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The Polter-Ghost Problem
Three best friends discover a haunted orphanage and get swept up in ghoulish shenanigans in this “laugh-out-loud, high-action read” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) for fans of Best Nerds Forever and the Fear Street series .
One haunted orphanage + two types of ghosts + three freaked-out friends = plenty of trouble.
Best friends Aldo, Pen, and Jasper are braced for a boring summer. And equally dull summer journal writing assignments. That is, until they see a slightly transparent boy with a bad haircut appear by the soccer field and then disappear into the woods beyond. The boys follow him and discover the long-abandoned Grauche Orphanage for Orphans, a house in the woods that is most definitely haunted.
But the ghosts are not the problem. They have been trapped at the orphanage by a cranky poltergeist who erupts into violent tantrums if they put even a spectral toe across the property line. The ghosts ask the boys to help free them—but who is the angry poltergeist and what does it want? To solve the mystery, the trio must investigate the orphanage’s dark past, evade Aldo’s ghastly older brother, borrow a skeptical librarian, and duck lots of flying furniture, all while failing to agree on almost anything. Can they defeat the evil entity and rescue the ghosts before their parents catch on and ground them for eternity?
One haunted orphanage + two types of ghosts + three freaked-out friends = plenty of trouble.
Best friends Aldo, Pen, and Jasper are braced for a boring summer. And equally dull summer journal writing assignments. That is, until they see a slightly transparent boy with a bad haircut appear by the soccer field and then disappear into the woods beyond. The boys follow him and discover the long-abandoned Grauche Orphanage for Orphans, a house in the woods that is most definitely haunted.
But the ghosts are not the problem. They have been trapped at the orphanage by a cranky poltergeist who erupts into violent tantrums if they put even a spectral toe across the property line. The ghosts ask the boys to help free them—but who is the angry poltergeist and what does it want? To solve the mystery, the trio must investigate the orphanage’s dark past, evade Aldo’s ghastly older brother, borrow a skeptical librarian, and duck lots of flying furniture, all while failing to agree on almost anything. Can they defeat the evil entity and rescue the ghosts before their parents catch on and ground them for eternity?
288 pages, Hardcover
Published August 30, 2022
17 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 14, 2022
haven't read a middle grade book in a minute and thank God it was this one because oh my god it definitely fit the vibe. it's spooky, it's got a mystery and meddling kids. It's everything. I recommend this to everyone and can't recommend it enough <3
April 28, 2023
Aldo, Pen and Jasper are best friends and they are going to do their summer journal together even if they are all totally different. Why you may ask are they doing it together if they are so different? Well it’s because they have experienced something together, so they want to share it. They have made some new friends that need their help. Ghosts! The ghosts aren’t the problem. The problem is keeping Aldo’s big brother away and finding who or what is causing the problems at the orphanage!
August 27, 2024
Very cute
October 17, 2025
super cute. the kids in the tween bookclub I host absolutely loved it :-)
May 21, 2022
Like Uhrig’s “Double the Danger, Zero Zucchini” and “Welcome to Dweeb Club,” her latest is hilarious. This particular title combines a variety of ghost types with friendship, a bit a mystery, some family drama, and a summer school assignment to yield a terrific choice for a wide range of readers in grades 4 and up. I hesitate to put a top level in that age range because there is so much to offer that many in the younger YA crowd will enjoy it, too. Interspersed in the plot of a haunted orphanage accidentally discovered by 3 boys who make it the focus of their “what I did during the summer” English assignment, are nods to things like Scooby Doo and Curious George, humorous nods to stereotypical annoying siblings and reference librarians, plus some possible vocabulary growth for readers who are paying attention. Twice while reading, I nearly choked I was laughing so hard and chuckles occurred so often that I’m pretty sure I was irritating my TV-watching husband. Make this a must-buy for home, classroom, and public/school libraries serving grades 4-up. No profanity or sexual content and the violence included is funny rather than alarming.
Betsy (and Simon & Schuster/SimonKids)—Thanks for the print arcs for me to read first and then to share with two of my students who may have become your biggest fans!
Betsy (and Simon & Schuster/SimonKids)—Thanks for the print arcs for me to read first and then to share with two of my students who may have become your biggest fans!
