Review: Ghost Squad

Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega.
Scholastic, New York, originally published 2020, my edition 2021.
MG fantasy, 246 pages + excerpt.
Lexile: 810L .
AR Level: 5.5 (worth 7.0 points) .

Lucely Luna’s father Simon might be in the business of ghost tours, but the way her Dominican family’s ancestors appear as firefly ghosts is a secret known only to her best friend Syd – who has a witchy grandmother of her own. But with the family finances leaving their house (and magical tree) in peril, the mayor acting weird, and helping Syd hunt for a spellbook through all the town’s graveyards, Lucely is more than stressed. Would a strange spell make everything right or will it add to their problems?

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega.

Ortega is definitely an author to watch. I appreciated so many aspects of this. Lucely is being raised by a single dad. This comes up a few times, especially as she still struggles with how her mother suddenly left without warning and has almost no contact with them now, but it isn’t part of the main plotline and isn’t magically fixed by the end of the book. Although I no longer work in schools, this is a problem I recall – some students are being raised by single dads (or even grandpas) yet few books reflect that reality.

Lucely isn’t popular at school, but does have a strong support network between her many ghost relatives, her father, and her best friend’s family. The family is financially struggling, but they still make a large breakfast for their extended family who are deceased (since virtuous ghosts can still taste food and enjoy eating).

Explaining the next part I loved will require some spoilers, which I’ll keep to this paragraph. Lucely and Syd, like so many kids in MG books, go off and get into all sorts of trouble. But they also eventually get caught by Syd’s grandmother Babette, and even confess to Lucely’s dad Simon and ask for his help. I felt that Ortega struck a nice balance here between the MG wish fulfillment of kids doing everything on their own, and the realistic idea that when real danger happens, having a mentor and some mild supervision can keep you alive.

While there was much to love about this title, I could also see some room for growth. The pacing felt a bit off and while some settings were vivid, others were difficult to imagine -part of which could be that I live in a very different area, so my imagination needed some further assistance! Ortega also left some plot holes and flaws in the resolution which are unlikely to be noticed by the target audience, but might jolt more experienced readers out of the story.

Where Ortega shines is in her characters, who are undeniably flawed but still so very lovable. She consistently strikes a tricky balance – human and realistic characters who grow throughout the story, but also are relatable and likeable enough to have you rooting for them throughout.

Cultural representation was also woven into the book. Unitalicized Spanish words were frequently incorporated but any necessary meaning was clear by context. Although we are starting to see more Latine representation, it’s especially wonderful to see a vibrant Afro-Latine community – too often publishers find whiter approaches to Latine literature more palatable, and I’m happy to see more Black and Indigenous Latine books for children get published.

I normally would write about content warnings here, but to be completely transparent, I forgot to take notes about this on my second read-through! The girls (and their cats and ghosts) definitely get into some shenanigans, but I don’t remember anything particularly harmful. That doesn’t mean that something hasn’t escaped my memory though, so please read it yourself first if you are in doubt, especially if giving to children younger than MG.

Next up Ortega has a MG about young witches who get sorted into various houses in their magical community – the first chapter is included in the back of this book and it sounds delightful. I expect to like it even more than this one and can’t wait to give it a try!

Recommended.