Ghost Circus

Gr 5-7–One day, Casey finds himself invisible to humans and able to see ghosts. He meets a ghost who only goes by Creepy Girl, and she agrees to help Casey figure out what has him stuck between the lands of the living and the dead. The book’s concept is interesting, but the two main characters lack strong personality traits, both only focusing on solving Casey’s dilemma. Casey and Creepy Girl mostly argue, waffling between suspicion and trust, and neither has reason to trust the other, besides the plot hinging on it. Two of the most interesting parts of the story are borrowed from the public domain. The Headless Horseman features as a character, and another side character’s backstory mirrors that of “The Green Ribbon,” a tale popularized in Alvin Schwartz’s In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories. The artwork occasionally elevates the text, and the backgrounds are intricately detailed, especially the circus, but the spectral midway features are fewer than one might expect. The character designs vary in quality. Creepy Girl has an unsettling but safe design, being mostly normal except for her coal-black orbs for eyes. Casey’s is unremarkable and his movements are awkwardly conveyed. A highlight is Creepy Girl’s cute sidekick, Polterghost, who provides some comic relief, performing spontaneous feats of ghostliness to keep the plot moving. If readers persevere to the end, they will be rewarded with a deliriously fun and inventive finale. The final page expresses hope for a sequel.