November 12, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Aldo, Pen, and Jasper live in Frog Lake, and find themselves faced with a summer journal project for their next year's teacher, Ms. Pilcrow. While they have a lot of freedom to wander, Jasper is dealing with a wrist injury, and the boys aren't quite sure how to spend their time in a way that will make for interesting reading. This changes when they are on a nearby soccer field and see a boy dressed in old fashioned clothing. They try to talk to him, but he goes into an abandoned house. The house is everything you would expect a haunted house to be, and when the boys enter it, they find themselves in conversation with Theo, as well as another ghost, Franny. The ghosts try to talk the boys into "playing with matches" and burning down the house. Being good kids, the boys decline. It turns out that there are a number of ghosts of children in the house, which had been the Grauche Orphanage at one point. The odd thing is that the children haven't always been ghosts, and didn't even die when they were children; most lived long lives, and have only been haunting the orphanage for about a month. Using great research skills, Aldo, Pen, and Jasper go to the public library and try to uncover information about the orphanage and its owners that might help them send the ghosts on their way. They discover unpleasant things about the owners, who apparently hated children and even died 100 years ago on a Titanic-like ship, where they were giving lectures about how awful children were. The orphans were all renamed, with last names ending in -ump, and were never treated very well. Now, stuck in the house, they are thwarted from leaving by spirits that "throw tantrums" whenever any of them try to leave. One ghost, Greta, gives them a good starting point to uncover the mystery of why the children were called back, and they are able to connect this child to someone in their present day community. Will they be able to appease Greta's spirit and release the others?
Strengths: One of my favorite parts of the book was the involved and concerned parents; at one point, all three boys need to visit the emergency room to be patched up and claim they were playing football. The parents seem more appalled at the idea of football than they probably would have been by the idea of a haunted house! The boys reflect their upbringing by wearing helmets and knee pads in a further visit to the house, and are depicted as wearing their socks over their pants to avoid poison ivy. Those small details made this a really fun read and will resonate with readers who want to have adventures but don't want to take any more risks than they have to. The history of the orphanage and the nasty people who ran it is well developed, and is a gret spin on the middle grade trope of orphan characters. The way the history intertwines with the present day works well, and I loved that the boys went to the library and did research in order to solve their problem. Aldo's brother Nick gives them some realistic trouble.
Weaknesses: I never got a particularly good feel for Aldo, Pen, and Jasper as individuals, even though Aldo has to struggle with a slightly obnoxious older brother. Also, even though this involves ghosts, it's more humorous than scary. Not that this is bad; it just means a different audience will pick it up.
What I really think: I loved this author's Double the Danger and Zero Zucchini, and even though this book involves ghosts, it has a similar vibe. I've been trying to think of another book where the tweens have conversations with friendly ghosts and work together with them to solve a mystery, and am coming up blank with comparisons. It's hard to write something original, but Uhrig has done a great job with this humorous story of kids going about their summer and just happening to hang out with ghosts!
Aldo, Pen, and Jasper live in Frog Lake, and find themselves faced with a summer journal project for their next year's teacher, Ms. Pilcrow. While they have a lot of freedom to wander, Jasper is dealing with a wrist injury, and the boys aren't quite sure how to spend their time in a way that will make for interesting reading. This changes when they are on a nearby soccer field and see a boy dressed in old fashioned clothing. They try to talk to him, but he goes into an abandoned house. The house is everything you would expect a haunted house to be, and when the boys enter it, they find themselves in conversation with Theo, as well as another ghost, Franny. The ghosts try to talk the boys into "playing with matches" and burning down the house. Being good kids, the boys decline. It turns out that there are a number of ghosts of children in the house, which had been the Grauche Orphanage at one point. The odd thing is that the children haven't always been ghosts, and didn't even die when they were children; most lived long lives, and have only been haunting the orphanage for about a month. Using great research skills, Aldo, Pen, and Jasper go to the public library and try to uncover information about the orphanage and its owners that might help them send the ghosts on their way. They discover unpleasant things about the owners, who apparently hated children and even died 100 years ago on a Titanic-like ship, where they were giving lectures about how awful children were. The orphans were all renamed, with last names ending in -ump, and were never treated very well. Now, stuck in the house, they are thwarted from leaving by spirits that "throw tantrums" whenever any of them try to leave. One ghost, Greta, gives them a good starting point to uncover the mystery of why the children were called back, and they are able to connect this child to someone in their present day community. Will they be able to appease Greta's spirit and release the others?
