The Haunted House Next Door

September 15, 2017
What happens if you move to a new town and your house is haunted? Andres is about to find out!Andres Miedoso--his last name means "fearful" in Spanish--is "definitely not the coolest and bravest kid in the world." In fact, Andres likes normal-boring and understands normal-boring, because he is normal-boring. But when the brown-skinned, curly haired Latino child and his family move to Kersville, he finds out his new home is anything but normal-boring. Fortunately, his next-door neighbor, a black boy named Desmond Cole who is the same age as Andres, is "the coolest, bravest kid in the world." Desmond's business as stated on his business card is "Ghost Patrol." How lucky should a boy feel to live in a haunted house? Very--if you're Desmond. Not so lucky if you're Andres. But when the ghost eats a lasagna that makes him sick and tells them he's been moving from house to house, Andres feels sorry and invites the ghost to stay as long as he promises "not to do any spooky stuff." A deal is struck, a friendship is born, and a new series for chapter-book readers gets off to a good start. Simple text, short chapters, and plenty of illustrations will appeal to emerging readers who prefer just a little shiver with their story--and to other readers too. (Suspense. 6-9)

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September 25, 2017
This amusing first book in the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series is narrated by Andres Miedoso (the book is written pseudonymously), a nervous “normal-boring” Latino boy who moves to a new town and befriends his neighbor Desmond. Desmond runs a ghost-hunting business out of his garage, and it’s a good thing: Andres’s house turns out to be haunted, and he’ll need Desmond’s help to deal with the mysterious noises, floating furniture, and other instances of paranormal activity, including a silverware creature that manifests in the kitchen and sends Andres fleeing in terror. The large font, ample b&w illustrations, short chapters, and funny-spooky story line should make this a hit with scaredy-cats and brave readers alike. Final art not seen by PW. Simultaneously available: Ghosts Don’t Ride Bikes, Do They? Ages 5–9. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates.

November 1, 2017
Grades 2-4 Miedoso casts himself as a timorous young narrator whose hopes of leading a normal-boring life are dashed immediately when the house he and his scientist parents move into proves to be haunted by a terrifying poltergeist. Fortunately, his outgoing next-door neighbor, African American Desmond, is an experienced exorcist with, it turns out, a large customer base. Unfortunately, before he gets a chance to help, Andres' parents chow down on the lasagna Desmond's mom has brought over, which turns out to be disgustingly haunted. In the midst of all this, it comes out that the ghost, named Zax, is a mischievous but friendly sort who doesn't really want to scare anyone. So Andres loses his fear (if not his aversion to slime) and ends up poised to join his new friend in further ectoplasmic encounters. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations on almost every page of Andres' large, well-leaded narrative add plenty of visual appeal to a crowd-pleasing setup episode aimed at fledgling chapter-book readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)