Ophie's Ghosts

March 22, 2021
In 1920s Georgia, 12-year-old Ophelia Harrison, who is Black, learns that she can see ghosts when her father, killed hours earlier by a white lynch mob, wakes Ophie in the middle of the night to save her and her mother from the same fate. After relocating to Pittsburgh to live with her father’s family, Ophie must leave school and work alongside her mother at the opulent Daffodil Manor, owned by the Caruthers family, white, pro-slavery Southerners from Virginia. There, Ophie sees more ghosts than ever, soon learning of her family’s legacy of helping sometimes-dangerous haints with unfinished business move on. Her fascination with Clara, the old home’s most beautiful ghost, draws Ophie into a mystery that reveals the human cost of systemic racism across America and the price routinely paid by those attempting to defy it. In her middle grade debut, Ireland (Dread Nation) deftly balances historical detail and atmosphere, capturing the essence of the centuries-enduring racism that oppresses through actions large and small. Ophie makes a brave, dynamic main character: scared, grieving, and compassionate, while also deeply aware that she deserves more than a racist society permits her. Ages 8–12.

March 15, 2021
A 12-year-old Black girl in 1920s Georgia learns she has the ability to commune with ghosts--and goes on to help solve a mysterious death. Ophelia "Ophie" Harrison was startled awake by her father's urgently telling her to grab their emergency money, wake her mother, and escape to the woods--just before White men came and burned their house to the ground. The next morning, she found out those same men had already murdered her father; what she had seen was his ghost. Her mother, dealing with her own grief and their new reality, is not ready to hear of Ophie's talent, so after they move north to live with Aunt Rose and her family in Pittsburgh, Ophie is forced to keep quiet about it. She longs to attend school but starts working with her mother at Daffodil Manor, home to one of the city's wealthiest families, so that they can save up for their own place. She soon discovers that ghosts fill the manor; one in particular, Clara, helps her satisfy the demands of the curmudgeonly old White lady who is their employer. In return, Ophie is determined to find out how Clara died. Once again, Ireland weaves together the fantastical with historical realities that Black Americans have faced. Ophie's optimistic personality and the intrigue-filled story will keep pages turning all the way to the satisfying conclusion. An enthralling journey interwoven with historical realities. (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)

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April 15, 2021
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* The first time Ophie Harrison saw a ghost was the night her father was murdered by a lynch mob in 1922. Ophie and her mother escape from their Georgia home the same night to start a new life in Pittsburgh. Even after the change in location, ghosts (both literal and metaphorical) linger about the edges of their lives. After arriving in the city, they find work as servants for the Caruthers family at Daffodil Manor. Despite the cheerful name, the stately home is anything but. Ophie is assigned to care for the misanthropic Mrs. Caruthers but soon befriends Clara, a young ghost who cannot remember how she died. When Aunt Rose, an elderly relative who can also see ghosts, recognizes Ophie's gift, she warns the young girl to be careful as ghosts are dangerous creatures. The desire to help Clara discover what happened to her is too strong to ignore, thus entangling Ophie in an incredibly sinister mystery. Ireland's first middle-grade novel deftly examines the haunting aftermath of racial trauma and how people can learn to thrive despite it. Equal parts supernatural suspense and historical fiction, this is a compelling spin on the classic whodunit narrative. Younger fans of Ireland's Dread Nation series or Ronald L. Smith's Hoodoo (2015) will particularly enjoy this novel.

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