Strengths: One of my favorite parts of the book was the involved and concerned parents; at one point, all three boys need to visit the emergency room to be patched up and claim they were playing football. The parents seem more appalled at the idea of football than they probably would have been by the idea of a haunted house! The boys reflect their upbringing by wearing helmets and knee pads in a further visit to the house, and are depicted as wearing their socks over their pants to avoid poison ivy. Those small details made this a really fun read and will resonate with readers who want to have adventures but don't want to take any more risks than they have to. The history of the orphanage and the nasty people who ran it is well developed, and is a gret spin on the middle grade trope of orphan characters. The way the history intertwines with the present day works well, and I loved that the boys went to the library and did research in order to solve their problem. Aldo's brother Nick gives them some realistic trouble.
Weaknesses: I never got a particularly good feel for Aldo, Pen, and Jasper as individuals, even though Aldo has to struggle with a slightly obnoxious older brother. Also, even though this involves ghosts, it's more humorous than scary. Not that this is bad; it just means a different audience will pick it up.
What I really think: I loved this author's Double the Danger and Zero Zucchini, and even though this book involves ghosts, it has a similar vibe. I've been trying to think of another book where the tweens have conversations with friendly ghosts and work together with them to solve a mystery, and am coming up blank with comparisons. It's hard to write something original, but Uhrig has done a great job with this humorous story of kids going about their summer and just happening to hang out with ghosts!
June 12, 2022
In the Polter-Ghost Problem, Betsy Uhrig delivers another hilarious adventure with her pitch-perfect middle grade voice. As three friends solve a mystery and undergo truly hair-raising (and other "raising") experiences, the narrator sprinkles the story with gems that all readers can relate to: "Pen, Jasper, and I have been friends long enough to know exactly how to get on each other's nerves--and also exactly when to get quickly back off them." What starts off as a summer journaling project, soon draws the trio into what appears to be a life and death (or at least, life and afterlife) situation. Readers of all ages will enjoy solving the mystery at the heart of the story--why are children from another era trapped in a long-abandoned orphanage--and how can Aldo, Pen, and Jasper help? Along the way, the group gathers surprising allies, learns the town's history, encounters real danger, and becomes expert in ghosts and poltergeists--and perhaps a new category of supernatural being--the polter-ghost! They also learn that friendships come in all ages, shapes, and sizes. A deliciously fun read, with an emotionally satisfying ending.
February 2, 2023
👻 The Polter-Ghost Problem 😱 by Betsy Uhrig
💙 Bluebonnet Book Nominee 23-24💙
…
Can I just say well done? 👏🏼👏🏼
This book was super entertaining. Sometimes I find children’s novels a tad dull, but this one was clever, humorous, fast-paced and engaging. The story is written in the first person to really bring out the personalities of the boys and to make it hilarious from a young person’s POV writing to their teacher. Such a clever perspective! While the book does have ghosts and a poltergeist as characters, mostly this book is goofy and not so much spooky. This book is for those who like friendly banter and can understand the references thrown in such as Scooby Doo, Nate the Great, and Harriet the Spy. I genuinely thought I was reading a middle schooler’s essay, and laughed out loud several times!
…
Highly recommend, 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💙 Bluebonnet Book Nominee 23-24💙
…
Can I just say well done? 👏🏼👏🏼
This book was super entertaining. Sometimes I find children’s novels a tad dull, but this one was clever, humorous, fast-paced and engaging. The story is written in the first person to really bring out the personalities of the boys and to make it hilarious from a young person’s POV writing to their teacher. Such a clever perspective! While the book does have ghosts and a poltergeist as characters, mostly this book is goofy and not so much spooky. This book is for those who like friendly banter and can understand the references thrown in such as Scooby Doo, Nate the Great, and Harriet the Spy. I genuinely thought I was reading a middle schooler’s essay, and laughed out loud several times!
…
Highly recommend, 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read
November 28, 2022It’s not just ghosts. It’s polter-ghosts!
