THE ONLY GHOST AT SUMMER CAMP
by Tara J. Hannon
Penguin Workshop
Children's Paranormal
96 pages
ages 6 to 9
COMING...
AUGUST 12th!!!
It’s summertime in Smithville, and camping in the great outdoors with his BFF Tate is Ghostie’s idea of a dream come true. But when their summer camp counselor gathers everyone around the campfire for scary ghost stories, he makes everybody—including Tate—afraid of GHOSTS! To make matters worse, Ghostie’s parents get called on to run the camp after the counselor catches the flu.
Ghostie’s dream come true has suddenly become a nightmare. Is his friendship with Tate over? And how will two ghosts run a camp full of kids who are terrified of them?
With charming full-color art throughout, this second book in the Only Ghost chapter book series highlights that the only way to find true belonging is to accept ourselves and celebrate the differences that we see in each other.
MY TIDBITS
Summer camp takes on a whole new level of fun thanks to this friendly and adorable ghost.
Ghostie has settled into Smithville and enjoys spending time with his best-friend, Tate, who also happens to be human. That means that Tate is going to go to a human summer camp...and Ghostie, although a ghost, has the rare chance to go with him. Ghostie is so excited and can't wait to get there. While he's very different than everyone else, he's doing his best to enjoy every moment. But the differences between ghost and human are hard to ignore. When someone tells a ghost story, Ghostie is a little offended. Worse yet, Tate refuses to listen to his reasoning as to why he didn't like it and won't talk to him any more. Now, Ghostie is not only the odd ball at summer camp, but his very best friend might not speak to him ever again.
This is the second book in the series, and while reading the first one would definitely help set the stage for Ghostie and his life in Smithville, it can be read as a standalone, too.
Ghostie is an adorable ghost with a big heart. His joy at being with humans every day puts a smile on the face and starts everything off on a good note. Ghostie's family adds an unique spin to the tale, and it's fun to watch his father and mother swirl through the humans as they also do the best they can to fit in. They have Ghostie's back, which adds a level of wholesomeness and security. And yet, they are quirky enough to make it clear that Ghostie isn't sad when he doesn't have them following him to summer camp. Being ghosts also means that they have a few, fun phrases popping up everywhere, eat odd things, and have interesting hobbies and holidays. All of this adds quirky humor to make it an enjoyable story from beginning to end.
While the ghost side adds fun, Ghostie deals with a few situations that readers will be able to identify with. Being the only ghost, he sticks out among humans and feels singled out. Ghostie tries to ignore the problem, but it eats at him and, finally, causes bigger problems. He might need help to get everything worked out but isn't sure what to do...and that's the main message of this tale.
The text is written in a large font with plenty of spacing for easy reading. There are lovely illustrations on every page to help break things up and add visual spice. It's for those readers, who are sure of their words and are ready for slightly larger chapter books but still need more time before picking up a small novel.
It's a fun series and I'm curious to see what Ghostie will do next.
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