  | Ghost in apartment 2R Author: Markell, Denis | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
After discovering a ghost in his apartment, twelve-year-old Danny and his friends traverse Brooklyn's diverse neighborhood together to learn the spirit's origins and bring it to rest.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.40 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 506928 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (08/15/19)
School Library Journal (01/01/20)
Booklist (11/01/19)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/11/19)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 11/01/2019 Thirteen-year-old Danny is thoroughly peeved to learn that his financially strapped parents have converted his college-bound brother’s room into an AirHotel rental instead of letting Danny have it. Worse yet, they shrug him off when he reports seeing shadowy faces in the room's window, along with midnight lights and other weird manifestations. How can he convince them that he’s not just acting out from spite—or worrisomely crazy? Though Markell indeed conjures up a terrifying and increasingly hostile dybbuk who repeatedly takes possession of guest renters, the star of the show here is really Brooklyn—or, more accurately, the borough’s intricate weave of past and present, of neighborhoods, generations, and particularly its cultures. Ultimately, Danny undertakes some absorbing detective work into the ghost’s tragic past that propels the plot forward and helps to turn the haunting into a community affair. A layered chiller that is also a valentine to the story’s setting. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 Gr 5 Up—Promised his older brother Jake's bedroom when his sibling leaves for college, 13-year-old Danny is bummed when his parents decide to rent out Jake's room to AirHotel to recoup some of those college costs. Danny has to continue sleeping in a closet, but even worse…it appears that although Jake has departed, something creepy has been left behind. Helped by his friends Natalie and Gus, and even (unwillingly) by their AirHotel guests, Danny learns about the various types of ghosts "known" to have been seen in their Brooklyn neighborhood---and the best way to get his family's spectre to go. Although there's a ghost in the tale, this is more a mystery story that includes a loving homage to Markell's hometown of Brooklyn and all its diversity. Without fanfare, Danny and Gus (both Jewish) do the sleuthing with Natalie (of Arab descent), and the old folks in their lives have plenty to contribute as well. The only downside is the cartoonish cover, which makes the children look younger and might make it harder to sell to its intended audience. VERDICT Recommended for most libraries serving tweens.—Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