👻
Aldo, Pen and Jasper are bored over summer break. While hanging out at the soccer field they see an oddly dressed boy their age. When they follow him they realize he’s a ghost living in an abandoned orphanage. In fact there’s a bunch of them in there, but they’re being trapped by a poltergeist on a mission. As they dodge angry parents, an annoying brother, a suspicious librarian and more they try and help the good ghosts get free from the bad ghost.
👻
Fans of Best Nerds Forever and the Fear Street/Goosebumps series will enjoy this MG book that hinted at possibly returning for another story to tell.
CW: abandonment, foster care, adoption, death, violence, blood, hospital care
Too silly for me
👻
Aldo, Pen and Jasper are bored over summer break. While hanging out at the soccer field they see an oddly dressed boy their age. When they follow him they realize he’s a ghost living in an abandoned orphanage. In fact there’s a bunch of them in there, but they’re being trapped by a poltergeist on a mission. As they dodge angry parents, an annoying brother, a suspicious librarian and more they try and help the good ghosts get free from the bad ghost.
👻
Fans of Best Nerds Forever and the Fear Street/Goosebumps series will enjoy this MG book that hinted at possibly returning for another story to tell.
CW: abandonment, foster care, adoption, death, violence, blood, hospital care
Too silly for me
April 25, 2023
It’s summer break and Pen, Jasper, and Aldo are hanging out together when they see a strange boy kind of “lead them”
Toward a field just past the library and park. They don’t know him but they also don’t look very closely. They don’t notice that his feet don’t exactly touch the ground when he walks and that he’s dressed in old-times clothes and slightly see-through. They follow him through a hedge and to a deserted orphanage. Where they discover the boy is not a boy but a ghost! And there is a powerful, scary, and dangerous poltergeist who could hurt someone if the boys don’t find out what will appease it.
Toward a field just past the library and park. They don’t know him but they also don’t look very closely. They don’t notice that his feet don’t exactly touch the ground when he walks and that he’s dressed in old-times clothes and slightly see-through. They follow him through a hedge and to a deserted orphanage. Where they discover the boy is not a boy but a ghost! And there is a powerful, scary, and dangerous poltergeist who could hurt someone if the boys don’t find out what will appease it.
November 16, 2023
Bluebonnet Award nominee alert! I just finished The Polter-Ghost Problem by Betsy Uhrig and loved it.
Aldo, Pen, and Jasper are friends who discover an abandoned orphanage full of ghosts. But, for those afraid of ghost stories, fear not! They are all friendly ghosts. Well, almost all of them are.
Despite it's title, this is not a horror story. It's a mystery-ish story about friendship, siblings who bug you, and helping others - even if you can see through them.
Kids will love it because it's not like any other story they've read. It would make a great bedtime story to read aloud with a parent because it's a parents-will-love-it-too kind of story!
Aldo, Pen, and Jasper are friends who discover an abandoned orphanage full of ghosts. But, for those afraid of ghost stories, fear not! They are all friendly ghosts. Well, almost all of them are.
Despite it's title, this is not a horror story. It's a mystery-ish story about friendship, siblings who bug you, and helping others - even if you can see through them.
Kids will love it because it's not like any other story they've read. It would make a great bedtime story to read aloud with a parent because it's a parents-will-love-it-too kind of story!
October 29, 2022
Betsy Uhrig is my favorite comedic MG writer. I bet she would be hilarious as a stand-up comic. Or even just to share some laughs with over a meal. Her story timing and sense of humor is spot-on. The Polter-Ghost Problem is another of her creations with all the elements needed for a great book: relatable characters, a mystery that continues to surprise until the very end, adventure, and of course lots of good-natured laughs. I can definitely see a spooky cartoon show in this one. Definitely recommend!
February 16, 2025
I enjoyed this book as an audiobook. I feel it’s important to point out I was reading a book written for late elementary school-age kids, and I’m an adult. It is one of our Louisiana Young Readers Choice Books for 24-25 and one of our battle of the Books Book. As the school librarian, I wanted to read it. It had great build-up, suspense, and creativity. I rarely if ever have read a ghost story, and it wasn’t too scary, actually not really scary at all, just suspenseful. I think it was well-written.
