residence in an empty apartment and the mayhem that ensues when the animals and humans try to figure out what is happening. Then throw in police and ghost busters and its a book just made for kids.

Thanks to netgalley for an e copy of this book for an honest review.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2
When Mrs. Third Floor thinks her rental unit on the 5th floor is haunted, the pets of Mrs. Food go into action to uncover the truth.
Animal lovers will enjoy this humorous mystery. Can stand alone - but get the first one, too. Savvy readers will quickly figure out what is happening but that does not diminish the fun.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and adventurous kid book.

[Librarylady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious follow up to The Great Pet Heist. In this adventure, Butterbean, Marco, Walt, and the pet rats are investigating a possible ghost haunting in Mrs. Third Floor's rental apartment. No one knows what these crazy pets will do next except for possibly Mrs. Power Walker. The voice for each of these characters is amazing. Perfect for fans of The Secret Life of Pets or any pet loving kid. Can't wait to see what they are up to in their next adventure.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 9 year old was very entertained, but I found this one a bit of a chore. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this just felt like more of the same without anything new to say. I did enjoy coming up with character voices for all of the different animals!

[Heather Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as enjoyable as the first.

[Benjamin]

How? Another nightly audiobook with the kiddo. (I sometimes fall asleep, but I want to know what's going on, so I relistened to it.

What? Book 1 involved the pets trying to figure out how to stay together after their owner's accident. Book 2 sees the group get involved in their owner's friend's affairs because there's a possible haunting.

Yeah, so? A little less of a crisis this time, so the stakes feel lower, and the actual issues -- their octopus friend has an overbearing octopus guest; the old lady who thinks she has a ghost is going to be scammed by ghost-hunters -- are a little scattered in a way. Still, enjoyable, and as in good improv, characters stick to their games (the cop who investigates the haunting but really is interested in renting the apartment, the power walker tenant who is very comfortable with animals wandering around the apartment building, the not-so-bright dog, the overbearingly dramatic cat who was in commercials, etc.).

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Third Floor's apartment seems to be haunted - at least that's what she thinks. But Butterbean, Walt and the other animal friends want to investigate. There's certainly weird stuff going on, strange sounds, food tasted, and the fishtank is empty of fish. But is it a ghost?

Ecton's group of furry detectives are hilarious. Makes me wonder what kind of mischief the pets at my house are getting into all day while we are gone. Not so much mystery as adventure, but an engaging read all the same. Mottram's illustrations are the perfect complement to the story. I'm hoping this is a nice long series.

Cross posted to httop://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book but still fun and had me laughing at times!

Because the humans think there is a ghost in Apartment 5B, they ask whether they should get a priest or cleanse the apartment with sage. Burning sage is a New Age practice, but it isn't talked about in those terms and the humans don't really believe in it, they just are trying to find solutions that they've heard of. The animals make it funny, saying it would make the apartment smell good.

Found in Ultimate MG Bundle.

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

This follow up to Emily Ecton's The Great Pet Heist was every bit as great as the first book in the series.
The cast of characters is absolutely hysterical and my 1st grader is a huge fan! If you have read the first book and enjoyed it, grab this for sure. If you haven't read The Great Pet Heist yet, go grab both titles, because I can't imagine you'll stop after just one!

[Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! Ecton’s writing style is fast paced and hilarious. The cast of characters she has created are totally relatable and it almost feels as if they become your pets as you read. Butterbean is my favorite!

The Great Ghost Hoax is the perfect combination of silly and spooky. I highly recommend this book for animal and mystery lovers of all ages!

[H.R.H. Carpathia · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, they committed a crime now they are after a ghost. These pets are back and as funny as ever. Here, a neighbor believes an apartment is haunted and her ghost craze leads the people and pets into mischief and mayhem. I liked that all of the pets were back in this story, though I did feel there was a bit less Oscar. I liked the new additions to the team as well. The writer clearly likes animals. I plan to read all the books in this series.

[S Tondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to The Great Pet Heist, The Great Ghost Hoax has our misfit band of animals back to save the day. The characters are hilarious and my children loved this next installment as much as the first one.

[Amy Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable, kid friendly, animal action-packed adventure. I adored this fun little read and so did my little pet detectives.

I received an ARC, but my opinions are all mine (and my kids’).

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pets from Pet Heist are back again to solve another mystery. This time, they have to oust the “ghost” living on the fifth floor before Mrs. Food’s good friend Mrs. Third Floor gets scammed by ghost hunters.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book two in the series. Mr’s Third Floor was come to chat and told the food person about a Ghost in her rental apartment on the fifth floor! Butterbean and her group of friends decide they will go and meet the ghost. 👻 What they discover will shock everyone!!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sequel to its awesome predecessor! Other than that, there's really not much to note about it. Personally, I liked the 1st book better, but maybe that's because I read this one too fast.(Got it on a Wednesday afternoon, finished Friday morning. I had a lot of free time those two days!)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[David Fandel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to Lily

[Gillian McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost as fun to read aloud as the first in the series

[Katrina Tangen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun series!

[Rikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sons love it. They are enraptured with the series.

[Tweller83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun. Love this group of pets.

[Jill CD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore this series and the characters get better in each book. Fabulously fun read aloud grades 2 and up!

[Sari Fordham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great listen for cleaning one's room. Ask me how I know. My kid said this one was even better than the first.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was funny when Mrs. Third Floor was scared.
The octopus were so funny.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter. It was a cute book. We didn't read the first book, which may have helped me enjoy it more. She loved it, though, and didn't want it to end.