Book: Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega

Published April 2020 by Scholastic|288 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this action-packed supernatural fantasy.For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business. Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late. With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.

I really liked Ghost Squad!  It was a really fun book, and I liked seeing Lucely and Syd reverse the curse that they accidentally set loose.

I really liked Lucely and Syd, and they make a pretty good team.  Syd seems more outgoing, while Lucely seems a little more quiet.  Babette was really cool too, and I liked Chunk.  You can’t have witches and ghost hunters without a cat.

I haven’t seen Coco, and it’s been ages since I’ve seen the first season of Stranger Things, so I don’t know how they compare to this book.  But I definitely got more than a hint of Ghostbusters when I was reading this book.  It really was fun to read, and regardless of what it’s compared to, or what it reminded me of, I had a lot of fun reading this book.  I loved seeing how Lucely, Syd and Babette deal with getting rid of ghosts, especially one who is out for vengeance.

I love the idea of a coven who lived in Florida before being chased out of town, only to reemerge hundreds of years later.  I liked getting a little bit of their history, and I really wanted to know more about Lucely and the fireflies and the magic.  I really wanted this book to be longer, because I wanted to keep reading.

Also, while this book is a stand-alone, I really want it to be a series!  There are a lot of adventures Lucely and Syd can go on, and a lot of trouble they could end up in.  As long as they have Babette and Chunk, they’ll get through it.  I just really want more supernatural adventures for them to get involved in.

4 stars.  While I wanted the book to be a little longer (or even a series), I still really liked Ghost Squad.  They’re a pretty good team, and this was a really fun book to read!