July 17, 2022
4.5 stars for this story by Betsy Uhrig, who is quickly becoming an author I recommend, because her books are consistently great. This book is great for older MG readers since the main characters are on the older side and this book is perfect for kids who like ghosts and mysteries but don't particularly love spooky/horror books...it's like spooky light! The story is also funny, there were a number of times I laughed out loud, and I think kids will appreciate that.
May 4, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was a whimsical ghost story, rather than attempting to be even a little scary. It had adventure and mystery and was a lot of fun. I liked the way the story was moving along until the final interaction with the ghosts. The ghost squid was a little over the top and ruined any creepiness that might have otherwise been achieved when finally meeting the Grauches. Still, overall it was an enjoyable read.
June 14, 2024
This book was AMAZING! I laughed out loud so many times at the quirky characters and their antics and pseudo-arguments. It is not at all scary, even though they have some run-ins with a very angry poltergeist. Every scene is described in amusing fashion through Aldo's first person perspective. This would be a great class read-aloud for a 4th or 5th grade, as well as an excellent example of using "voice" when writing.
December 22, 2022
Delightful and hilarious. These three best friends are hysterical together and the way they communicate is just great. Uhrig has captured the nerdy middle school boy voice perfectly somehow? And the mystery is so fun, very Scooby-Doo-esque. Not too preachy, not too cheesy, not too many fart jokes, just funny and fun.
July 27, 2023
This was a funny, not scary book. Think along the lines of Casper, Scooby-Doo, and common kid humor. “Portrait of Three Chuckleheads” was a line that made my girls laugh a lot. It’s hard to get five stars out of my eldest daughter, but she gave it to this book, wholeheartedly. Probably one of our favorite Bluebonnet Award Winner books we’ve read this year.
October 10, 2022
I read THE POLTER-GHOST PROBLEM out loud to my tween yesterday. We were so engrossed we devoured it in a single day! Its laugh-out-loud ghosty fun is the perfect level of spooky: atmospheric, but not nightmare-inducing. 👻📖❤️ A perfect Halloween read for middle graders.
February 15, 2023
The cover of this book grabs students right off the bat, and luckily they are in good hands. For a ghost story, this one is full of humor and I loved the friendship between the three boys. It will have a wide range of fans.
July 28, 2023
Entertaining story and entertaining writing style. Surprised me that I enjoyed it. Maybe the teacher that I am enjoyed the idea that these boys were writing a summer journal. 4th and 5th graders will enjoy.
August 19, 2023
This hilarious page turner is a feel good summer time adventure that reminds me of Sandlot shenanigans. Brilliant middle-grade humor at its finest. If you're looking for a good laugh with a side of spooky hijinks, this book is for you!
November 18, 2023
This is written as a kids journal assignment. It has way too many characters and is not scary or interesting.
I read it to my class because it is a bluebonnet book and was recommended by the librarian at my school.
I read it to my class because it is a bluebonnet book and was recommended by the librarian at my school.
December 17, 2023
Mark Twain Reader Selector book!
Middle grade readers will eat this UP. A toddler poltergeist? Horribly mean adults? Shenanigans between friends? This is everything a ten year old boy would want. I can see this becoming a horrible Netflix TV adaptation.
Middle grade readers will eat this UP. A toddler poltergeist? Horribly mean adults? Shenanigans between friends? This is everything a ten year old boy would want. I can see this becoming a horrible Netflix TV adaptation.
February 8, 2024
My 9 year old daughter was buried in this book and never wanted to come out. When it was over, and she turned it back into the librarian, the librarian asked what she thought about it? Her response, "I never wanted it to end!" An easy 5 stars!
Want to read
March 18, 2022Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
August 2, 2022
Super fun ghostly adventure with plenty of bickering and alliterative names! This one belongs on your shelves!
August 3, 2022
An overall enjoyable quick read with a whole lot of laughs. Betsy Uhrig's style is truly unique and fun.
August 29, 2022
This middle-grade book features an endearing trio of narrators, along with a (mostly) delightful cast of ghosts and a ton of laugh-out-loud moments. Highly recommended!
October 6, 2022
I thought this was funny, but I'm not sure the students will. I'll purchase one copy for now and see if it moves.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews