Ghost stories!

 Summer is drawing to a close and we're getting ready to start school again.  Things seem a little scary here because of the virus and the uncertainty of what's going to happen next.  These books are scary in a completely different and wonderful way!  

The first one is called Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie.  She writes terrific spooky middle grade books and that's exactly what this one is.  Scritch Scratch is narrated by Claire, an 8th grade science fair aficionado.  She lives with her parents and her older brother Sam.  Her dad has kind of an unusual job-he's a ghost hunter.  He writes book and runs a tour company that gives ghost tours of Chicago.  Claire finds this all very embarrassing.  The book opens with Claire being being asked to help her dad on the ghost tour.  The driver has unexpectedly called in sick and her dad doesn't want to cancel the tour.  So Claire is along to make sure her dad stays on time, that the bus doesn't get towed, and that everyone gets on and off the bus when they are supposed to.  Except that at the end of the tour there's an additional passenger.  A little boy in old fashioned clothes and he's soaking wet.  Claire is a bit shaken but tries to move past it on her own, even after she starts seeing and hearing really weird things.  Claire's best friend, Casley, has been busy with a new girl, Emily, who is very interested in clothes and makeup and Claire definitely does NOT want to talk to her dad about it, so she confides in her brother.  This was a super compelling mystery with characters who feel like people you know.  I read it all in one sitting!  I really liked the connection between science and research and ghosts.  The historical research about Chicago and tragic events that occurred there was really interesting.  This would be a great book to connect to the Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton which is also based in Chicago and has lots of Chicago history.   I think the kids are going to love this scary mystery book. 

The second one is called Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartowski.  This one opens with a terrifying monster attack and doesn't really let up.  It's told from the perspective of 12 year old Rae, who is moving to a new town, Whispering Pines, after her dad disappeared and Caden, who has lived in Whispering Pines his whole life.  People think Caden is strange because his family makes their living off psychic readings and since kids are disappearing from the town at an alarming rate, business has been busy.  But one of the kids who's disappeared is Caden's older brother.  Aiden pushed the limits of appropriate behavior as well as the boundaries of the magic that their family used and Caden is pretty sure Aiden went too far and unleashed a monster that is maiming the kids of the town.  Rae is mad that they've left their old life and angry that her mother isn't doing more to find her dad.  She's trying to figure out who to be friends with and even though Caden lives close by, the nice kids that she meets warn her away from Caden.  Eventually, they find their way to each other and to the heart of the mystery surrounding their town and experiments at the power plant that have lots of people asking questions.  The characters in this one were very compelling and easy to like.  The story was very fast paced and I finished this one in a single sitting as well.  The ending of the story left so many things hanging that there BETTER be a sequel!  If you like scary books, this one is an excellent choice.