Respect Your Ghosts

January 15, 2017
Nine-year-old Sergio may not be the brightest bulb in town, but he shines after helping to settle a 137-year-old feud between two ghosts in Marciano's latest visit to Benevento.Alas! When poor Sergio manages to lose a basket of "caca diapers" he had been sent down to the river to clean, his angry mother exiles him to the attic to stay with Bis-Bis, the surly spirit of his five-times-great grampa "who died in the earthquake of 1688, but not quite enough." Can Sergio escape the gassy ghost ("Skeevo!") and regain his mom's good graces by reuniting her with her beloved cousin Zia Carozzo, long separated by an old quarrel between Bis-Bis and the Carozzo family's house spirit? Though one young resident's anachronistic "Mushroom hunting is the dorkiest, lamest thing ever!" rather spoils the period flavor, this latest episode in an interwoven series set in 1820s Benevento, historically renowned for its witches and magical creatures, winningly blends broad comedy with eerie encounters. Blackall festoons the small-format pages with expressive two-color drawings of the light-skinned townsfolk, along with an occasional rubbery-looking specter, and Marciano closes with notes on the town's history and supernatural residents. A droll picture of life yesteryear in a--seemingly--ordinary Italian town. (map, "witchonary") (Historical fantasy. 8-10)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2017

Gr 2-5-Sergio joins his cousins in the fourth installment of the series revolving around their lives in the Italian town of Benevento, still rife with mischievous witches and ghosts. Sergio has a grumpy ghost, Bis-Bis, living upstairs in his house, and he has to cater to Bis-Bis's every whim, such as his daily eggs requirement. When Sergio upsets his mom and has to move in with the ghost, he tries to find a way out of his predicament. Sergio's mom has always wanted to attend a First of May party, which has been impossible because of a 137-year-old ghost vendetta. With the help of his cousins, Sergio hopes to break the curse and maybe trap the hidden Janara (mischief maker) along the way. Readers should be familiar with the prior three titles to keep facts and characters straight. Blackall's distinctive drawings are sweet and expressive. VERDICT While fans may want to continue with the series, this installment likely won't entice new readers, as it has lost some of its magic.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.