  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 06/01/2017 What happens when you try to exile ghosts? For starters, you might create a situation of otherworldly, explosive wrath. But that’s where librarians come in: in Alexander’s fantasy world, created for middle-grade readers, librarians can appease ghosts. Rosa Díaz’s family specializes in extreme hauntings, which is why she’s directionless when she and her mother relocate to Ingot, the only ghost-free town in the world, after her father dies in a spectral accident. While her mother rests and mourns, Rosa starts exploring why Ingot seems to repel the dead. But then she meets local boy Jasper Chevalier, and a monster interrupts the local Renaissance festival, throwing the unhaunted town into chaos. Rosa and Jasper—both children of color—dig into local history and find themselves plunged into danger. National Book Award winner Alexander (Goblin Secrets, 2012) displays strong writing chops. His latest is perfect for kids who like their creepy moments mixed with wildly imaginative elements (like a motorcycle-riding spirit who denies he’s dead). This should see plenty of circulation. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 07/01/2017 Gr 4–6—Ghosts and spirits live everywhere, except in the town of Ingot. Eleven-year-old Rosa Diaz and her mother have relocated to the sleepy hamlet following the death of Rosa's father. Accustomed to the big city, Rosa questions why her mother would move them to such a dead place. Rosa's mother is an "appeasement librarian," endowed with the ability to comfort ghostly spirits. Libraries and books are usually brimming with ghostly energy but not, unfortunately, in the ghost-free Ingot library. Rosa feels her mother's particular talents are wasted until the girl attends Ingot's yearly Renaissance Festival. The festival is attacked by a dynamic evil spirit that renders her mother defenseless. It is up to Rosa to uncover the town's supernatural goings-on. She befriends a local boy named Jasper. United, they fight to bring justice to the living and the dead. Though the writing is clear and the narrative unfolds quickly, the characters are somewhat flat. The world-building is similarly wanting; the spells and objects used to manipulate the ghost come out of nowhere and don't feel believable. VERDICT While the cute cover and fast pace may attract fans of ghost stories, a lack of character development limits this title's appeal.—Sada Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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